Output details
34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
University of Derby
'The Garden'
8 photographic images, 3 kinetic sculptures, 11 video sequences, a series of 7 drawings, casted sculpture made of 100 small elements
‘The Garden’ was conceived as a large-scale mixed media exhibition and publication. The exhibition took place at mac Birmingham in the main gallery, 21st September-17th November, 2013. The exhibition was an expression of the core themes of Lahav’s research and artwork utilising a combination of media to create installations, for example, sculptures in glass, metal, wax alongside video installations, photography and drawings. This is most notable in the use and application of materials in the exhibits: Taxidermy (2013), where multiple resin-injected poppy casts sit in contrast to the traditional bronze-cast Twilight’s Star (2009) and in the kitsch aesthetic of the ceramic owl in The Visitor (2013), the vivid palette against an infinite black background offsets the typically minimal Scrimshaw (2013), a series of seven delicate drawings on fine white handkerchiefs.
Lahav researched other artists who were inspired by the mystic nature of the garden. This installation acts as a mise-en-scène to the real and unreal. ‘The Garden’ refers to a place of vision, rebirth and death, a land of innocence and at the same time an affinity to western mythology, a place of forbidden ways which reveals a microcosm of identity issues and an allegory for femininity. ‘The Garden’ can also be seen as a place of confinement from knowledge and consequently awareness. Its geographic location has been determined by a shift from its original setting, from a forest into a field and then through urban planning into a city garden.
The International Conference ‘Lessons in Geography’ presented a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue concerned with the metaphorical properties of geography in the broadest sense. This two-day conference explored the complex space between the physical and hypothetical realms within creative practice, bringing together notable and distinguished artists, writers and commentators.
