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Current Exhibition |
The Walk to Dover
The Walk to Dover is a new off-site commission for Studio Voltaire by artist Lali Chetwynd. The project will involve a seven-day expedition from London to Dover by a group of walkers in full costume, as well as a welcoming reception on the White Cliffs of Dover. The Walk to Dover will be Studio Voltaire’s third artists’ commissions following Liam Gillick (2004) and Joanne Tatham and Tom O’Sullivan (2005). Emulating the narrative from Charles Dickens' semi-autobiographical novel, David Copperfield, Chetwynd will lead a group of walkers from London to Dover. The walk will retrace Copperfield’s journey from a Blacking Warehouse in London to Dover where he found sanctuary with his Aunt, Betsy Trotwood. As David Copperfield foraged for food on his journey, so will the group attempt to live off the land, looking for food for free. Copperfield’s journey also tracks his shifting social status, exploring class structures in Victorian England. The project will involve the creation of a makeshift structure on the White Cliffs of Dover, representing Betsy Trotwood’s House. The Walk to Dover will draw comparisons between Victorian “Debt Prisons” and our current credit card culture. This builds on recent investigations into concepts of debt and a specific interest in the advice of Alvin Hall, the television financial guru. Working in collage, painting and performance, Chetwynd recreates iconic moments from histories of art, literature, music and cinema, re-enacting them in a deliberately improvised and amateurish style. Previous works have taken narratives from popular films such as Star Wars and The Incredible Hulk as well as referring to art house classics such as Fassbinder and Ken Russell. Many projects iconoclastically use a multitude of layered references, for example Chetwynd’s recent performance for Becks Futures at the ICA presented debt-counsellors and heavy metal musicians set against the backdrop of stage-sets based on details from Giotto’s frescoes. Other scenarios included versions of The Garden of Earthly Delights and The Temptation of St. Anthony. Lali Chetwynd was nominated for Beck’s Futures in 2005 and has previously staged performances at Gasworks, London (2004) and Tate Britain, London (2003). The artist has participated in various group exhibitions including Herald St, London (2005) and White Columns, New York (2005) and Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York (2005). Chetwynd is represented by Herald St, London
Cruikshank’s Print Stall
The Mugging
Betsy Trotwood’s House
The Walk to Dover is financially supported by The Elephant Trust |
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| 1a Nelson's Row, London SW4 7JR T: 0207 622 1294 F: 0207 627 8008 E: info (at) studiovoltaire.org | |||
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