Erin Dickson: More Gnarly Illusions

About

More Gnarly Illusions is a multi-channel video documenting the mistranslated lyrics of the traditional North East folk song When the Boat Comes In. Working with local musician Alex Campbell, Dickson uses dictation software to transcribe Geordie singing into received pronunciation, the standard accent as spoken in the south of England. The video depicts three iterations of the performer singing progressively incomprehensible lyrics. More Gnarly Illusions highlights idiosyncrasies of the Geordie dialect, its position within British culture and the worry of being misunderstood.

Exploring ideas of home through language, culture and vernacular architecture, Erin Dickson’s diverse practice is connected through tongue-in-cheek themes of ‘Britishness’, particularly in relation to the North East. Using a variety of digital and analogue techniques, her works range from time-based performances and photographic glass reliefs, through to monumental sculpture and installation. Erin explores the relation of the sensory experience of the body to architectural space and material. Her work can currently be seen in the UK, Germany, and the USA, and at the 2017 Venice Biennale as part of Glasstress alongside artists Ai Wei Wei, Tony Cragg and Sarah Sze.

Dickson studied at the Architectural Association, London, gaining her RIBA Part I in 2009. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, her PhD research, The Quirks of Intimate Space, was completed at the University of Sunderland in 2015.