Cupid and the Animals
An operetta by Agnes Scherer
Music by Camillo Drewe and performing artists
The night of Friday January 27 2017
The afternoon of Saturday January 28 2017
TRAMPS offsite
Unit 9I
133 Copeland Rd
London SE15 3SN
Camden Arts Centre, London
Wednesday 14 December, 7.00 – 8.45pm
To launch his first monograph Ways of Worldmaking, artist Ben Rivers and design and art collective åbäke discuss the book with Sophie Williamson, Programme Curator: Exhibitions at Camden Arts Centre. This book has been made in conjunction with Rivers’ recent exhibition at Camden Arts Centre, Earth Needs More Magicians with new essays by writers Ed Halter, Melissa Gronland, Renee Gladman and Andréa Picard, alongside transcripts and research material. This talk will be followed by a book signing.
Talk: 7.00 – 7.30pm
Book launch: 7.30 – 8.45pm
The Nile Set
A new body of work made by Agnes Scherer, in collaboration with Paul DD Smith, curated by Real Positive at COFA Contemporary, opening 16.11.2016 / 12h until 20.11.2016.
Thank you Katie Schwab, winner of the 2016 Nigel Greenwood Art Prize for sending us a gorgeous present of things made during the residency. Katie was selected by the judges for a proposal to explore local weaving traditions and she managed in her ambition to get a loom ‘up and running’. We’re proud to have been able to host Katie and delighted that she had such a productive time.
Weaving sample, Katie Schwab, 2016
World of Interiors, Katie Schwab and Alexis Lagimodiere-Grise, 2016
19 August – 11 September 2016
Maeve Brennan was born in London
She studied at Goldsmiths and Ashkal Alwan’s Home Workspace Program
Maeve currently lives and works in London and Beirut
A conversation between Marta Bermejo Sarmiento and Maeve Brennan, Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity’s cloister, Norwich, 17 August 2016, early afternoon
Marta Bermejo Sarmiento: It’s interesting how you chose to approach the Dome of the Rock in your film. Very rarely do you get to see a documentary film about this site in which mystical beliefs and religion appear only anecdotally.
Maeve Brennan: I wanted to approach the film from the perspective of material culture, through geology, archaeology, architecture, all of these things that give you a tangible sense of things in Palestine. The Dome of the Rock is usually discussed in symbolic terms, a place for conflict to play out on. I focused on the walls and what it was made of. The fact that the stone is the same material that makes up the landscape, the architecture and the sacred rock. The film documents four experts (an archaeologist, a stone worker, a geologist and an architect) discussing the Palestinian landscape from the perspective of their disciplines. For example, there is this part where the geologist, Dr Taleb al Harithi, says ‘If you blindfold me and drop me anywhere in Palestine, when I wake up I can tell where I am by the stones.’ This was an incredibly important moment because it demonstrated a specific kind of embodied knowledge. He told me that he goes every summer to look for minerals and precious stones on the Palestinian side of the Jordan valley. And because of his knowledge about the shift in tectonic plates he can work out where the same minerals will be deposited on the other side of the valley and goes and collects them there. He travels the exact distance northwards along the valley, following the tectonic shift that occurred. His knowledge of the landscape is a very particular one and it manifests in stones.
MBS: But the religious content doesn’t go completely…
MB: No of course it’s both things and that’s why it’s an interesting site to talk about in this way. I mean I really liked the idea of people coming to the engineer in charge of the building and saying ‘Does the rock float underneath the dome?’ This moment where spirituality or belief in these holy sites comes into contact with the practical maintenance and care for the site.
And of course I don’t answer it directly in the film. But you see the rock at the base of this enormous scaffolding and it becomes a kind of real material space which is being restored, its ornamentation cut up and injected with PVA. I think it’s definitely to do with making things tangible – the building can no longer be seen as a distanced, symbolic object. It is made of lime and marble and it leaks and has dampness. It really … ah, what is the word…
MBS: Materialises?
