Marvin Gaye Chetwynd:
Camshafts in the Rain at Bonner Kunstverein
British artist Marvin Gaye Chetwynd’s Camshafts in the Rain is a new work that draws upon the history of automata and the use of clockwork mechanisms to animate public space. Chetwynd’s exhibition sees the gallery collaged with photocopied imagery to resemble a scaled-up version of the miniature paper theatres that were popular amongst children in the 19th century. Conceived as a ‘loop of continuous action’, Chetwynd’s installation places visitors inside the performance space. Visitors encounter a succession of paper proscenium arches and a series of ‘automaton’ – sculptures that are also feature in the performances scheduled during the exhibition.
Chetwynd’s new performance combines live action, music and puppetry and is developed in reference to a broad range of cinematic sources including Jan Svankmajer’s Punch and Judy (1966) and the biorobotic characters that feature in science fiction films such as The Stepford Wives (1975) and Blade Runner (1982). Other references include Jean Cocteau’s film La Belle et la Bête (1946) and the choreography of mechanical dolls in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s Tales of Hoffman(1951) and Federico Fellini’s Casanova (1976).
Marvin Gaye Chetwynd
Camshafts in the Rain
12 April – 19 June 2016
Hochstadenring 22
Bonn
Images courtesy of the artist, Bonner Kunstverein and Sadie Coles HQ, London.