Fantastical and mystical tales of truth and fiction and legend and myth connect the work of British Art Show 7 artist, Steven Claydon and Plymouth artist, Beth Emily Richards – both of whom have been commissioned by the Plymouth Visual Arts Consortium to create brand new work at the time of ‘British Art Show 7: In the Days of the Comet’.
Installation: Beth Emily Richards,
The Handcuff King, 2011
The Big Screen, Armada Way, Plymouth City Centre
Friday 16 September to Sunday 4 December
A Plymouth Visual Arts Consortium (PVAC) Commission
In 1909 the escapologist Houdini commissioned shipwright joiners from Devonport Dockyard to make an inescapable box for his act at the Palace Theatre, Plymouth. His show saw him escape from the box made by the joiners in 12 minutes. For The Handcuff King, artist Beth Emily Richards has been working with a local locksmith and shipwright joiner to create a contemporary version of Houdini’s performance.
The video work shows Beth performing an ‘inexact re-enactment’ of Houdini’s act, demonstrating the artist’s attempts to escape from a replica box, made by local shipwright joiner Ian Greet. The artist sets herself the challenge of Houdini’s record of 12 minutes as her time limit.
The art work explores ideas of heroism, attempts at the impossible and veers from parodying to emulating the macho acts of bravery and showmanship demonstrated by Houdini. The piece also aims to celebrate the local hidden history of the Union Street area.
Beth explores notions of the performer, macho and the absurd through her performative practice. Her work also addresses the veracity of the archive, particularly the role of lens-based media and documentation in live artworks. She uses photographs, text, performances to camera, sound works and props to subvert personal and local histories.
The work will be screened daily on ‘The Big Screen’ in Plymouth City Centre throughout the duration of The British Art Show 7. It will also be screened as part of Stonehouse Action’s 2011 Union Street street party (Saturday 24September), for more information please visit: http://www.stonehouseaction.btck.co.uk/
Beth would like to thank the following people for their support and involvement in the project: The Plymouth Big Screen for presenting the work and Kevin Heathorn for his support, William Hibberd for designing the project poster, costume designer Rose Savage, shipwright Ian Greet, Paul Sheldon and Sean Macfall from Budget Locksmiths, filmmaker Nick Peres, Plymouth Athenaeum, Stonehouse Action, Sprouts Restaurant for presenting the work as part of the Union Street street party, Hannah Jones and Plymouth College of Art.
Beth Emily Richards is a PVAC Associate Artist supported by Groundwork.
Performance: Steven Claydon,
An Equivalence Propelled, 2011
Venue: Royal William Yard, Stonehouse, Plymouth PL1 3RP
Saturday 17 September, 5pm
A Plymouth Visual Arts Consortium (PVAC) Commission
Enjoy a unique performance by British Art Show 7 artist, Steven Claydon, inspired by science fiction novel, ‘The Glass Bees’. The book was written in 1957 by well-known German author, Ernst Junger. Set in a futuristic world, it deals with the relationships between technology, society and nature.
Claydon describes an idyllic garden where, at a certain time of day, the loud of humming of bees can be heard – almost as if it’s been amplified by a giant bell.
Where are these bees, and what are they doing?
Using Plymouth’s Royal William Yard as a dramatic backdrop, Claydon creates a performance that explores truth, fiction and how the media misrepresents information that purposely changes reality and rewrites history.
- Free admission – no need to book. For enquiries please call 01752 206114
