Cost of Horror: 2011

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

IN A DREAM WE ARE CONNECTED

Throughout history dreams have both reflected and projected our conscious life. They have been represented as a series of images, sounds and emotions that the mind experiences during sleep that ultimately create a window to our subconscious. They transcribe our psychological state as well as transcending psychic information. Yet the differentiation between reality and dreams has yet to be soundly defined.

Independent Melbourne curatorial and production collective Cost of Horror present 'Dreams Never End', an exhibition showcasing 12 multidisciplinary artists as they explore and translate their dreamscapes.

A production of surrealism and theatrics, where lights, smoke, mirrors and art will guide you through the blurred paths of dreams and reality.

Stella Angelico

Five Chinese Monaco Bars

Performance

Stella's work is the culmination of dream records she has kept most of her life. Featured in her wok are songs, symbols and imagery which have reoccurred in her dreams three or more times. Stella has attempted to create this aesthetic dream tableau has free as possible from critical analysis. She hopes through the combining of visual elements and sound that the viewers will be moved and entertained by performance as it speaks to the invisible parts of the self; the subconscious in which dreams never end.

Sophie Ferris

A Diamond in a Bottle in the Sand

Pencil on Watercolour Paper

I watched as my hand disintegrated into a thousand pieces.

As the man running across the road broke into a thousand pixels.

I look down; my arm is covered in a thousand black abysses.

Chloe Grace

Rorschach 3

Acrylic, Ink and Watercolour

Destruction, count me out, I'm not going to live with hatred towards anything, I've seen what it does.

Toxic Times. As long as I have life, I have hope. Surrealism has a great effect on me, as I realised.

My imagery in my mind was not insanity...my vision is my reality.

Julian Hocking

Get Lost, GO AWAY and RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

Linocut

We speak of the individual and the universe. But within the individual there is a universe as well.

Jesse Hogan

Eugene Aserinsky's 1952 Cinematic Analysis

Digital Inkjet on Bond Paper

Using a Venn diagram, I have constructed a map of the parallel realities that shape our thought patterns. Lived experience, memory, projections of the future, and the detritus of audio/visual stimulation. The latter occupies an ambiguous but important space in terms of differentiating between dreamt and lived realities. Of these, the cinematic experience has paralleled the modern concept of the dream. So much so that it seems to have had severe effects on the perception of memory and self projected fantasy.

From this ambiguity I was drawn to the frame-by-frame flicker of the VCR era. Like dreams cinema moves from time and place illogically especially with out the context of narrative.

To destroy narrative, which is a dependency of a waking mind, Photograph images of films playing on monitors that frequently resonate in the sub conscious construct. Use fading or degenerating processes as if the image has been dubbed and redubbed on a VCR so that it gets progressively grainier. But it isn't just degrading--random visual moments that plague the un-conscious. Use the images from different films to merge overlap and fade, each copy so that it begins to aggressively overwhelm the original source, in a way that is almost, ugly, violent, electronic, and builds dramatically like the layers of sign, symbols and sequence in a dream. By the end of the process the video Images become assaultive, almost scary in its sense of total abject breakdown. The piece shows the unintended consequences of mechanical reproduction and data transmission like memory that is supposed to be seamless, but when taken to an extreme conclusion is vague and inaccurate, so that it actually feels toxic. In other words, Art reveals a dark side to technology that like our dreams and our reality has been there all along.

Anna MacKenzie

A Cognitive Dream Experiment

Digital Photographs

Cognitive theorists argue that dreams are a form of information processing, or mental work,

in which we sort through all the information collected throughout the day. We dream about

daily issues, problems, and relationships. Dreams help us to solve problems, work with

information, and think. This experiment was a personal study, an attempt to control dream

experiences. For the month of January, I put together a series of images and placed them

on my wall above my bed. A collection of photographs I had taken aimed to stimulate

my thoughts throughout the day and before I slept. During this project I explored all the

fundamental components that would make up my ideal dream. Familiarity, comforts,

metaphors, past memories - just to name a few.

Pat McBain

Recurring Cheese Dreams

Mini DV, Digital Stills & Projections

Running time 3:30

In 2005 the British Cheese Board conducted an experiment in which they asked a number of volunteers to eat 30 grams of cheese about half an hour before they went to bed, then monitored the effect cheese supposedly has on dreams. The results were varied, but all had the same outcome - cheese provided imaginative dreams. With this study as an example, I embarked on an experiment of my own.

