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BILL DRUMMOND
CCA, Glasgow, Mon 30 Sep—Fri 4 Oct; performances Tue 1 & Thu 3 Oct
Bill Drummond has never done
things by the book. Except when
that book was written by him and , .. about having a chart-topping single
with vocals by a singing police car.
Since his forays into pop perversion
as the KLF, he’s out a swathe l l
through the worlds of music and art in a singularly wilful style with a variety of projects.
Drummond’s latest venture A Smell of Sulphur in the Window, like many of his previous (mis)adventures, seems to have developed from a curious whim.
‘I bought A Smell of Sulphur in the Wind by Richard Long for $20,000 in 1995,’ he explains. Which is a photograph of some standing stones Long erected while on a
opportunity to buy pieces of Long’s
The start of the journey, Southampton
be as much about the audience as
walk across Iceland. ‘It was hanging work. Visitors to his performances him.
on the wall in my house and I and thought it might be time to sell
This is itself is natural enough but Drummond decided one way do this was to cut the picture up into 20,000 pieces and sell them for a dollar a throw. He spent four days earlier this year driving from Southampton to Dounreay giving talks and offering people the
of his journey.
INS'lAl .l Al ION MIROSLAW BALKA: TIEDTOTHETOE Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, until 20 Oct
Born in 19:38. V‘./£ll'iiél\.'.’. Mii‘osla\.'~/ Balka emerged in the shadow cf Poland's most terrible chapter in history. And it is shadox'xs of past and of present — that characterise much of his works. Made from a variety of media —— steel. felt. ash. ;oap. concrete. wood. Video projection — they can at first seem stark and cold. lheir titles are often no more than a scm ol their dimensions — for example. 2 x (250 x 10x 17) — but v-xith a bit of background information the works canvey a human and deeply emotional force.
As you enter the gallery a steel rod skewers hundreds of coloured soaps like a gigantic. jewelled kebab -- a pretty concoction of colour. But gradually the soaps take on more sinister associations as the legacy of Nazi gas chambers creeps into mind.
A rocin is laid down wrth wooden slats. replicating a room adjOining the gas chamber in lvlajdanek conceitration camp. Balka then projects a video of himself walking across its floor — the sound of his relentless. echoing steps a haunting reminder of the millions who walked to their death.
Ghosts hover behind every piece. but in OI x 12:30.0 Ix 775 (2001) where two steel cables are stretched across a room —- one sprinkled With Balka's hair, the other with his son's >- an affirmation of life prevails. There is something moVing in the simple relationship between father and son -— a bond and trust.
Balka's work touches profound depths and benefits from the calm space of the DCA. (Ruth Hedges)
Installation view DCA 280 x 10 x 10, 2002
at the CCA will also be able to do realised I was getting a bit tired of it the same. A book, How to be an
Artist, developed out of the notes it on.’ and photographs Drummond took
The term ‘performance’ is always a loose one for a man who burned 21m pounds on a remote Scottish island but Drummond seems to enjoy the organic, evolving nature of contemporary art and those, in a these challenges he sets himself, insisting the CCA performances will
‘l’ll be seeking advice from the audience and asking them where I should be taking this next. Most people who come will have some knowledge of my past and I’ve done these shows in prisons, old folks homes and drop-in centres where people don’t know who I am or have any knowledge of
way, have been even more rewarding.’ (Mark Robertson)
MIXED MEDIA WHAT WILL BECOME OF US
Tramway, Glasgow, until Sun 6 October 0.
In a recent episode of The Simpsons the tavern was revamped into a trendy style bar complete with 'art'. ‘lt's Po—mo.‘ says Me. the bartender. looking at the bemused faces before him. ‘Po-mo?‘ ‘Po-mo. Post modern.‘ Looking again at blank expressions tvlo concedes: 'OK. OK. weird for x-xeird's sake . . .'
Unfortunately. this dialogue was on repeat for me while consrdering the collaborative and individual work of Glasgow- based artists Scott Myles and Fred Pederson. As a whole What Will Becoriie of Us seems to be trying just a little bit too hard.
We have a cut-out image of Neil Tennant in Kriss Kross-style trousers. two manneCjuin busts (who look like extras from Al) passing a gold chain between them like a sportsday relay. and a small animal made of chipboard and corrugated cardboard. Elsewhere. a cheap. clip-framed picture of a luxurious. Regency-style room comes complete With a full-colour photo- mural taken from Michael Hanneke's Funny Games.
In Myles' Untitled (Nothing) three drawings of leafy boulevarr'ls and town sguares read. sequentially: 'Some People ~ Have Some things - We Got Nothing".
Is this really an exploration of social conscience? If so. it's hard to decipher where irony ends and sincerity begins. Both Myles and Pedei‘son have prevrously shown work that would lead the visitor to expect more here. No one wants a neat. easily absorbed exhibition ‘package'. but ambiguity doesn't always egual success and What {VI/I Becoriie of Us remains as a selection of great references which don't get beyond unresolved starting pOints. (Susannah Thompson)
‘ " rt, why," 't
Untitled 2002 mixed media: Fred Pederson
Art
INSTALLATION HOMELESS FURNITURE — GOSHKA MACUGA LUMUMBA IS DEAD - NICK EVANS
Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, until 5 October 00.
Homeless Furniture is a site- speCific installation by the Polish artist Goshka Macuga. Specificity is key to tvlaCuga's practice. not only in engaging the space itself but also the wider artistic community. each becoming an integral part of the creative process.
For Transmission Gallery. Macuga has selected works by local artists. which she has displayed in assorted cabinets and Curio—boxes. provoking interesting questions on the making. viewing and ownership of work. The wooden constructions have an antiquated feel, conjuring up images of dusty museum displays. But this idea is soon shattered when encountering the works on offer. A bubblegum dinosaur, a knitted poster and collaged waterbottles are just some of the curios selected. all of which embody a ‘rough and ready‘ feel contrasting nicely with the cabinets that house them.
Installation view
Meanwhile. in the basement space. Glasgow artist Nick Evans has created an installation in response to the heroic life and martyrdom of legendary African leader Patrice Lumumba. Rather than try to explain Lumumba's life. Evans takes his history as a starting point for creating his own aesthetic response.
Most essential to this is the piece Lumumba is Dead (Long Live Lumumha) in which he displays three totem pole structures bound and grounded by assorted coloured woollen reams. This seems to eerily echo the fate of Lumumba and two of his comrades. who were imprisoned and executed by the Katanga secessionist regime. But as with the rest of the installation, the piece succeeds in transforming a historical reference into a unique visual response. (Sorcha Dallas)
IE) Sep .8 Oct 1’00? THE LIST 87