The Tell Tale Rooms is a 12-minute father/daughter collaboration by Andrew and Eden Kötting, experienced as an immersive installation, that leads us on a journey into artist, Eden’s, fantastical world.
The Tell-Tale Rooms is situated inside a VR replica of an old farm-house deep in the French Pyrenees. The real Story house has been home to Eden and Andrew Kötting on-and-off for over 30 years but once we enter the house, compiled using photogrammetry, Eden takes us on a journey into places that we have not been before. In this world you walk amongst the artworks, memories and dreams of Eden Kötting, a visually impaired, neuro-divergent artist. Although Eden is profoundly disabled, here she is the mischief-maker and mistress of- ceremonies. She leads us on a journey that celebrates the wonders of the human condition and offers a rare and positive insight into her life.
In addition, our interactions with the Tell-Tale Rooms are guided by floating animated 3D Tell-Tale heads that appear adrift, tempting us into Eden’s back story. Particle effects in conjunction with randomizing code add an element of unpredictability and chance to the proceedings; one minute a room might be huge and another it might be miniscule, one minute there might be snow outside and in the next minute glorious sunshine. Guided by Eden and the Tell-Tale Heads, we encounter a series of Tell-Tale Rooms: The Room of Memory, The Room Of Nostalgia, The Room of Make-Believe, The Room of Hope, The Room of Forgetting, The Room of Confabulation… In these rooms there are trace elements from Eden growing from a baby, through adolescence, and into adulthood.
Text written by Eden drift within the space, offering translation for her limited speech patterns, advice for the future, or quotes from the past. The voice of her Great-Grandmother Gladys reminisces about their time together making their film Gallivant. Snippets of antiquated public information broadcasts and mysterious voiceovers help contextualise how far society has come when dealing with disability and diversity.
Eden’s story is memorable, playful and hauntological. Hope is in the air and everywhere you look around…
The Tell-Tale Rooms is situated in the foyer on the ground floor, between the lifts and the gallery space.
Opening hours:
12:00 – 20:00 on Tue – Sat
12:00 – 18:00 on Sun 25 Feb
12:00 – 16:00 on Sun 3 Mar
Exhibition Info
About Tyke Films
Tyke Films is a South Yorkshire-based, BFI Vision Award winning film, TV and VR production company, producing stories with social impact at the intersection of documentary and drama, that are ambitious in content and form. Tyke Films invoke empathy andinclusivity in our work, striving to connect nuanced protagonists to a variety of audiences.
Their projects include BIFA award winning documentary, POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ, which was also nominated for a BAFTA Scotland and a Grierson Award, as well as a diverse range of screen-based work, officially selected at SXSW, Raindance Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, CPH:DOX, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Bolton International Film Festival, Sheffield Doc Fest amongst others.
About Andrew Kötting
Andrew Kötting is an award-winning artist, filmmaker and Professor who has made over 100 short films. His artworks, in varied media, include film, video, performance,paintings, sculpture, collage, cd, vinyl, book work, text, and installation, often in collaboration with his daughter Eden. He obtained a BA in Fine Art at Ravensbourne College of Art and then an MA in mixed media at The Slade in London. He has over 40years’ experience in the art world.
About Eden Kötting
Eden Kötting was born with Joubert Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. In 1996 she appeared in her father’s experimental feature film Gallivant along with her Great Grandmother Gladys and in 2006 her artwork was shown at the Tate Modern, organised through Project Art Works. In 2014 she worked with her father on a multi-media art project; By Our Selves, commissioned by Arts Council England, distributedby Soda Pictures and in 2015 she was commissioned by Channel 4 & Random Acts to make short animated film (All In The Mind), using her drawings and collages as a springboard. In 2019, again with her father and animator Glenn Whiting she made In Far Away Land, which was distributed in 2020 across the UK and Ireland by HOME in Manchester. Eden is part of the Wednesday Mentoring Group at Project Artworks andshares a studio with her father in St Leonards-on-Sea and the French Pyrenees. 2021saw Project Artworks shortlisted for the Turner Prize and in June 2022 Eden and Andrew had their first commercial gallery show at New Art Projects in London in which they presented elements from both Diseased and Disorderly as well as The Tell-Tale Rooms.