"Last night I had a dream that you gave birth to an avocado seed on a beach but I had to kill all the other avocado seeds that were buried in the sand."

http://vimeo.com/20821742

Jake Moore

Obscotch - Cycles

Audio Recording

When I was very young I used to have reoccurring dreams, often when very sick, of a large eagle, similar to those found on Nazi and American flags. It seemed to be so vast as if it went on forever; but flat, with it's wings spread and it's head side on. So large in fact it appeared as a huge wall in front of me, as I floated in front of it. It's large eye a rotating disc of red and white in a spiral, slowly spinning and sucking me in. Sometimes I would feel as though I was lying on the ceiling looking down, with the ceiling fan's blades slowly spinning under me. As they go past they make a slow "whoom, whoom, whoom" sound, like cars passing by.

Elwyn Murray

I've Been to Paradise and You Weren't There

Permanent Marker and Polypropylene

Sometimes, in the right light, you look like someone i know.

Other times i don't want to look at all.

But every time, I recognise you on the way out.

Jake Treacy

The Messenger

Digital Photographs

River. Two Paths. Stranger. Chase. Sun. Gun Shot. Blinded. Bird. Blood. Message.

May Tusler

Waking Dreams

Digital Projection, 8mm Ektachrome Film

A candy-coloured clown they call the sandman

Tiptoes into my room every night

Just to sprinkle stardust and to whisper

"Go to sleep. Everything is all right."

All works copyrighted each artist 2011

DREAMS NEVER END

Our sophomore exhibition was based on the concept of dreams and the world of our sleeping life. By peeling back the thin veil veil between reality and dreamscapes, we invited the artists Stella Angelico, Sophie Ferris, Chloe Grace, Julian Hocking, Jesse Hogan, Anna MacKenzie, Patrick McBain, Jake Moore, Elwyn Murray, Jake Treacy and May Tusler.

Launched at No No Gallery, North Melbourne (www.nonogallery.org) and sponsored by Palace Cinemas (www.palacecinemas.com.au), Cost of Horror would like to thank all that were involved in the preparation, creation, support and attendance of this exhibition/art event.

Art - Julian Hocking

jhocking1987@hotmail.com

Photography - Katie Tarpey

www.flickr.com/photos/goblinqueenphotography

Tuesday, 8 November 2011

CHILD's PLAY

The world of the Brothers Grimm is woven from the historical fabric of folk tales collected in the 19th century from Germanic country folklore. Sewn together to form a language of lost characters, dark fables and ominous messages.

These tales have been translated and interpreted through the eyes and linguistics of brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm to a majority audience of children and youth.

Our exhibition draws inspiration from both the nostalgia of childhood and the darkness of memories. Employing the Grimm’s Tales as the vehicle to highlight morals from the past to the present.

Utilising the harsh reality, bold facts of life and the core narrative of their chosen Grimm’s tale, the artists where asked to uphold and recreate one of the stories written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.

Being true to the time and essence of the original Grimm’s creation whilst bringing it forth into contemporary society, this exhibition seeks to explore how these selected artists, using their respective mediums, would share or write the same tales.

Jessica Alice

Little Red Riding Hood

Poetry/Spoken Word

Jessica Alice is a spoken word poet from old, grey Melbourne town. You'll find her and many bitter and bliss-soaked words wherever there is a bar and not necessarily a mic.

Ben Asthon-Bell

The Boy Who Went To Find Fear

Drafting pencil on paper

Not far from thence stood a haunted castle where any one could very easily learn what fear was, if he would but watch in it for three nights. The King had promised that he who would venture should have his daughter to wife, and she was the most beautiful maiden the sun shone on. Great treasures likewise lay in the castle, which were guarded by evil spirits, and these treasures would then be freed, and would make a poor man rich enough. Already many men had gone into the castle, but as yet none had come out again…

Chloe Grace

The Handless Maiden

Acrylic on Canvas

A miller fell slowly but surely into poverty, until finally he had nothing more than his mill and a large apple tree which stood behind it. One day he had gone into the forest to gather wood, where he was approached by the devil disguised as an old man…who said, "Why do you torment yourself with chopping wood? I will make you rich if you will promise me that which is standing behind your mill."

"My child, if I do not chop off both of your hands, then the devil will take me away…”

Pip Grenda & Clare Sheldon-Williams

The Old Woman in the Wood

Duratrans Print

Water Colour, Grey Lead and Indian Ink

A dove comes flying to her and presents her with a gold key, the key

unlocks the tree on which she sits.

