Over five days, Brazilian duo Rafael Abdala and Jessica Goes will keep nine artists from Greater Manchester in full experimentation-mode through a collaborative long-durational creative process. Spending eight hours a day in our gallery, the artists, from the worlds of visual art, dance, theatre and music will delve into creativity, experimentation and improvisation.
Paradoxparadox has no interest in what or why – the artists will focus on how we get into the creative process. Starting with provocative exercises and with the aid of ‘trigger materials’, they will dive into the void of experimentation, performing with no fixed ideas or final outcome in mind.
Drop into our gallery from 12:00 each day to experience a live artistic experiment as it happens.
The participating artists are Sophie Bullock, Hannah Dalby, Angela Davies, Trasi Henen, Dan Hett, Michelle Hooper, Oscar Lister, Debbie Sharp and Robert Wilson:
Sophie Bullock is a visual artist working in Manchester. She makes participatory artworks in public spaces that encourage people to re-imagine the built environment. She is interested in how certain people and movements can be designed out of cities through hostile architecture. Using playful mechanisms that repurpose unfriendly design, she wants to encourage passers-by to contribute to their city, and overturn hostile spaces into social spaces.
Hannah Dalby is a performer and facilitator based in the North of England. She has worked both nationally and internationally over a variety of mediums including physical theatre, improvisation, film, theatre and dance. Hannah teaches mindfulness and wellbeing through movement, physical actor training and improvisation. Hannah is an associate artist for DUENDE, an international ensemble.
Angela Davies is an interdisciplinary artist whose work is concerned with the perception of time and space. Traditional processes are fused with creative technologies to offer new realities that are immersive and often provocative.
Trasi Henen completed her BFA at Wits University, Johannesburg 2003. Subsequently having solo and group shows in Johannesburg, Cape Town and internationally, whilst also teaching at various South African universities, and curating a number of projects. In 2014 Trasi completed her MFA at Goldsmiths College University of London, and was awarded the Goldsmiths College Warden’s Purchase Prize. Trasi moved from London to Manchester in 2015.
Dan Hett is a BAFTA-winning freelance creative technologist, digital artist, games designer and live visual performer from Manchester, UK. After spending the last few years building digital content for BBC Children’s, and then a year with BBC Research & Development, Dan now operates as a multidisciplinary creative tech across mobile, web, installation and beyond. When he’s not doing all that, Dan is a live performing visual artist, using homegrown software and tools to create improvised large-scale visuals for concerts, festivals and arts installations.
Michelle Hooper is a Manchester-based filmmaker who has made three shorts and has worked as an assistant director in TV and film since 2003. Michelle studied for her Filmmaking MA at Manchester School of Art and has a first class degree in Time-Based Media from Kent Institute of Art and Design, where she focused on video art and installation.
Oscar Lister is in his last year at Manchester University studying English Literature and Creative Writing. He is also a classically trained musician and heads up an underground arts and music collective in Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield showcasing left-field dance music and experimental visual art.
Debbie Sharp is an artist whose practice works within the in-between spaces of life and death, and the absence of presence. Looking at memory, mortality and remembrance, Sharp creates installations that are often site-specific and immersive and unique to the environment and moment. As well as producing one off live physical performance pieces, Sharp has had work featured in The Wire Magazine and has produced work for The Whitworth Gallery, A-Wake Yorkshire, Silent Barn New York. Exchange Rates New York, LOOK international photography festival and Deptford x Festival.
Robert Wilson studied Video Arts Production at UCA, Kent, and Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art, London. His practice is multidisciplinary, working primarily within moving image, sound, performance, radio, and the written word. Recent exhibitions, screenings, commissions and collaborations include: Vespertine at the N.R.M., York; Sonophilia Festival, Lincoln; FUSE at The Crucible, Sheffield; REACT at the Royal Exchange, Manchester; the London Short Film Festival; Tate Modern; Whitechapel Gallery and the V&A Museum.
Drop into our gallery from 12:00 – 20:00 each day to experience a live artistic experiment as it happens. Please note this closes at 18:00 on Friday.