Join us as we celebrate the opening night of our new exhibition Hiker Meat, the biggest show to date from Jamie Shovlin.
At the heart of the exhibition is an exploitation film that never actually existed. Hiker Meat and its fictitious Italian director Jesus Rinzoli have been imagined by Shovlin to represent an archetypal exploitation film. Set in an American summer camp in the 1970s, it includes a full complement of slasher film standards, from a hitchhiking heroine with a troubled past to a charismatic commune leader and a group of teens who disappear one by one.
Shovlin collaborated with writer Mike Harte and composer Euan Rodger to produce a full screenplay and soundtrack for the film. He then made a prototype cut-and-paste feature by collaging over 1500 found clips from existing exploitation films. After this, Shovlin re-created key sequences from the beginning and end sections of the film, and a full length trailer.
The exhibition captures the genesis of the Hiker Meat project, revealing the wealth of background thinking and the collaborative nature of its delivery. An immersive audio visual installation strips back the wider Hiker Meat project, from the inception of the idea to Shovlin’s attempt to re-make a film that never existed.
Join us early at the preview of Hiker Meat for an exclusive talk with effects specialist Kev Thornton. Kev will talk about the puppeteer-controlled B-movie monster created for Hiker Meat. The first 40 attendees will also receive an instant Polaroid-type print with the monster.