10/11/2006
Loraine Leeson: Art for Change
Space, London
A retrospective of work from the mid 70's to the present day combining activism, politics and education. Leeson's continual use of changing technology as a tool to engage communities and social groups, is evident in billboards and posters from the East London Health Project or in the 13ft x 7ft digital montage Awakenings. Other works on display include the 4 slide projector piece Between Family Lines.
Combining activism, politics and education Leeson’s grassroots campaigns are among the most exciting in East London’s rich social history.
The exhibition Art for Change celebrates Loraine Leeson as an artist whose work has influenced and supported social change for over 30 years. The exhibition presents a retrospective of work from the mid 70s to the present day. Combining activism, politics and education Leeson's collaborative grassroots campaigns are among the most exciting in East London's rich social history.
Leeson's continual use of changing technology as a tool to engage communities and social groups can be seen throughout her practice. This is first evident in billboards and posters from the East London Health Project (1979-1980) and the Docklands Community Poster Project (1981-1991), both in collaboration with her former partner, artist Peter Dunn. Developed from hand-made photo-montages the posters and billboards were coloured individually by hand and displayed throughout East London.
The 13ft x 7ft digital montage Awakenings (1994), also with Peter Dunn, is a re-make of Stanley Spencer's historical painting Resurrection. Awakenings, originally commissioned by Tate, encouraged young people to consider themselves and their own physical environment. They were among the very first artists to use image editing software in the production of their work.
Other works on display include the 4 slide projector piece Between Family Lines (1994), a collaboration with Karen Merkel and Leeson's current project Volco which is being developing with Hackney Schools. This innovative online virtual community allows classrooms to create their own settlements on the planet Volco and allows children to generate their own content by creating characters with their own individual personalities.
On Friday 19 January 6-7.30pm Loraine Leeson will be in conversation with Carmen Morsch, artist, educator, researcher and associate professor at the Institute for Cultural Studies, Carl von Ossietzky Universitat Oldenburg, Germany.
Space
129-131 Mare Street, Hackney - London