Lost Language April 6, 2010

What? Exhibition

Where? Kraak, Manchester

Who for? Everyone

How much? Free

More info: Contact Louise 07958 050 730, [email protected] to book workshop places or for more details.

Curated by graduate Louise Woodcock and featuring other Salford graduates and staff, Lost Language features experimental emerging artists from Manchester and London predominantly working in sound, installation, live art and video. Lost Language is at Kraak: a new space for artists to experiment and discuss, in central Manchester.

Helen Shanahan
Jennifer McDonald
Graham Dunning
Gary Fisher
Kate Hughes
Lucy Campbell
Debbie Sharp
Andrew Locke
Rebecca Taylor
Matt Dalby
Louise Woodcock

Curated by Louise Woodcock.

Preview: 2nd April 6-9pm
Opening times: 11-5pm Mon-Fri
Show ends: 23rd April 2010

Lost Language juxtaposes themes of loss, fear and disgust with visions of beauty, transcendence and spirituality. Cutting edge media and practice is juxtaposed with time old concepts and concerns. The exhibition raises questions about femininity and masculinity through material and concept: outmoded machines with crocheted acrylic, organic matter with video, digitalism with spirituality.

The inspiration for the Lost Language came from Julia Kristeva's book Powers of Horror which investigates the roots of our sense of the 'abject', our fascination with it and what it means to us. The key theme in the book is around the concept of ambiguity. Ambiguity frightens us: when we think we know something or someone and we find we have been deceived or misguided we doubt our senses. If we become too afraid of ambiguity it can be stifling to creativity and to our fascination with the unknown in general. The rediscovery of horror and therefore ambiguity, according to Kristeva, brings us closer to our pre-historic selves who were not so bound to oppressive patriarchal systems.

Workshops and performances will be held on 17th and 18th April with artists including Matt Dalby, Graham Dunning and Gary Fisher.

Official Website: http://www.salford.ac.uk/events/details/1193