HOARD | Towards An Archaeology of The Artist Mind | Exhibition (January)

The second HOARD exhibition I have attended that runs alongside the Vantage Art Prize. Having been to see HOARD just about a month beforehand I was surprised to how much this exhibition has actually changed. It is a constant changing project, however the rate it is changing is extremely fast, each visit there is something completely new or expanded in the collection of items by these artists.

Some pieces use audience interaction to expand and grow as a collection.
Above is the work of Hazel Smoczynska and Rosie Parsons who are Frauhaus.

Artist statement

Frauhaus is a lingering fear of the ghosts of the cold war and the horrors of the 21st century. Haunted walking, lost answer phone messages, future shock, and unfamiliar sounds in in familiar places. We listen and give voice to the information, planning and anxiety of the recent past, and make space for it in the present.

Frauhaus’ starting point for this project was the BBC transcript to be used in wake of nuclear attack. Collected recordings of this ‘last broadcast’ form part of the installation, alongside a place to retreat.

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The first Hoard exhibition I was at they were inviting people to record their voice reading and a transcript. This time round the audio playing is people from the last exhibition reading the transcript. They use audience interact to inform their next steps for the project, first connected with the BBC transcript now branching out from this one focus point.

Above is the work of Jade Montserrat, the last time I saw her work it was a mixture of furniture and items that were wrapped in tape, changing its form and structure. Now these items and others have been transformed into an archive housed in a series of hand made boxes, each labeled and documented in a catalogue, placed on the table by the boxes.

It's not just impressive to look at from a distance, the way of stacking has made a wall that forms a sort of stage in the middle. By stacking and documenting each box with a chalked reference number, it makes you wonder more about what is in the boxes. Which encourages you to return to the catalogue and look it up. As the work spreads out so does the ideas and subjects Jade tackles. These series of boxes have come to an end for now, but the process of exploration continues.

As the exhibition comes to an end, the exploration and work of HOARD will still be changing and continuing. I look forward to seeing how this may differ to the next exhibition.