MB: Yeah sort of, it becomes present as matter. This was my initial interest in geology as well, a material way of thinking through bigger concepts of time and history.
MBS: It seems to me that this film is both an architectural homage to the Dome of the Rock and a homage to the memory of your great grandfather Ernest Tatham Richmond (ETR). How did this come about?
MB: The interest with my great-grandfather began when I found the book he wrote The Dome of the Rock: A Description of its Structure and Decoration (1924). There were these diagrams he’d drawn that depicted the surface of the building. He had used different crosshatches to define the various periods of restoration that had taken place on the exterior walls. They’re really strange images…
I had also been researching the Jerusalem stone industry in Palestine and had filmed a number of quarries. I began to look at those diagrams as documenting a kind of stratigraphy – layers of restoration. The images reminded me of the quarries I had visited, where cuts into the mountains revealed layers of strata, making time visible. That was how it all started with ETR.
It wasn’t a matter of delving into family history in the usual sense. But his role as an architect in charge of the repair and restoration of this building made him relevant to my research. I find the role of the building surveyor really interesting because it gives you a sense that architecture is constantly moving and transforming, not something static. There is this part in ETR’s text where he says that the Dome of the Rock is “alive, almost in the same way a man is alive,” renewing its skin and structure in order to continue existing. With the Dome of the Rock that maintenance becomes a political act because the building is representative of something so significant for Islam and it’s in this contested site. So inscribing those layers of restoration into the surface of the building is kind of like instating a belief in its existence and everything it represents. That’s how he saw it.
MBS: In the film ETR says the Dome of the Rock has been ‘exposed to the destructive attacks of winter storms, earthquakes and “souvenir seekers”’. In Palestine, many souvenirs are charged with belief like pieces of sacred stone. You have chosen to present 300 bespoke lighters, in five different colours.
MB: I think with these sites there is a sense that everyone wants to somehow hold it or have a piece of it. When I first arrived in Jerusalem, my taxi driver was lighting a cigarette and pointed at his lighter which contained an image of the Dome of the Rock and said – ‘Look, Al Aqsa’ [the Palestinian name given to the site]. I’ve always had an interest in these objects that might attempt to condense bigger political, historical or social contexts so the souvenir became pertinent. Much of my work also looks at shifting economies or flows of objects. Jerusalem stone, seatbelts, or in my current research I am looking into a small town in Lebanon that deals mainly in stolen cars and smuggled artefacts from Syria. I wanted to produce an object that would enter into its own flow. The lighter is also particular as it kind of denotes a social encounter, and this is at the basis of all my work.
Film-maker Ben Rivers, winner of the NG Art Prize 2015, is currently resident in the cottage and studio.
We’re envious …
“Here’s daytime pics of studio, writing and ink drawings, the garden lush and tropical, and nighttime pic of pure pleasure, fire, whiskey and A Night of Serious Drinking by Rene Daumal.”
Congratulations to Katie Schwab for winning the Nigel Greenwood Art Prize 2016. Schwab wins £5000 and a 3 month stay at the residency cottage and artist studio.
Speaking on behalf of this year’s judges Alessandro Vincentelli, Curator of Exhibitions & Research at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art said, “Katie Schwab’s submission revealed a strong emergent contemporary practice, informed by process of research and investigations into the politics of craft. Schwab creates beautiful and intelligent artworks and is versatile in her use of media, making video, and text installations, collaborative work with others, woven textile pieces and ceramics. Katie’s submission made a strong case for her wanting to investigate making traditions associated with the Scottish Borders, in particular the history of textiles and weaving traditions. As an exhibitor in the New Contemporaries 2015 and actively involved in Scottish art scene already, I am sure this will be a fantastic and creative opportunity for Katie to research and make new work. We /I look forward to what Katie can do with this really special open opportunity.”
