DOWNTOWN - SYNESTHESIA II - ART I FILM I LIVE MUSIC I DJs I PROJECTIONS

About

This exhibition brings together work from artists who explore the urban, particularly as realised by the idea of Downtown — the core of a city and its creative heart. However, the artwork in this show is further unified as it relates to a specifically Jamaican Downtown of Kingston. The artists whose work is shown in DOWNTOWN have been influenced by Jamaican music, the presence of Jamaican culture in London and its vibrant history which has been brought over from one urban hub to create another. Artist Jenny Gordon has created new collages for DOWNTOWN which were inspired by sources including nature and found objects such as photographs. Gordon examines concepts of identity, isolation and alienation. Her practice asks questions about how we inhabit the world both physically and emotionally, by drawing upon her own experiences as a woman of mixed race origin. The resulting negotiations of cultural positioning form the foundation of her enquiry into the dislocations of personal identity and physical belonging. In making these collages, Gordon has enjoyed drawing on her personal memories of visiting the Notting Hill area as a child with her parents and she has also reflected on stories she has been told by them of their experiences of the area during the 1950s when Notting Hill was a hotbed of Jamaican culture. Whitty Gordon Projects (artists Fiona Whitty & Jenny Gordon) have spent plenty of time exploring the vibrant and bustling urban area that is Downtown Kingston, Jamaica for the past three years. In Kingston, Downtown is the heart of the city where the action happens and creative activity is buzzing on the streets. Downtown is a melting pot of diverse communities - pouring out onto the pavements from dilapidated buildings and all walks of life are seen including carpenters, young artists, street hair dressers, barbers, musicians, nail technicians and street food merchants who artists Whitty and Gordon have met and filmed. Printed stills taken from short films and photographs by Whitty Gordon Projects are being displayed in the exhibition DOWNTOWN to evoke something of the Jamaican urban hub that artists Fiona and Jenny experienced and are fascinated by. The gap between Downtown and Uptown is large in many terms and both artists have worked hard with local communities to bridge it through collaborative creative projects. Film maker and Director of Photography Winstan Whitter started out making skateboarding films in the ‘90s and has since worked on short films, commercials, documentary feature films and music promos for artists including Echo & The Bunny men, Scissor Sisters, Lionel Ritchie and Paul McCartney. In 2008 Whitter shot “Legacy In The Dust: The Four Aces Story'' which tells the story of one of the first Reggae-oriented music venues - ‘The Four Aces Club'. For some 33 years it was home to the most influential black music and musicians to date. DOWNTOWN exhibition at Notting Hill Arts Club is proud to display a number of printed reproduction images of Whitter's ‘Four Aces Club' screen-prints therefore linking shared histories of London nightclubs and Jamaican music. The exhibition DOWNTOWN tells the story of DOWNTOWN through the eyes of the artists and curator with their joint enriching blend of Jamaican, British, Irish, Ghanaian and Jewish cultures. Live on the Night — DOWNTOWN Continuing with the SYNESTHESIA series theme of creating a multi sensory experience, as well as the visual arts exhibition, DOWNTOWN will also feature film, moving image, projections, live music and DJ sets. A curated selection of short films will be shown on the night of 8th August by a range of artist film makers whose work reflects the theme of DOWNTOWN whether this is in the sense of urban subject matter or other connected identities. Whitty Gordon Projects will also screen Downtown - a film they made after collecting material when undertaking In-Between Spaces, a film project based in Kingston Jamaica in 2010, 2011 and 2012. 7pm doors 8pm short films screening - films by Conor O' Grady Eddie Saint-Jean Fraser Watson Gabriel Bisset-Smith Janina Samoles Laura Arten Leona Clinton & Mary Caffrey Patrick Corcoran WhittyGordon Projects Winstan Whitter 9 & 10pm live music DJs in-between Sounds Integral to the atmosphere of downtown Kingston, Jamaica are the sounds on the streets, produced by musicians and those who organise music nights in the area which artists Fiona Whitty & Jenny Gordon have done there themselves. So, DOWNTOWN exhibition too will be accompanied by music from DJs and bands inspired by Jamaican, African urban sounds. The Artists WhittyGordon Projects are Fiona Whitty and Jenny Gordon. Fiona and Jenny met during their MA Fine Art course at Chelsea College of Art and Design, London in 2009. Fiona is Irish and Jenny is British/Jamaican. They received funding to undertake In-Between Spaces, a film project based in Kingston Jamaica in 2010, 2011 and 2012 when made several short films including Yabba Pot, Vincent and Downtown. They formed WhittyGordon Projects in 2011 and have participated in numerous shows in London, Ireland, Jamaica and are currently based in London. Film maker and Director of Photography Winstan Whitter started out making skateboarding films in the ‘90s and has since worked on short films, commercials, documentary feature films and music promos for artists including Echo & The Bunny men, Scissor Sisters, Lionel Ritchie and Paul McCartney. Whitter also works as a mentor/facilitator on many film making workshops within the educational sector Whitty Gordon Projects http://whittygordonprojects.tumblr.com Jenny Gordon http://jennygordon20.tumblr.com/ Winstan Whitter http://www.winstanwhitter.net/ The Curator Kate Ross (Curatorial Curiosities) is an independent curator who has worked extensively in art galleries, museums and higher education. Curating contemporary art, design, sound art exhibitions working with a particular interest in non-gallery spaces, she is currently curator at Notting Hill Arts Club and also works at CHELSEA space gallery. She is fascinated by exploring other cultures through globetrotting and plans to see Jamaica one day, having got a taste for Africa when travelling in Ethiopia. Her own cultural British - Jewish identity influences her curatorial research interests and practice. Kate is also a keen arts blogger (www.curatorialcuriosities.wordpress.com), writes exhibition reviews and is a semi-professional classical singer www.kateross.org