MEMORY by Suki Chan
Somerset Art Works is delighted to appoint artist and filmmaker Suki Chan to create a new work for this years’ Somerset Art Weeks Festival (21 September – 6 October) commissioning programme, County of Contrasts.
Suki Chan is making a short film exploring memories and place. Drawing upon the stories of pilots living in Somerset, MEMORY takes the audience on a visual and aural journey from the axons and neurons found inside brains to the distinctive topography of Somerset.
A 12 mins short film juxtaposes subterranean panoramas of Gough’s Cave at Cheddar with extraordinary aerial views, including Steart Marshes near Bridgwater and confocal time-lapse imagery inside a fly. It features compelling stories told by former RAF pilot Dave Linney and wartime historian Robbert Turner, accompanied by a textured soundtrack composed by Dominik Scherrer.
Chan’s deft, nuanced, finely-honed style, draws us into an appreciation of the contrasts of geological time and a human life span; of neurological processes and geological processes; and unexpected similarities between micro and macro perspectives.
Her enigmatic images have a strange, compelling power – given further authority by voice-overs that tell of pilots caught between life and death, traversing the air above the earth, some able to reflect back on their hard-won experiences, some forever silenced.
Commissioned by Somerset Art Works. Funded by Arts Council England.
We thank the individuals, and the following organisations and their team to make this project possible:|
Steart Marshes, WWT (www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/steart-marshes)
Cheddar Gorge & Caves (www.cheddargorge.co.uk)
Somerset Film (www.somersetfilm.com)
MEMORY is the first chapter of an ambitious multi-platform project investigating consciousness. The development phase has been funded by Arts Council of England and supported by Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN).
See the making of MEMORY behind the scenes: https://somersetartworks.org.uk/2019/06/behind-the-scenes-the-making-of-suki-chans-new-work-memory/
Press Release: https://somersetartworks.org.uk/2019/09/somersets-raf-pilots-and-landscape-inspire-new-short-film/
About the Artist
Suki Chan is a London based artist and filmmaker. She uses a range of media including installation, moving image, photography and sound to explore our perception of time and place. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally including the Museum of London, David Roberts Art Foundation, London; Centre for Contemporary Chinese Art, Manchester; Liverpool Biennale; Art Basel Hong Kong, Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art, China; Frost Science Museum, Miami, US; Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan; and Dr. Bhau Daji Museum, Mumbai, India. She has received grant awards from Wellcome Trust, Arts Council England and Film London. Chan is represented by Tintype London.
www.sukichan.co.uk
Showing at Somerset Art Weeks Festival
21 September – 6 October, 2019
Monday – Friday, 10am- 4pm, except Saturday 21 September
Somerset Film, The Engine Room, 50- 52 High St, Bridgwater TA6 3BL
(Somerset Art Weeks Venue 131)
MEMORY: In Conversation
Somerset Film, The Engine Room, 50- 52 High St, Bridgwater TA6 3BL
We are delighted to invite curator Paula Orrell to join Suki Chan to explore the idea and concept behind MEMORY. Chan’s films are notable for their dream-like aesthetic. Shifting between the micro and the macro, she draws the viewer into a cinematic ‘elsewhere’. Join us to hear more about Chan’s journey from beehives to drones, subterranean caves to satellite images of our planet.Paula Orrell is currently a curatorial consultant with Arnolfini and leading the Visual Arts South West. She brings a wealth of national and international experience and passion in working with visual artists. Her previous roles include Artistic Director & Principal Curator of the Centre for Contemporary Art in Christchurch, New Zealand, Curator / Artistic Director of Plymouth Arts Centre and Relationship Manager of Arts Council England.
FREE EVENT. Booking: 01458253800 (Tue & Thur 9am – 4pm) / [email protected]
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