4 forthcoming exhibitions Sweden Romania Hong Kong Indian Conference HIV/Aids in China Huge mural Research Dental Work Tansitional Era Liverpool & Shanghai Wiseman Village Lectures Redesign Resurrection Liverpool & Shanghai Artist book Dream & Reality Chun Qunjie Sensory Material Shanghai Biennial Contagious Love Gallery Director/Curator WAVE exhibition, London & Seoul seven Colour Play, Shanghai | Sweden exhibition July. 2008 - Jonathan installed some new experimental work as part of a large arts festival in Sweden. He was invited by Anna Mellergard, Director of KAIM to be part of 'Folk 08 - lokal global'. Jonathan installed a new piece called 'uncover (jie kai)' in a stange 1970s style library in Mariannelund, Sweden. Mariannelund is a small village but for 'Folk 08' it was invaded by 8 large exhibitions which ran until the end of August. 'uncover (jie kai)' is an interactive film where the movement of the audience uncovers another layer of film 'under' what is initially seen. Heres is the artist statement Jonathan wrote for the exhibition: Jonathan Kearney is a British artist who lived for 3 years in China. In this piece called 'uncover (揭开 jiēkāi)' he explores the intersection between his own practice of pouring glue with the flow of the calligraphers pen. This is an experimental interactive video where the movement of the audience directly effects what is seen on screen. Jonathan asks the audience to use their movement to uncover the never repeated visual fusion between 2 layers of film. Statement Having lived in China for 3 years (2004-7), working as an artist and trying to learn the language, I was exposed to China in a way that was simply impossible with a short visit. The impact of this time continues to influence my work and in this piece I explore the connections I uncovered between 2 different expressions of movement. For a number of years I have poured coloured glue over surfaces and observed the movement and patterns that occur. In China I would watch calligraphers at work and noticed a connection between both the movement and the direction of the flow, always from above onto a flat surface. In this interactive video I hand over the uncovering to the audience. It is the audience's movement that reveals another surface to the video but it is fleeting glimpse, quickly fading away. The 2 layers of video, one flowing glue, the other the flow of the calligrapher's brush, loop out of sync and therefore the intersection uncovered is never the same. The technology used allows the fusion of movement to reveal greater depths to both while at the same time they maintain their full integrity. | ![]() | ||||||
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the screen and camera used to detect audience movement
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also included was a Chinese concertina print book using images from the 2 layers of film
the installation and the strange 1970s curtains!