Respond/Reply

MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF: Town Hall Galleries

Colchester & Ipswich Museums Town Hall Galleries presents,
respond/reply
Phyllida Barlow │ Caroline Wright │ Helen Rousseau │ George Szirtes

Open: Saturday 11 September – Saturday 30 October,
Tuesday to Saturday, 10am - 5pm FREE ADMISSION

The project, which began in 2007, has progressed from an exchange of drawn and written material between Caroline Wright and Helen Rousseau. Both artists use drawing as a fundamental tool in their practice whilst also employing other methods of enquiry; for Wright this encompasses live and site specific work while Rousseau works with sculpture and installation.

The project examines the potential relationships between drawing and writing that operate beyond a critique of the work and/or its processes. Two strands have emerged from this investigation; one being the resulting drawn and written works, the other, the conversations and dialogue around those processes and outcomes.

Meetings between all four participants have provided opportunities to discuss material first hand. These discussions then continued through postal and virtual project space exchanges, with the artists responding to the writing in visual form (drawing) to prompting a further written reply and so on.

The exhibition, less a culmination and more a punctuation in an ongoing process, explores the breadth of what constitutes drawing to include work on paper, poetry, animation, sound and ephemera. While the artists Wright and Rousseau, further their responsive investigation with the occasional occupancy of the gallery space when they invite the community and students to take part in the conversation/ exchange. Information about a public discussion and family workshop are listed below.

Early stages of the work in progress can be seen here. http://www.respondreply.blogspot.com

Events:

Public Discussion
Friday 1 October, 3pm, Gallery 1, FREE ENTRY

responding/replying Open Discussion
A lively discussion with the four artists/ writers who will talk about the project processes and outcomes before throwing the debate open to the audience.

Family Workshop

Wednesday 27 October, 11am - 1pm & 2pm - 4pm, Gallery 1, FREE ENTRY
Making/ Mindmapping/ Marking, Hosted by Helen Rousseau

In conjunction with the Big Draw this workshop will introduce participants to some of the processes and outcomes explored in the project respond/reply through practical exploration of imagery, text and collaborative working practices.

Suitable for families with children suitable 6+ years. Booking recommended, 01473 4333691