Circa 1960

Abstract

Circa 1960 was initiated by Corinne Felgate and included the artists Adrian Lee, Alastair Levy, Luke Ottridge, Mark Selby, Karen Tang & John Walter. The exhibition aimed to revel in the failed ideologies of Modernism, mock forward-looking invention and devour idealistic proposals of living and working. Each of the invited artists pursued an individual research project, initiated by the era. These concerns range from the lust for modernist aesthetics and design to sci-fi and nostalgia culture. Selby’s research and period of residency at Guest Projects sought to question the function of objects and materials. The work Better Half, explored the relationship between materials as a metaphor for the fractious shifts in technology during the 1960s; a period which saw mass production and ‘high’ desgin move towards plastics as a material. In the work, the wooden elements are in fact mechanically produced, the Perspex/plastic elements laborious polished and cut by hand in order ot reverse expected ideas of production. The second work, No Need To Shot, uses the language of sci-fi and technological developments of the 1960s, to play on the fetishisation of communication commodities. The parabolic curve, designed to maximise the reception of audio within the gallery, is constructed from red PVC cotton, over-sized and made cartoon. In addition, a text was written to accompany the exhibition exploring ideas around failure, design and modes of commodity production