Humans have an innate desire to control a world in chaos – and it’s that desire that lies behind the next exhibition at the New Westminster New Media Gallery.
Assembly, featuring works by three international artists, is set to run from Sept. 17 to Dec. 5 at the gallery, on the third floor of the Anvil Centre (777 Columbia St.).
“A collection of objects, a set of instructions, an archive, a city, a regime, a system. This is the Assembly,” says a press release from the gallery. “We recognize the power of the assembly that works, moves and thinks together, with apparent order and regularity. There is a potent force in impressions and sounds of order, be they utopian or dystopian. And there can be power in their destruction.”
The exhibition includes work by the Indonesian-born Fiona Tan, who’s known for her photography, film and video art installations; the U.K.’s Elizabeth Price, winner of the Turner Prize, who’s recognized for her densely layered video and sound works combining appropriated imagery, original music and text; and Switzerland’s Zimoun, known for “immersive constructions featuring large collections of identical components and robotic mechanisms that create startling, embodied soundscapes,” as the release notes.
“Art itself can be understood as a desire for order, particularly in the development of systems, rules and organizations,” the release says. “At the same time, creative thought can be a powerful force with the ability to break down ordering systems. And when the assembly breaks down what follows? Out of the chaotic destruction of order, new orders are swiftly born.”
The exhibition will include one special performance-based event, Ledi, featuring poet and writer Kim Trainer with musician Hazel Fairbairn. An exact date for that event will be chosen based on public health orders, with limited in-gallery seating.
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