The judges were also impressed by the precision and commitment in artist Maeve Brennan’s work and awarded her the £1000 research prize and 1 month residency. Judge Eliza Bonham Carter, Head of the Royal Academy Schools, said, “Maeve Brannan’s beautifully framed films captured the panel’s attention. We were intrigued by her work and keen to support this talented artist in these final stages of her current project focused on the Bequaa Valley in Lebanon. The Nigel Greenwood residency will allow Maeve the time and space to edit her film and develop the sculptural elements to bring the piece together for exhibition.”
Congratulations to both Katie Schwab and Maeve Brennan. Congratulations also to the whole short-list and to the nominators and judges.
Maeve Brennan nominated by Helen Legg, Spike Island
Sara Mackillop nomnated by Matthew Higgs, director White Columns
Josefine Reisch nominated by Nicola Lees, curator
Katie Schwan nominated by Tamsin Dillon, curator
Rafal Zajko nominated by Marc Camille Chaimowicz, artist
The judges of the Nigel Greenwood Prize 2016 were:
Eliza Bonham Carter, Head of the Royal Academy Schools
Peter Doig, artist
Alessandro Vincentelli, curator of Exhibitions & Research
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
Gateshead Quays
Paul Nesbitt, Director and curator, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden
Edinburgh
Carol Gorner, Gordon Burn Trust
Catherine Lampert, independent curator and author
Frances Von Hofmannstahl, Editor and founder of Luncheon magazine
And a huge thank you to CHELSEA Space who hosted the award ceremony and to Brunswick Cafe for an amazing dinner.
Thank you to the inaugural winner of the Nigel Greenwood Prize 2015, Agnes Scherer, who curated the dinner, creating incredible ‘deco-bana’, her fabulous interpretation of Japanese ikebana.
Join us for the announcement of the winner of the Nigel Greenwood Art Prize 2016 on June 21st at 7pm at CHELSEAspace, 16 John Islip St, London SW1P 4JU.
We are hugely honoured that the gallery is currently hosting an intimate and atmospheric archival exhibition revisiting the ground-breaking Nigel Greenwood gallery. The show will be open on June 21st until 8pm.
Thank you to Marc Camille Chaimowicz, David Tremlett, Joel Fisher, Keith Milow and David Lamelas who have all contributed to the show.
The exhibition has been organised to co-incide with Tate Britain’s current show Conceptual Art in Britain 1964 – 1979 which features material from the Nigel Greenwood Inc Ltd archive. Tate Britain is located next door to CHELSEAspace.
Nigel Greenwood Inc Ltd: running a Picture Gallery
CHELSEAspace, runs until July 13th 2016
Wed – Fri 11am – 5pm
16 John Islip St, London SW1P 4JU
www.chelseaspace.org
We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the Nigel Greenwood Prize 2016.
The nominated artists are:
Maeve Brennan
Sara Mackillop
Katie Schwab
Josefine Reisch
Rafal Zajko
A huge thank you to our very esteemed nominators. They will remain anonymous until the winner is announced on June 21st at Chelsea Space. All welcome.
Nigel Greenwood Inc Ltd
‘running a Picture Gallery’
Chelsea Space
16 John Islip Street, London, SW1 P4JU
Private view: Tuesday June 7th, 6-8.30pm
Reclining Drunk (An Ash Tray/Collapsed Bottle sculpture)
Gilbert & George
16 – 28 July 1973
Nigel Greenwood Inc Ltd
41 Sloane Gardens, London SW1 8B
Ben Rivers: radio series Harmless Poisons, Blameless Sins on BBC Radio 4
Five short stories by Mohamed Mrabet, selected by Nigel Greenwood Art Prize 2015 awardee Ben Rivers, are to be read by Oualid Khelifi over the course of four evenings on BBC Radio 4. Mrabet’s stories were gathered, transcribed and translated by the American novelist Paul Bowles in the 1940s, eventually published in a series of anthologies. Selecting from the collections entitled M’Hashish and Harmless Poisons Blameless Sins, Rivers embeds the tales in a mosaic of sounds from the dramatic Moroccan landscape.
