Elbow-Room In the Universe

Sholto Buck, Amy Howden-Chapman, Sonya Lacey, val smith, Fiona Williams curated by Victoria Wynne-Jones.

Opening Wednesday 22 January, 5.30pm. (Please see below for performance times).

Elbow-room in the universe is a performance-based project curated by Victoria Wynne-Jones that includes work by artists Sholto Buck, Amy Howden-Chapman, Sonya Lacey, val smith and Fiona Williams.

Elbow-room in the universe involves atmosphere, encounters, orientation, proximity and hospitality. The exhibition takes its title from the writings of English philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, in particular his description of an environment that has room for and indeed welcomes irresponsibility and freedom. Slender openings in time-space will be created so that visitors to Enjoy might have the possibility of finding themselves in the midst of short and engaging interpersonal encounters.

David Abram, an eco-philosopher based in the foothills of the Southern Rockies posits that climate change is a consequence of taking the air we breathe for granted and failing to respect or notice the elemental medium we’re immersed within. In the face of daily lives dominated by screens as well as virtual and incessant interactions, Abrams argues that one way to catch one’s breath and to remember what is primary is to engage with each other face-to-face.

Elbow-room in the universe proffers encounters that range from earnest yet flamboyant confessions, a scripted reading with a cast of almost a dozen, a costumed and extended attunement to the particularities of the gallery environment and an activation of the very air.

A series of works by Narrm Melbourne-based artist Fiona Williams will be on display throughout the course of the project. Williams’ practice is deeply attuned to changes in light and atmosphere, paintings on aluminum bear gestural marks that absorb and reflect the light and shadows of their surroundings. For the exhibition opening, Buck will read aloud a selection of texts that combine memoir, poetry and prose.

These are made up of astute observations of the artist’s immediate urban environment, the various social constellations he is part of as well as more general and speculative musings. Howden-Chapman’s mass reading probes how exactly individuals who work daily on the issue of climate change reconcile the magnitude of the crisis to the reality of their individual lives.

Drawn from interviews with climate physicists, economists, activists and journalists this performance generates a chorus of grief and ambition that coalesces into a call for greater reflection on the drivers of the climate crisis along with action to diminish its danger. The tension between risk and safety will be echoed in val smith’s day-long performance.

Clad in protective gear and from a place of gentle curiosity smith will physically respond to the exhibition and gallery environment itself. Passing visitors, the fall of light and usually peripheral spaces will be included. On the final day of the exhibition an installation and scripted element will be delivered by Lacey. This one-on-one performance involves speech transmitted at the volume of a domestic bedroom.

Performance times:
Performance 1: Sholto Buck Wednesday 22 January 5:30 pm
Performance 2: Amy Howden-Chapman Thursday 23 January 6.30 pm
Performance 3: val smith Friday 24 January 11-6 pm
Performance 4: Sonya Lacey Saturday 25 January 11-4 pm

Read more at Enjoy NZ.