(Above) Audience favourite Rebecca Birch will be presenting an animation as part of the final weekend opening for the East Wing VIII collective this weekend
Exhibition: East Wing Collection Final Opening, East Wing, Somerset House, London, July 25 – 26 2009
The experimentalists behind East Wing VIII have had an inspired time since they first took over the decadent corner of London's Somerset House.
Projectionists have daubed the ancient walls in virtual oil, cartoonists have created sprawling maps depicting London as an intricate island and live performers have covered their naked bodies in white paint during an 18-month programme of intermittent weekend happenings. It's hardly a surprise, then, to hear organiser Chloe Nelkin express disbelief that this weekend will see the final opening for the creative collective.
"Visitors have never known what to expect," she says, reflecting on the artists' efforts which have consistently entertained the public. "We've had drawing, workshops, poetry, music, nudity, projections, installations and much more. I'm pleased to say people always seem to be pleasantly surprised by what's on offer."
Troy Banarzi's supernatural organ is back. Picture: Jenny Dale
All of the trio appearing in this finale have worked with the group before, and their work for the collection illustrates its growth. Rebecca Birch brings her psychologically poignant Happisburgh project, focusing on the precariously located Norfolk coastal town, to something of a conclusion with Happisburgh (Retelling).
She's made 873 individual line drawings during 95 conversations with audience members throughout the exhibition, mapping coastal erosion through pencil sketches as they talk about their experiences, and this animation fades the results into each other to reflect both the shifting coastline and the development of the work during the project.
Dzifa Benson last visited East Wing in May. Picture: Jenny Dale
Troy Banarzi makes musical sculptures from "discarded junk" and redundant musical instruments, inspired by 18th century automata to form new instruments and create "the sense of awe and mystery that people felt all those years back" on first sight of automatons.
"It was like magic to them, tying in with their sense of the supernatural," he says, presenting an antique wind-up box and a Magic Organ combining pipes from a church ivory with fairground lights.
"The pipes were salvaged from a rotting church organ which hadn't been used for 50 years. I added some internal lights to complete the instrument. The lights flash in time with the music, and give it a haunting, fairground feel."
Picture: Jenny Dale
"The computer's been programmed to play music and light scores, which I've especially made for the organ. It has a very sweet, vulnerable sound – a bit like the organ from the magic roundabout theme tune," Banarzi concludes.
Meanwhile, Dzifa Benson’s performances incorporate poetry, music and projected images. "The opportunity to collaborate with the East Wing came at a time when I was considering different ways in which I could extend my artistic reach as a writer and live literature performer," she recalls.
Troy Banarzi, magic organ. Picture © the artist
"The collaboration has yielded novelties for me as a performer – during one performance I found myself performing to one person at a time, an experience which took me right out of my comfort zone and revealed new possibilities for my practice. I had never performed in that way before."
For Nelkin, the curtain call is a chance for guests to enjoy a triumphant farewell for the productive project. "I have loved working on this exhibition," she admits. "It will be sad to see the exhibition dismantled next week, but all good things must, I suppose, come to an end."
Runs 10am - 5pm Saturday, 12pm - 5pm Sunday. Admission free, call 020 7872 0220. East Wing Collection, The Courtauld Institute of Art (opposite The Courtauld Gallery), Somerset House, London
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