The series is soundtracked by Ben Rivers and Philippe Ciompi and produced by Russell Finch, Somethin’ Else, as part of Radio 4’s collaboration with Artangel to commission new works from British contemporary artists.
19:45 GMT
2 May – 6 May 2016
BBC Radio broadcasts throughout the UK on analogue, DAB digital Radio, digital television and online
BBC Radio 4 online
92-95 FM, 103-105 FM (with local variations for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)
Long Wave at 198 LW
Thank you to the brilliant An Endless Supply for their gorgeous design of our little grey book. The booklet explains who we are, features archives images of Nigel Greenwood Inc Ltd and looks back at Agnes Scherer’s residency, the inaugural prize artist to stay at the cottage and use the studio.
We have produced these to say thank you to people who have supported the prize so far.
If you would like to support the prize, please contact supportart@nigelgreenwoodprize.com
We are hugely excited to announce that the Nigel Greenwood Art Prize 2016 is under way.
Our anonymous nominators have been selected and have put forward their candidates. We will be announcing the shortlist in mid-April.
And we are honoured to announce that this years judges are:
Eliza Bonham Carter, Head of the Royal Academy Schools
Peter Doig, artist
Alessandro Vincentelli, curator of Exhibitions & Research
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
Gateshead Quays
Paul Nesbitt, Director and curator, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden
Edinburgh
Carol Gorner, Gordon Burn Trust
Catherine Lampert, independent curator and author
Frances Von Hofmannstahl, Editor and founder of Luncheon magazine
Once again, we have an unbelievable esteemed group of people involved. A huge thanks to everyone for time and support.
Thank you to Agnes Scherer for sending us such a kind note after her residency stay. In the end, she was in the studio for 3.5 months, we couldn’t have asked for a more brilliant or committed inaugural winner.
‘The Longformacus residency was a most special time for me. The wonderful lodging and studio drew me into a work flow, while the thrilling beauty of the Lammermuir Hills distracted me in the most welcome ways. The moor is a miracle, it is brimming with things when you feel empty, but also a silent vastness to overflow with your imagination. This timeless space is most inspiringly entangled with the exceptional contemporariness of the personalities behind the prize and house. I’m so proud to have been chosen for this experience.’
Agnes Scherer, November 2015
View of the artist studio from the study by current resident, Agnes Scherer.
In 1971, Nigel Greenwood curated a site specific installation in London by artist Barry Le Va, titled Extended Vertex Meetings: Blocked: Blown Outwards. Details and images of the exhibit feature in a new essay on Barry Le Va’s work, The Clues and the Aftermath: Barry Le Va and Room 2 by Mike Maizels.
The essay features in Art Expanded, 1958-1978, the latest edition of the Walker Art Center’s online project, the Living Collections Catalogue. Innovative, elegant and scholarly – it is a must-read.
“Focusing on two of the most fervent and experimental decades in recent art history, Art Expanded, 1958–1978 delves into a transformational period when artists around the world collectively began to challenge, critique, and upend traditional media and disciplines. This second volume of the Living Collections Catalogue offers new critical histories of works in the Walker’s collections and provides deep access to its unique archival materials. New writings on Joseph Beuys, Lynda Benglis, Tony Conrad, Merce Cunningham, Fluxus, Barry La Va, Niki de Saint Phalle, Robert Rauschenberg, Jack Smith, and others testify to the era’s innovations and its unruly spirit of artistic reinvention.”
Barry Le Va installing Extended Vertex Meetings: Blocked: Blown Outward, Nigel Greenwood Gallery, London, 1971. Courtesy the Nigel Greenwood Gallery Archive, Tate Archive, London.