She is to retrieve a plain ring from the Woman in the wood, but by no

way is she to speak to the Old Woman.

..she looks around to find a handsome man whom

speaks softly "Thou hast delivered me from the power of the old woman, who

is a wicked witch…”

Sara Hayat

Faithful John

Oil enamel paint on timber

Then he strengthened him with wine, until he came to himself again. The first words the King said were, “Ah, the beautiful portrait! Whose is it?” “That is the Princess of the Golden Dwelling,” answered Faithful John. Then the King continued, “My love for her is so great, that if all the leaves on all the trees were tongues, they could not declare it. I will give my life to win her. Thou art my most Faithful John, thou must help me.” Faithful John, The Brothers Grimm

Erin Hall

Bearskin

Watercolour

For the next seven years you are neither to wash yourself, nor comb your beard and hair, nor cut your nails, nor say the Lord's prayer. I will give you a jacket and a cloak, which you must wear during this time. If you die during these seven years, you are mine. If you stay alive, you are free, and rich as well, for all the rest of your life."

Then he pulled the skin off the bear and said, "This shall be your cloak, and your bed as well, for you are to sleep on it, and you are not allowed to lie in any other bed. Because of your clothing you shall you be called Bearskin." With that the devil disappeared.

Ruby Kerrisk

Untitled

Burlesque/Performance

After bursting onto the Perth scene as the blossoming baby of "Sugar Blue" Miss Kay Risque has moved to Melbourne to wow many an audience, with a smile to please and booty to tease, this pint sized dame is one fiery maneater! With her extensive dance background in swing, tap, 1920's charleston, go-go and cabaret. Her routines range from the sugary sweet to the downright dirty, paying homage to the greats and bringing back vaudeville and theatrical burlesque with style and finese!

Michelle Luckman

The Raven

Ceramic Earthenware

There was once upon a time a Queen who had a little daughter who was still so young that she had to be carried. One day the child was naughty, and the mother might say what she liked, but the child would not be quiet. Then she became impatient, and as the ravens were flying about the palace, she opened the window and said, "I wish you were a raven and would fly away, and then I should have some rest." Scarcely had she spoken the words, before the child was changed into a raven, and flew from her arms out of the window.

Lord Stompy

Untitled

Muscian

Lord Stompy is a well seasoned entertainer/ songstress with plenty of pepper and spice, and costumes so nice he'll make your blood boil like hot cajun rice. As an original performer he takes the grande olde styles of yesteryear, warps them thru his lunatic brain, and regurgitates them as contemporary nursery rhymes for big kids. Of all instruments however he is most widely regarded as one of SA's most daringly original harmonica greats, with his special custom

tuned harps he ventures deep into the reals of tango, middle eastern, jigs, sea shanties and even polyphonic accordian imitations.

Katie Tarpey

Snow-White and Rose-Red

Holga 120mm Kodak Portra VC

There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees, one of which bore white and the other red roses. She had two children who were like the two rose-trees, and one was called Snow-White, and the other Rose-Red. One day a big brown bear comes to the cottage to keep warm by the fire, and stays with the family through winter. When Snow-White and Rose-Red are faced with an evil dwarf, the bear saves them and reveals that he was bewitched by the dwarf, at which his bear skin falls off to reveal a handsome prince.

Jake Treacy

The Seven Ravens

Digital Print on Acetate, Mirror

He had hardly spoken these words when he heard a whirring sound above his head, and looking up, he saw seven coal-black ravens flying up and away…

She wanted to rescue her brothers, but she had no key to the glass mountain. The good little sister took a knife, cut off one of her little fingers, put it into the door…

Then the ravens were restored to their human forms again. They hugged and kissed one another…

All works copyrighted each artist 2010

KINDERSPIEL

Our maiden exhibition 'Kinderspiel', invites you to explore the realm of childhood memories and bedtime stories from the world of The Brother's Grimm.

Held at The Owl and Pussycat Gallery, Richmond (www.owlandcat.com.au) and sponsored by White Rabbit (www.whiterabbitbeer.com.au).

Featuring artists Jessica Alice, Ben Ashton-Bell, Chloe Grace, Pip Grenda, Erin Hall, Sara Hayat, Ruby Kerrisk, Michelle Luckman, Patrick McBain, Lord Stompy, Clare Sheldon-Williams, Katie Tarpey and Jake Treacy.