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Recent Activity

Ian Giles
‘On the Way to Language’

December 2016

Recent Activity present ‘On the Way to Language’ a video by artist Ian Giles. The artist has selected to exhibit his video within the iconic Ashley Building, which houses the Department of Modern Languages because of the formal parallels with his work.

In watching, we join a group engaged in a conversation where each person speaks a different language; French, English, Mandarin, Italian and Portugese. Images of Brutalist and Modernist architecture float over the screen reframing faces and gestures – this act hints at both the sculptural structure of language, its function and abstraction.

‘On the way to Language’ is accompanied by a panel discussion ‘On the way to a Whole’, exploring how human relations can create an energy that is as palpable as traditional sculptural materials. It considers how universties, gallery spaces, publications and evening classes offer the setting of a community for individuals and ask: In what ways are these sites platforms that gather and then disperse. Panel Includes Joanne Masding, Dr Phil jones and Reece Kennedy.