Warehouse of failed invention

The exhibition consisted of a new installation work, combined with sculptural and video elements. The space was initially transformed from its 'white cube' architectural state, into a warehouse storage unit. The entrance of the gallery was reduced to a single corridor, through which there were a series of false doors, obscure shaped cupboards and larger rooms. One room acted as the 'storage area', darkly lit with boxes covered in oil, another room acts as a theatrical 'prototyping' space with two conjoined chairs were tested for strength (on the outside of the installation, a two-way mirror allowed the viewer to watch others as they explored this space). A smaller viewing room within the installation, acted as a space to view the dual-video film Beacon, 2012. A part documentary film of inventions that are used for safety and when lost (signal beacons)

Circa 1960

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

Coming out of the woodwork

‘Coming Out of the Woodwork’ was a curatorial and installation art project, bringing together three artsits (Mark Selby, Richard Cramp and Joe Watling) who similarly identify with the exploration of architectural space in its formation and perception as a key component to their practice. The gallery space and its associated architecture, was entirely reformed through a series of installations and constructions. Each artist approaches new ways of engaging the viewer beyond a ‘static’ looking experience; encouraging the physicality of experience through their work. An accompanying publication and website was produced alongside the exhibition

Product placement

The exhibition brought together a range of artists and product designers who share an interest in how objects are made, displayed / marketed and sold in contemporary culture. The exhibition questioned issues surrounding the production, technology and marketing of commodities, but on a wider scale, how (and by whom) participation in consumer activity is structured or framed. Each artist and product designer was ‘paired’ in order to produce a new object, multiple or edition for exhibition. Via this cross-disciplinary collaboration, new working processes were to be found and explored, as well as allowing a re-appraisal of the conceptual elements of their practices. The resulting polymorphic objects (often neither product or artwork) were placed in an installation developed for the exhibition. Through an architectural re-working of the gallery, the space becomes a parody of 'catalogue' stores - mimicking their structure of experience with catalogue kiosks, service point (with uniformed assistant) and market hall/storage space. Merging this structure into the space intended to amplify the functional similarities and behavioral prompts of gallery, retail and warehouse spaces

...And then I got off the bus

The text explored the ethical dimension of humour in relation to the withdrawal (or hiding) of knowledge in order to pull us to what Simon Critchley describes, as "sensus communis"; the production of a community once the 'reveal' of knowledge is eventually performed. The book 'Why Would I Lie?' served as an extension to the exhibition of the Royal College of Art's 2015 Research Biennial. The biennial aimed to broadly explore ethics and aesthetics in contemporary research practices

The Gibson Girl: a reflection on kite flying

This article examines, via a self-reflective analysis, a period of practice-based research started during residency at the Nordic Artists Centre, Dale in 2012, culminating in a solo exhibition at the Institute of Jamais Vu, London in 2013. Titled Rescue Kite, the exhibited artworks explored the relationship between play and structure; with particular focus on the use of 'play' in post-war culture and post-structural collapse. This textual analysis suggests a re-invigoration of play in art production through exploring the work of Joseph Beuys, the 'Gibson Girl' radio transmitter, instruction-based art of the 1970s and Mary Flanagan's notion of 'critical play'

Unobtrusive measures

Within the realms of social research, to be unobtrusive is to remove the presence of the researcher's physicality from the context of their experiment. The observed subject forms part of an experiment to which it is excluded of awareness, an uninterrupted natural state. In order to maintain this, methods of silence, hidden intentions and covert actions need to be taken. Any communication between the two parties causes an immediate and irreparable diversion in the experiment and as such, its outcome. Bent Hammer’s film ‘Kitchen Stories’ (2003) interweaves this research methodology with a sensitive reflection upon the relationship of two elderly individuals; one a researcher named Folke from Sweden’s Home Efficiency Institute, the other a single, cantankerous man named Isak. Sent to research the efficiency of Isak’s kitchen layout in relation to his daily habits and with specific orders not to engage with his subject, Folke sits in an umpire’s high chair and observes the activity below. Folke's intrusion into the physical environment of Isak's kitchen is inconspicuous to say the least and his presence raises a tension only to be resolved when they open up a line of communication. As another disgruntled researcher proclaims, “We sit up there on our pedestals and think we understand everything. How can we think we can understand anything about people, simply by observing them?”. In the exhibition itself, you will not engage with the of experience the works in the method through which the artists would normally intend. Placed within sealed cubes in the gallery space, the works will be co-opted into a larger installation. The works will be observed through the glaring lens of a series of CCTV cameras and monitors, the viewer placed on the outside looking in. Frustrated, excluded or voyeuristic-ally enthralled, the experience is still a physical one, only via the apparatus of an unobtrusive measure. The 'sealed' exhibition included work by Adrian Lee, Adam Dix, Ismail Erbil, Martin Fletcher Systems House, Jamie Taylor, Patrick Michalopoulos and Faye Peacock. Curated by Mark Selby

Rescue Kite

The exhibition 'Rescue Kite' explored the relationship between play and structure; between what is deemed useful and useless. The exhibition was the result of research into the work of Joseph Beuys, the ‘Gibson Girl’ radio transmitter, instruction-based art of the 1970s and Mary Flannagan’s notion of ‘critical play’. The gallery space became the site for a new installation work, transformed into a complex climbing frame made by a web of wooden girders. Caught amongst this, lay a sculptural rescue kite. A limited edition 'concrete kite' was produced and an accompanying publication (featuring text by Dr Katarzyna Zimna)

The mobile industry will shift

The growth of mobile phone access worldwide has attracted lots of enthusiasm in part because of its potential to generate new social and economic benefits. In this post, Mark Selby suggests new directions and critical points that the mobile industry may face, based on historical developments in the sector

Agriculture census tables relevant to race

"June, 1982""This table shows the change in number of farm operators for each Agriculture Census since racial information was first collected in 1900. The table shows a steady decline in the number of both white and black farm operators. Except for the Depression years, there has been a pattern of continuous decline. The 1978 census registered an increase in black farmers due to improved data collection techniques. Thus, the 1978 census is not strictly comparable to other censuses. In addition, before the 1978 census operators of Spanish origin were included as 'white'."--First paragrap