Threshold artspace Bold contemporary art by Scottish and international artists in Perth since 2005
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#Encore @HorsecrossPerth @IliyanaNedkova facebook.com/groups/thresholdartspace Enjoy our exhibition and events about the relationship of visual and performing arts Changing as part of our favourite festivals of dance and drama, music and cinema Curated by Iliyana Nedkova
14 Jun - 30 Sept 2017 Jolanta Dolewska (Poland/Scotland) Repertoire (2017) 3 min loop My Response to Perth Theatre Archive at AK Bell Library: Repertoire or Bad Photo, I am Much Nicer Looking As part of my research as Horsecross artist-in-residence at Perth Theatre Archive, I went through many newspaper cuttings and materials from shows, which were glued onto pages of scrapbooks. The scrapbooks were bound with wallpaper samples. Here, the wallpaper acted as a background, a device setting the tone, in a similar way as on the theatre stage. These very attractive patterns, rich colours and textures enthused my imagination. After returning home I ordered a large number of wallpaper samples. Later, I stumbled upon actors’ photographic monochrome portraits from 1940-70s which were held in Perth Theatre’s files. Some of them were portraits from job applications sent to the theatre by agents, others were sent by actors themselves in a search of employment. At the back of the photographs there were often written details about the actors’appearance. One photograph had a hand-written comment ‘Bad photo - I’m much nicer looking’ and it made me think how theatre actors used to, and still do to some degree, rely on photography in order to be considered for a job. This almost desperate yet humorous comment is a protest - we go back and forth looking and judging whether the photo is really bad and what role, if any, the actor could play. I decided to swap the background of the actors and allowed fragments of wallpaper to crawl onto the photographs, making the portraits more beautiful, extending them and giving them new, perhaps unanticipated roles to play. It is a celebration of a metamorphic character of the acting profession.
Jolanta Dolewska
Archival Photographs of actors: Valerie Lush, Jennifer Angus, Ron Bain, Sheila Cooper, Liza Goddard, Maud Risdon, Robert Docherty, Catherine Salked, Mary Laine, Francesca Annis, Denise Hirst, Lillian Welsh, Anthony Stamm, John Vail, John Joyce, William Armow, Unknown, William Wallace, Roger Gale, Ian Norris, Unknown Photographers: Young Casting Agency, 7 Beaumont Gate, Glasgow, Courier & Advertiser Peoples Journal Dundee Perthshire Advertiser, 36 Tay Street, Perth Mark Gudgeon, 8 Marshall Street, London, W1Peter R Simpkin, VK Photographers, 80 Bruce Grove, Tottenham, London, N17, Ruth Tarko Agency, 50-52 Cecil Street, Hillhead, Glasgow, G12 8RJ, Helmdale Artistes & Associates Ltd, 39 South Street, London, W1, Photo. Repro. Service, Chas.Domec-Cerre, 36 Brixton Hill, London, SW2, Cowper & Co Photographers, 41 South Methven Street, Perth, Richard Allan Photographer, 13 Russell Street, Stanley, and Unknown Photographers Thanks to: Ishbel MacKinnon and Claire Devine at Perth Theatre Archive at AK Bell Library
Threshold artspace | Horsecross Arts | Perth Concert Hall Mill Street | Perth | PH1 5HZ | Scotland | 0044 (0) 1738 621 031 | info@horsecross.co.uk
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