thigmotropism

About

The title refers to the movement made by plants in response to touch. It points to shared interests within the artists' individual practices, but also their manner of collaborating through an exchange of words and images that stimulate movement. Teresa Gillespie graduated from the Royal College of Art in London in 2006. Gillespie uses spoken word to explore the materiality of speech, often emphasising the visceral quality of words and the mouth as speech's instrument. Previous pieces have been performed within lecture theatres or pre-recorded as audio tracks within her mixed-media installations. thigmotropism is the first time the artist will bring live spoken word into one of her installations. Lee Welch completed an MFA at the Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam, in 2011. Welch's performances have previously included The Portsmouth Sinfonia (A Homage), 2013, a concert in which the only rule was that you are not able to play the instrument in your hands; ache grew print jot, 2012, a drawing class that took an event-based framework that included music, meditation, performance and moving image; and Himno Nacional, 2011, in which 65 musicians paraded through the streets of León playing an alternative national anthem.