Lodge's films will be shown in the last ten days of the exhibition. Courtesy DCA
Jem Charleston gets all interactive and social at the latest exbhibition at Dundee Contemporary Arts.
To coincide with Dundee Contemporary Arts’ (DCA) three-day experimental art and music event, Kill Your Timid Notion, which took place at the end of February 2006, Dundee-based Derek Lodge has been hosting an unusual exhibition at the venue called Word Processor.
Kill Your Timid Notion was a celebration of live experimental art and music. Lodge, in his first solo project, continues this theme for his exhibition until March 26 2006.
This is not a conventional art exhibition, however. Visitors should not expect to walk into a gallery and be faced with something to look at. Rather, Lodge has turned DCA Gallery 2 into what he describes as a 'social space', designed to promote conversation, storytelling and interaction.
Helpful gallery assistants wait at the entrance and are on hand throughout to explain what is going on and how you can take part - if you wish to do so.
Lodge and his specially selected team, consisting of local artists, musicians and performers, are also present to interact with visitors. They might ask you to take a seat on their comfortable sofa, offer you a tea or coffee or hand you a set of 75 mind-boggling questions to answer.
From enquiries as simple as, “What is your name?” and “What is the worst thing anyone has called you?” the questions move on to cover philosophical and political subjects such as, “If there is a heaven and hell, are you confident of your destination?” Or, “What do you think of National Service?”
They finally get down the million-dollar question: “Is the humble Jaffa Cake truly a cake, or is it actually more of a biscuit?”
The exhibition launch coincided with the Kill Your Timid Notion festival. Courtesy DCA
For those of a shy disposition, it is worth noting the gallery staff won’t force you to take part, but they will do their best to persuade you. After being approached I eventually consented to being filmed reading my questions - and I signed a form to say that DCA could use my image in their next film.
This filming process culminated in me balancing a circular make up case in front of the camera whilst the assistant took a series of pictures until the object had rotated 360 degrees.
Each week Lodge and his team edit, splice, cut and re-record the information they have accumulated to produce four short films that will be screened for visitors in the last ten days of the exhibition.
To accompany the exhibition, DCA Gallery 1 is hosting Music For The People, also running until March 26. This show consists of a specially selected series of artists’ films about music and performance.
Seven films play, a different one every day, on a large screen from Monday to Friday, while at weekends, they will be shown on a continuous loop. They range from a legendary 1978 session by The Cramps to a documentary about karaoke performances by fans of The Smiths.
