Matt’s Gallery presented a group exhibition at Dilston Grove, realised by Anne Bean, Robin Klassnik and Richard Wilson.
Paul Burwell was infamous for his exuberant fusions of fine-art installation, percussion and explosive performance. He was a staunch advocate of, and passionate participant in, all forms of experimental art. TAPS: Improvisations with Paul Burwell, realised by Anne Bean, Robin Klassnik and Richard Wilson embodies his prolific practice.
Over the course of three days TAPS combined film, installation and performance, portraying layers of interpretation from more than 80 invited collaborators, in response to Burwell’s poem ‘Adventures in the House of Memory’. The poem arose from improvisations by Anne Bean and Paul Burwell in preparation for William Burroughs’s Final Academy at Ritzy, London in 1982, where improvised words were written on huge sheets of flash paper which were ignited as they were sung. The poem was the last recorded Burwell work two months before he died in 2007. The body of collaborators, including Stephen Berkoff, Evan Parker, Rose English and Paul McCarthy, have responded to the poem by each creating a short film or audio work as a new collaboration for, about or ‘with’ Burwell.
Fragments of the collaborators’ film or audio works, now make a collective totem in a two screen, one hour composite film interpreted and edited by Anne Bean and Chris Bishop. This resulting work resonated with the poem’s innate episodic chronicles, as slivers interleaf together, and runs continuously throughout each day. The film is shown as part of a screen installation constructed by Richard Wilson. By adding its own sounds and actions, this structure became a part player in the final act of the last evening, during a performance by Ansuman Biswas.
Live performances formed another layer of exploration, echoing the sense of inter-connectivity created by the installation. Each performer encompasses a practice that reflects the context and ethos in which Burwell worked, improvising within the framework of the poem, film, installation and space at Dilston Grove. The performances took place at various times during the event.
Each collaborator’s original film or audio work is available in full online through Vimeo from September, a link for which can be accessed through Matt’s Gallery website www.mattsgallery.org
A publication with an essay by David Toop and drawings by Paul McCarthy, published by Matt’s Gallery, is available free to visitors throughout the event as part of the whitebook series.
Composite film, contributing artists: Mark Anderson with Nick Sales & Jony Easterby, Anne Bean, Steve Beresford, Steven Berkoff, Ansuman Biswas & Mary Genis, Borbetomagus: Don Dietrich, Donald Miller & Jim Salter, Brian Catling, Shaun Caton, Trace Collective: Phil Babot, Lee Hassall, Eddie Ladd, Tony Schwensen & André Stitt, Mike Cooper, Viv Corringham, Lol Coxhill, Kim Creighton, Peter Cusack, Terry Day, Peter Davey, Hermine Demoriane, Sean Dower, Max Eastley, David Ellis & Lee Merrill, Rose English, Susanna Ferrar, Simon Finn, Chris Galdwin, Adalet Garmiany, Brian G Gilson, Charlie Hooker, Sylvia Hallett, Martin von Haselberg aka Harry Kipper, P Jeck & Mary Prestidge, Jacky Lansley & Fergus Early, Lurca, Paul McCarthy, John McKeon, Ashleigh Marsh, Kaffe Matthews, Dan Maurer, David Medalla with Guy Brett, Alma Tischler & Marko Steponova, Gioia Meller Marcovicz, Phil the Messenger, Hugh Metcalfe, Phil Minton & Roger Turner, Charlie Morrissey, Rev Nagase, Miyako Narita, Maggie Nicols, Steve Noble, Hannah O’Shea, Marega Palser, Evan Parker, Brian Routh aka Harry Kipper, Tom Recchion, Carlyle Reedy, Rembrandt, Kirsten Reynolds with The London Dirthole Company, Ezra Rubenstein, Elliott Sharp, Brown Sierra: Paddy Collins & Pia Gambardella, Anna Thew, Alan Tomlinson, David Toop, Toy Killers, Harald Uccello FoTyArT ORG, Patricia Wells, Mimi Westernhagen, Aaron Williamson, Richard Wilson with William Raban & David Cunningham, Marie Yates, Yol, z’ev.
Live performers Ansuman Biswas, Melissa Castagnetto, Shaun Caton, William Cobbing, Ryuzo Fukuhara, Juneau Projects, Oren Marshall & Steve Noble, Kaffe Matthews, Yol
Continuous film screening: Daily from 2pm – 7pm.
Performances: Friday, 17 September: Melissa Castagnetto 7pm, Oren Marshall & Steve Noble 8pm, Yol 9pm.
Saturday, 18 September: Shaun Caton 2 – 7pm, William Cobbing 7pm, Kaffe Matthews 8pm, Juneau Projects 9pm.
Sunday, 19 September: Intermittent performance by Ryuzo Fukuhara 2 – 7pm and final event including a performance by Ansuman Biswas 6 – 8pm.
TAPS was supported by a Live Art Development Agency and Tate Research Legacy: Thinker in Residence Award to Anne Bean.
Launch Gallery
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