If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound? What about if an exhibition takes place and nobody is there to see it, does it really exist? Reality Part 1 expands on this, hosting a one-night exhibition, inviting no-one and denying its existence until after the event. Part 1 included works by Kate Cooper, Lustfaust, Kim Laughton, LCAC and Jake Laffoley and Reality Part 2 acts as a response to this show.
This is the second exhibition for the newly housed artists of Crown Building Studios, the current show is curated by studio holders Dan Mahony and Greg Herbert. As you enter the space you’re met by a mock trip advisor review (Well Advised, 2015) for Reality Part 1, exclaiming that it is the best exhibition in Liverpool by far and 5 stars all round. Following on in a similar vein, the next piece of work is a displayed iPhone with a tweet saying how brilliant the show was. These works emulate the bravado of private views, where in essence the point is to been seen there, to be able to tweet or instagram about the show as proof that you have attended this exclusive one-off event. Additionally it mocks how we look to online and social media for verification of what is good and by displaying these creations of their own design, Dan and Greg have managed to generate their own narrative.
Building on this superficiality of the private view and following the room round we see their perception of archetypical PV attire titled PV Garmz, a white shelf displaying a folded checked shirt and a pair of dessert boots. On the opening night goody bags were given out (PV essentials, 2015); now a plinth in the centre of the room presents the contents for those not fortunate enough to be there on the night. The polythene sandwich bag contains lipstick, perfume and a lint roller amongst other trinkets – the attendees being subtly satirized for their presence on the night. A specially designed cocktail (Vodka Verisimilitude, 2015) is served, a concoction formulated between Dan and Liverpool’s Berry and Rye bar. It’s sickly sweet with a bitter aftertaste, leading to a tongue in cheek assessment of the event that is taking place.
The other pieces in the show work as visual documentation of the first unseen exhibition. The first is a slick promo style video by Rob Battersby (Reality Promo, 2015), with well-edited shots and soft focus, taking control of the narrative. Juxtaposed against this on a monitor on the floor is an exposé that Bay TV (Arts Alive Episode 14, 2015), Merseyside’s local channel, made on the first part of the exhibition. In an unquestionably drawn out interview Dan and Greg separately talk to the camera and go through the show piece by piece. The two video pieces present an opposite scene of the same night, both in equal measure a reality in its own right: one showing the flashy exclusivity of a constructed PV and the other the more frank and awkward reality. The exhibition succeeds in being critical about the multi-layered realities in which we exist and manages to inject humour into what is primarily a conceptual show.
Anna Ratcliffe is a writer based in Leeds and Liverpool.
Published 29.05.2015 by Georgina Wright in Reviews
546 words