in association with St. Laurence's Church and Heritage Open Weekends

Friday 10 September 2004 - Sunday 12 September 2004

St. Laurence's Church, Blagrave Street, Reading

Admission free

Context

To celebrate the refurbishment of one of Reading's finest town centre churches Artists in the City invited artist Conor Kelly to re-stage the 5 screen video/sound piece Plainsong for the Heritage Open Weekend. Using sound and image to engage visitors with the space, this work will emphasise the innovative architectural transformation of a much cherished nineteenth century place of worship. The project is presented in association with St. Laurence's Church and is part of Artists in the City's ongoing programme of City Stages events where artists are invited to make temporary interventions into public settings within the town centre.

Project

Plainsong is a loose interpretation of a term that describes the expression of the spoken word as simple melody, and is usually encountered in medieval church music. In Kelly's case however, unlike the reverend language of worship his starting point is the language of little happenings, unremarkable incidences and modest goings-on. Kelly shoots short, silent and single framed videos to which he composes sound that articulates or gives voice to the image. This kind of transportation can have an anthropomorphic effect. In one example, the pulsating orange globe of a belisha beacon takes ona menacing and surreal humour reminiscent of 50's and 60's Sci-Fi B movies. In another image a solitary tree, whose branches are rustled by the wind, becomes the instrument that controls an erratic and at times cacphonous piano composition.

Artist

Conor Kelly is an artist and composer based in London. He has had solo shows at Fordham Gallery and Peer in London. Although primarily known for his use of sound, Kelly has increasingly involved film and video in his work. He has also shown work at CCA Glasgow; Cornerhouse, Manchester; Ffoto Gallery, Cardiff; On Gallery, Poznan; La Friche Belle De Mai, Marseilles and Frunde Gutter Music, Berlin. He has collaborated with many artists and film makers as a composer and sound artist, with work presented at the Venice Biennale, Toronto Festival Of Moving Image, Tate Britain, London Film Festival as well as BBC Radio 3. With music collaborator Sam Park, (under the name Bell Helicopter) he has composed extensively for theatre and contemporary dance, including work for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Upon Avon; The Royal Court Theatre, London; Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh; Lyric Theatre, Belfast and Abbey Theatre, Dublin and Purcell Rooms.

Plainsong was originally commissioned and presented by Peer, an independent gallery in Hoxton, London.