Art Exhibition and Events: Exile: A Living of Forest ** 7 Aug – 14 Sep 2014 ** ONCA, Brighton
detail of ‘Matter and Memory’ by Jennifer Hooper
Exile: A Living of Forest is a multidisciplinary exhibition that asks us to enter the forest through animal eyes, and to value woodlands through paws, claws, furs and feathers. We are taught to set up strict boundaries between the human and animal world, but we ask – what would happen if we let these boundaries dissolve?
Exile: A Living of Forest
Private view: 9th August 6-9pm
7th August – 14th September 2014
Featuring the work of artists: Nicola McCartney, Chris Watson, Lorenzo M.Duran, Julie Dodd, Ines Querido, Bob and Roberta Smith, Darren Harvey-Regan, Rachel Mayeri, Tessa Farmer, Angela Bartram, Jacob Cartwright & Nick Jordan, Suky Best, Aurelia Mihai, Clara S Rueprich, Thomas Keyes, Susan Richardson, Sintija Vikmane, Perdita Sinclair, Penelope Oakley, John Mitchell, Jessie Jermyn, Holly Budge, Bridget McKenzie, Jennifer Hooper.
And performances by poet Joanna Coleman and storyteller Abbie Palache, Feral Theatre and TouchedTheatre.
What is the relationship between human and animal? Can artwork, traditional stories and fantastical images, which set fluid boundaries between human and animal, be of relevance to negotiating our understanding of our presence and impact on this planet?
This is a group exhibition, guest curated by Rosemarie McGoldrick, of artists becoming animal to explore loss of home. How does it feel for an animal who lives in the forest when that forest is no longer safe? And can we discover the animal inside ourselves to imagine that exile?
Exile includes visual arts, films, workshops, performances, talks, puppetry and debates, as well as an interactive creative space in which every visitor will have the chance to explore their relationship with the animal other.
The exhibition is in partnership with the Born Free Foundation, an international wildlife charity working throughout the world to stop individual wild animal suffering and protect threatened species in the wild. We have linked with their work at the Kahuzi Biega National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The park is a critical habitat for a number of species, including the endangered Eastern lowland gorilla. This area has been affected by serious civil unrest, and suffers from severe deforestation. Dedicated rangers risk their lives on a regular basis in order to patrol the Park and protect its inhabitants. They work in tough conditions, with minimal equipment or support – large areas of the park have been largely inaccessible since 1996 due to the presence of armed militias. The Born Free Foundation has supported a variety of projects in Kahuzi Biega since 2000, including equipping the rangers and providing alternative livelihoods opportunities for the local community. Over the last year, Born Free have helped to develop the park’s gorilla health monitoring programme.
Great apes just like us, gorillas share 96% of our DNA. Come to the gallery during Exile: A Living of Forest, and take a peak in our Mirror of Transformation. What will you see and what will you learn about yourself?
Events Programme:
What is the role of becoming-animal in promoting ecological activity?
Join us for an ONCA Trust Debate event in association with the University of Brighton
Saturday 30th August 2014, 5pm-8pm.
Venue: Sallis Benney Theatre, University of Brighton, 58 – 67 Grand Parade, Brighton, BN2 0JY
Can traditional stories and fantastical images, which set fluid boundaries between human and animal, be of relevance to negotiating deepening ecological perceptions of our presence and impact on the planet?
This interdisciplinary and interactive debate about the relationship between fantastical stories and ecological activity, in association with the University of Brighton, is for artists, writers, ecologists and researchers. Panelists include eco-poet Susan Richardson, storyteller Lisa Schneidau, nature writer Eleanor O’ Hanlon, artist Rosemarie McGoldrick, and psychologist Adrian Harris. The debate will be chaired by artist Alan Boldon, expert in interdisciplinary approaches to art and ecology.
Full Speaker bios on the Becoming-Animal Debate page
Tickets: £10 / £6 concessions
via Exile: A Living of Forest | ONCA.
Sussex ArtBeat 