Agnes Scherer has begun her residency and sent us the most gorgeous note, which she kindly has said that we can reproduce:
‘This afternoon I arrived at the cottage. I’m absolutely speechless about how beautiful this place is and what an amazing working atmosphere it provides. I’m so happy to be here.’
She also has sent an outline of her operetta, Cupid and the Animals: Cycle of Laments and Educational Opera. It includes the most wonderful costume designs.
Agnes Scherer has been selected by the judges to be the winner of the inaugural Nigel Greenwood Art Prize.
Ben Rivers has been selected by the judges to be the winner of the Nigel Greenwood Research award.
A huge congratulations to both artists.
The judges for the Nigel Greenwood Art Prize 2015 were:
Marc Camille Chaimowicz, artist
Adrian Searle, chief art critic of The Guardian
Corin Sworn, artist
Charles Asprey, publisher
Joe Scotland, Director of Studio Voltaire
Carol Gorner, artist and founder of the Gordon Burn Trust
Overall judges statement:
‘ Agnes Scherer’s proposal, involving an opera, intrigued and frightened us. And together we agreed it’s good to be a bit scared. She was unknown to all of us, but is clearly an authentic talent and we are excited by the idea of bringing her imagination, and a bit of Düsseldorf, to the Borders and vice versa. We’re not sure what will happen when she is there but we are looking forward to finding out. Ben Rivers is an artist who has received several awards recently and deservedly so. His practice is one that draws both imaginatively and practically from time spent in remote locations and he proposed to use the opportunity to edit his new film. This was a very practical request that we felt the award should assist with. We put it to the Nigel Greenwood Prize that a new ‘research’ award be created just for him and all credit to them for agreeing. ‘
Joe Scotland:
‘ The judging panel were delighted to select Agnes for the inaugural Nigel Greenwood Prize. We were really drawn to Agnes’ idiosyncratic artistic voice and vision, and felt she would make the most of the opportunity of such a distinctive award and residency. ‘
Charles Asprey:
‘ I sadly never met Nigel Greenwood but his legacy is palpable; perhaps now more than ever. His influence is informing the key discussions and creative output in today’s UK art scene. This prize honours him. ‘
A huge thank you also to the nominators who were invited by the prize’s advisory panel to anonymously put forward six artists. They were:
Eliza Bonham Carter, Head of the Royal Academy Schools
Polly Staple, Director of the Chisenhale Gallery
Peter Doig, artist
Alessandro Vincentelli, Curator of Exhibitions & Research
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
Gateshead Quays
Paul Nesbitt, Director and Curator, Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden
Edinburgh
Michael Landy, artist
Thank you to everyone who has supported the prize in our first year. We have had input in so many diverse ways from an unbelievable group of people. It has been hugely touching to experience the depth of fondness and admiration that people, whether they knew him personally or the gallery, continue to have for Nigel Greenwood. It has been equally rewarding to be validated in wanting to support people by giving them funds, encouragement and time in a beautiful place to work. We look forward to hosting Agnes and Ben. And congratulations too to the other nominees, all deservedly selected and championed.
It is with huge pleasure that we can announce the short-list for the inaugural Nigel Greenwood Art Prize.
The nominated artists are:
Ben Rivers
Luke McCreadie
Sarah Wright
Dominic from Luton
Agnes Scherer
Eoin Donnelly
The winner will be announced on Monday March 16th 2015.
Congratulations to all of the artists.
And a very special thank you to the six invited nominators who each put forward an artist. Their names will remain anonymous until after the winner announcement.
We are hugely honoured and delighted to announce that the judges for the inaugural Nigel Greenwood Art Prize are:
Marc Camille Chaimowicz, artist
Corin Sworn, artist
Charles Asprey, publisher and curator
Adrian Searle, writer and art critic
Joe Scotland, Director of Studio Voltaire
Carol Gorner, artist and founder of the Gordon Burn Trust
Six nominators have been invited to each put forward an artist and the short-list will be announced on March 2nd 2015.