30 June – 16 September 2012
For The Voyeur, Dower has constructed a space where objects, images and live performance interact in the production and modification of sound.
The range of materials used in The Voyeur reflects the cultural space we live in: everyday objects – cupboards, satellite dishes, wooden pallets, as well as photographs and sculptures – combine with the technology of sound to re-configure our environment. Dower draws inspiration from thinkers who radically question our understanding of the physical properties of the world: the magical alphabet of Elizabethan alchemist and mathematician, John Dee, influences the geometry of sound-reflecting panels, whilst Saint Simeon Stylites is the starting point for a towering and cramped platform for live performances, which the artist will undertake periodically during the exhibition. CCTV will relay these performances back down to ground level.
From mysteriously vibrating cabinets, to photographs eerily emitting sound, the installation acts as a kind of sound system, which engages the visitor in an unfolding journey of discovery, as the unexpected functions and actions of the artworks reveal themselves. During the exhibition, Dower will make unique performances from a towering and cramped platform whilst CCTV will relay these performances back down to ground level.Click here to read an interview with Sean Dower by curator Jane Won.
Artist’s Biography
Born in Walsall in the UK (1965), Dower has been presenting sculpture, photography, video, sound and live-performance internationally for over 20 years. He was involved in the industrial music scene of the early 1980s, going on to work with the radical UK performance art group Bow Gamelan Ensemble. He studied sculpture at Camberwell School of Art, London and film and photography at the Rijksakademie van beeldenden kunsten in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Exhibitions and performances include: Matt’s Gallery, London (1997); MOMA New York (1998); Tate Modern (2001); Timothy Taylor Gallery, London (2006); Tate Britain (2006); IKON Gallery, Birmingham (2007); Netwerk Centrum, Aalst, Belgium (2010), and Southard Reid, London (2011).
http://www.seandower.com/
On Saturday afternoons, a De La Warr Pavilion artist will lead a creative session that will look at and explore the themes of our exhibitions. These sessions are free and open to everyone. Click here for details.