Arts
New UECLAA donations go on show for the first time
A selection of works from the University of Essex
Collection of Latin American Art (UECLAA), including a human size cocoon
made of human hair, will go on show for the first time this month at the
University's Gallery.
The exhibition, entitled Subverting Reality, will include Siron
Franco's Casulo (Cocoon) which is made of hair, bits of insects,
and clay and will hang from the Gallery ceiling like a sinister, oversized
chrysalis. The exhibition will include a mixture of new donations, never
shown before, alongside some other remarkable works from the Collection.
One of María Ezcurra's stretched swimming costumes
Other works on show include María Ezcurra's Blue and Leopard
Swimming Suit installations which consist of stretched swimming
costumes to make wall-based and sculptural pieces that retain memories of
the human body. Also on show will be Eduardo Kac's Holo Olho (Holo Eye)
which consists of the words HOLO and OLHO as holographic images
activated by light reflection.
Gabriela Salgado, Curator of UECLAA, said: 'This show aims to challenge
our perception of reality by questioning its limits and altering
traditional ways of representation. These alterations occur in different
ways: by the use of unusual materials, the subversion of the technical
rules linked to a particular medium, or the manipulation of symbolic
meaning.'
Subverting Reality will be at the University Gallery from 18
to 22 July. Admission is free and opening times are as follows: Monday to
Friday 11am to 5pm, Saturday 1pm to 4.30pm.
Eduardo Kac's Holo Olho (Holo Eye)
Local community explores word art
School children and families from around the Colchester
area created their own works of art and enjoyed story-telling and treasure
hunts on two activity days organised in association with the recent
Gallery exhibition More than Meets the Eye which explored the use
of words in art.
Year 10 and 11 pupils from Market Fields School in Elmstead Market
produced paintings inspired by the words 'angry,' 'sad,' 'happy' and
'calm,' listened to poetry and also wrote their own short poems with
Doctor Who and football emerging as popular themes.
Local families enjoying the fishing
for words activity
Local families also had the chance to enjoy the exhibition and
surrounding parkland at an event led by local artist Alison Stockmarr.
Activities included story-telling, a treasure hunt round the lakes,
fishing for words and tying words to a 'word tree.'
Stage door
Reviews from the Lakeside Theatre
The eternal search for happiness
Review of Searches for Penguins
By Graham Hampton
Searches for Penguins, written and performed by MA Literature
student Genevieve Garcia, was the most personal and subjective play I have
ever seen. As a narrative of her life the play dealt with her experiences
with sex, drugs, and living life to the full, with a hard-hitting message
at the end.
The piece was particularly provocative, and displayed some very raw
emotions, although Genevieve's ability as an actress allowed her to put a
positive and often hilarious slant to her experiences, and at almost every
turn the audience was in hysterics. This humorous dramatisation allowed
Genevieve to bare her soul, and really talk about her feelings, although
the comedy kept the tone light-hearted whilst dealing with some serious
issues that many teenagers and adolescents deal with, and are faced with
every day.
The title was confusing, until the significance of Genevieve 'searching
for penguins' was revealed as a metaphor for happiness, contentment, love
and all those things that young adults struggle with. One particular focus
was on the futile search for love, for a significant other to share one's
life with. The most hard-hitting line that really struck me was the final
line 'I love you, I love you, I love you, alone…' which then faded into
the background. This really struck me as everything this production was
about; that through all her life experiences thus far, and through
Genevieve's strength to overcome all obstacles, she still felt alone.
