Tales of Space and Time
14th May 2009
So what have Mr and Mrs Morison been doing since Venice 2007?
There is a long list - I'd recommend that you browse through their web site www.morison.info
A number of new projects have been filmed for the Pixel Foundry Artists Archive and films featuring some of the projects will become available to view through the Culture Colony - Y Wladfa Newydd web site later this year. Notable works to look out for include 'The Land of Cockaigne' a great flower give away where people came into the Bloomberg Gallery in London and took away as many flowers as they could carry, the transformation of an old Bedford Green Goddess fire truck into 'Tales of Space and Time' and shelters for an uncertain future 'I am so sorry. Goodbye (Escape Vehicle number 4)' and 'How to Survive the Coming Bad Years'.
With artists as currently prolific as Heather and Ivan Morison there are also a number of works that slipped through the Pixel Foundry Artists Archive net - 'Journée des Barricades' where the Morisons piled car wrecks and junk of all kinds into a huge pile blocking a road in Wellington New Zealand for 24hrs - 'I Hate Her. I Hate Her.(The true tale of a man's life, his decline, and fictional redemption.)' a puppet show in Voltany, New York, where all 19 characters are made from mud and the script written by the artists is performed by New York puppeteers Rich Pulito and Artie Poore. Then there are the kites - 'The Opposite of all those Things' - and they did fly on the beach at Blackpool! Recently this work also appeared in 'Mythologies' exhibition with another meteorite/crystal structure 'Kind, Wise and Loving' at Haunch of Venison in London.
Bringing us up to date in a very sketchy manner - 'I am so sorry. Goodbye (Escape Vehicle number 4)' has been relocated from Tatton Park near Manchester and is being re-erected at the Barbican in London ready for the exhibition 'Radical Nature' a survey of environmental and ecological art over the past 30 years. 'Pleasure Island', the work made for Venice 2007 is now in Eastside Projects, Birmingham, and after the success of 'Tales of Space and Time' at the Folkestone Triennial last year Mr and Mrs Morison's house truck will be on the road again soon. In a couple of months time it will be leaving its woodland home once more (in the 'Arboretum' where it's been parked up next to 'Fantasy Island') and this time heading for the Contemporary Art Festival in Norwich this July. The kites 'Kind, Wise and Loving' are forming part of the Morison solo show at The Fields, New York and on July the 25th the Morisons will be barn raising - building a shelter in Bristol which will go up in a day and provide the space for a program of talks discussing our potential catastrophic futures for the following 6 months.
As well as another barricade in Gratz Austria in September the Morisons will also be working on a major public work in Cardiff with Chapter and Safle - so watch this space, Culture Colony - Y Wladfa Newydd will be with the Morisons trying to keep up!!
How to Survive the Coming Bad Years
2008. Soil, straw, water, timber, lime and ceramic pipes
Attingham Park, Shropshire, UK
Commissioned by Meadow Arts for the exhibition Give Me Shelter
Tales of Space and Time
2008. Converted Bedford Green Goddess, Douglas Fir, books, other media
Under construction
Parked at the Morisons Arboretum.
Commissioned by The Creative Foundation for Tales of Time and Space, Folkestone Triennial.
I am so sorry. Goodbye (Escape Vehicle number 4)
2008. Journée des Barricades. Various industrial and domestic items. Tatton Park Biennial
Building the Baricade Overnight
The Barricade in the morning
Commissioned by Litmus Research Initiative, Massey University for One Day Sculpture
Photos: Stephen Rowe
I Hate Her. I Hate Her.
2009. The true tale of a man's life, his decline, and fictional redemption. 19 mud puppets, custom made stage and lighting, stools, musical instruments, script stands, scripts, performers.
Puppet play written by the artists and performed by New York puppeteers Rich Pulito and Artie Poore.
VOLTANY, New York, USA
Commissioned by Danielle Arnaud Contemporary Art
The list goes on!
by Culture Colony on June 15th, 2009