An installation of biblical proportions: THE ARK
With an exhibition that promises to be ‘as epic as the theme’, The Ark is an installation that seeks to challenge and provoke thought about the world’s most endangered species. Staying true to the gallery’s beliefs in more theatrical and alternative curation techniques, the space itself will be transformed into an impressive reimagining of Noah’s ark, creating an environment that merges with the overall theme of the show, one of preservation and awareness.
An artist collective from around the world were challenged to produce two pieces inspired by an endangered animal of their choosing, displayed ‘two by two’ in the space. Bringing together artists such as Chemical X, David Tracy, Snik and Laura Ball, the installation looks to be a promising exploration into our own understanding of the environment around us, using a variety of mediums to explore how we might perceive such issues.
The Ark opens its doors on September 26th and is already gaining a lot of passengers so make sure you head down before it sets sail on October 2nd.
THE ARK Crypt on the Green
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An artist whose work encompasses sculpture, drawing, installation, and text, Fiona Banner’s interrelated practice is always rooted in language. After a rich history of work, this multi-discipline creative is now bringing a culmination of two-decades worth of work to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. This work will explore the dilemma and contradiction at the heart of our relationship with the military and its hardware.
Wp Wp Wp (the onomatopoeic name of the exhibition, inspired by the sound of helicopters), features Banner’s ambitious project, Chinook, a large-scale installation formed of two sets of helicopter blades. These blades sit above visitors’ heads as if preparing for lift off, carefully choreographed in such a way to give the sensation that they might collide.
As Banner explains: “the Chinook helicopter is an engineering phenomenon. It is visually a contradiction; it looks clumsy and prehistoric, and yet is able to perform the most extraordinary aerodynamic function. When in motion the rotor blades at the front and back of the aircraft appear to collide and pull the vast craft in opposite directions.”
The ambitious project, and accompanying works, will reveal Banner’s consideration of film, text and the mythologies of conflict. These include site-specific work spanning the huge windows of the gallery that gives an unreal sense of the landscape beyond, as well as Mirror, Banner’s 2007 film in which actress Samantha Morton reads the artist’s nude portrait of her, rendered in word not image; and All the World’s Fighter Planes, 2005/6, a film that animates newspaper clippings of all of the aircraft in commission around the world at that time, set to a score of music taken from classic war films.
Opening at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park on September 20th, this is not an exhibition to be missed.
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