Exhibition review: Transformation, New School House Gallery in York

10^th November – 22^nd December 2012

The New School House Gallery hosts an intriguing exhibition this December. The curator and owner of the Gallery, Robert Teed, brings together a collection of mix-media artworks that blur the boundaries of what we know as stereotypical ‘traditional artworks’. Transformation aims to explore how art transforms experience and conveys the joy of a single moment.

This single moment of joy originates in the principal piece of the exhibition, Piss Flowers by Helen Chadwick. As you walk into the exhibition, your attention is drawn immediately to the sculptures in the centre of the room. Created between 1991-92, Piss Flowers are cast copies of Helen Chadwick and her partner’s urine in snow and are used as the source of inspiration in one way or another for all the pieces in the exhibition.  The sculptures depict a single moment of joy for Helen and her partner, as the roles of women and men are reversed – the outer male urine becomes feminine and flower like, whereas Helen’s becomes strong and masculine.

Piss Flowers, by Helen Chadwick

From Piss Flowers, the curators juxtapose the exhibition with new poetry created by Costa Book Award-winner Jo Shapcott, who in 2004 was commissioned to write a poem in response to Helen Chadwick’s Piss Flowers sculptures. The main poem of the exhibition, ‘Piss Flower’ by Jo, is written from a women’s perspective and tells how restricted she is in the movement of using wee for creative purposes.  The curator of the exhibition asked Jo if she would be interested in writing new poems especially for Transformation, and these six new poems are located around the walls of the gallery and all sprang out of the original ‘Piss Flower’ poem, using a phrase as their titles or first lines. And the transformation continues. From these six new poems, new pieces of artwork next to each poem were inspired and created to follow in the theme of transforming the single moment of joy of the Piss Flowers sculptures.

I felt that the way in which the exhibition was curated was refreshing, compared to many traditional gallery settings. The white walls in the big space creates a medicinal feel to the exhibition, allowing the artwork to become the sole attention for the viewer.  The way in which the artwork is displayed almost invites the viewers to go on their own journey of transformation starting with the centrepiece Piss Flowers. Helen Chadwick’s Piss Flowers are displayed in such a way that is nothing out of the ordinary or new, and perhaps this would have been a nicer touch to transform the way they too have been previously exhibited.

One thing I particularly enjoyed about this exhibition is the way in which different pieces of media are used. Robert Teed steps away from the traditional stereotypical form of ‘artwork’, and indulges in contemporary forms such as videos, mix-media and music. In the background there is a constant noise coming from various pieces of art in the exhibition, which at times I found off-putting finding it eerie and somewhat disturbing.

Apart from Chadwick’s Piss Flowers, one other piece of work dominates the gallery space is called Umbrella House, which, as you can guess, is constructed entirely from Umbrellas. In side this ‘house’, one is able to sit and view a video (Urban Air) created by Paula Jackson and Robert Teed, consisting of photographs, a projection and some unnerving sound.

One aspect of Transformation that I felt ambivalent towards is the way in which labelling was used throughout. Apart from the name of the piece, the medium used, the artist, and the pricing of the piece if available to purchase, that was it. I’m not too sure if there is a need of information regarding the meaning of the artwork, but it feels somewhat comfortable to be provided some. I was lucky enough to get all the information provided very kindly via the curator and one of the artists in the exhibition himself, Robert Teed. He explained to me that originally they were to planning to provide no labels at all, but felt that that was going “too far”. By having little information offered this allows each viewer to have their own interpretation of how a single moment can be transformed, through various mediums of art. This aspect is simultaneously fresh and annoying, as at times I literally had no idea what I was meant to be looking at it. Was it ‘art’ or just a video with a few photographs playing on a continuous loop?

Ultimately, I found this exhibition highly intriguing and would urge anyone to visit (there is only a few days left so be quick!) Constantly making me question the notion of how we can transform emotions and actions into artwork, I found the way in which the exhibition derived from a single piece of sculpture artwork fascinating. Visiting Transformation, the viewer is almost bombarded with a variety of transformations, from the transformation of bodily excess fluid – a moment of joy and fun between two people,  transformed into something entirely new, witty and like nothing else – into poetry, photography, sculpture and much more. This exhibition is not trying to be literal, but trying to transform something from within ourselves into an aesthetic object. Transformation will have you questioning the notion of a single moment of joy and offers you an insight in the world of interpretation.