Output details
34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
De Montfort University
Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell: exhibition held at the Ancient and Modern gallery, London, January 2010 to February 2011
This research project sought to ask how the infamous defaced book covers of Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell could be used as a methodological trope by Gillam to explore a new approach to improvisation and collage within contemporary sculpture. Orton and Halliwell defaced library books, secretly, illegally and subversively and this research sought to question the relevance of these strategies in making sculpture.
The covers were selected by Gillam in dialogue with Mark Ashton, Manager at Islington Local History Centre from the Orton archive and through dialogue with the Joe Orton estate to loan the material and Ancient and Modern Gallery as a venue in which to show the research project.
Gillam used the gallery as a studio for making a series of new works responding both to the selected covers, investigating their particular qualities of improvisation, humour and collage and to the specificity of Ancient and Modern gallery space.
Significantly, this exhibition represented the first time these book covers have been exhibited within a contemporary fine art context alongside specifically made artworks. This unique research project allowed for a re-evaluation of the notorious archive material from the 1960’s that has previously been categorized as offensive and criminal. In presenting this to a new fine art audience, outside of their notoriety within literary and theatrical milieu, facilitating a reappraisal of visual and conceptual censorship.
The research draws upon “The Philosophy of Improvisation” (2011) by Gary Peters, Surrealist and Dada approaches to collage and appropriation of the everyday, as well such recent exhibitions of contemporary artist’s including “Unmonumental” (2007) at New Museum New York, “Undone” (2010-11) at The Henry Moore Institute and “Making is Thinking” (2011) at Witte de With, Rotterdam.
The exhibition was reviewed nationally and internationally in the art press, including; Frieze, The Guardian Guide, This is Tomorrow, Timeout, The Art Newspaper and The Independent.
