Joshua Le Gallienne – Action Without Action

About

In February 2022, artist Joshua Le Gallienne will present a new work for Brighton CCA: Dorset Place, an interactive installation utilising glass, latex and helium to explore the relationships between sound, space and invisible natural forces.

Unusually, for an artist working predominantly with sound, Le Gallienne does not use digital technologies, loudspeakers, or conventional sources of energy in their practice. With each new piece, new materials and configurations are introduced. Previous works have employed pyrotechnics, blocks of ice, compressed air, carbonated liquids, and biodegradable plastic sheeting for their sonic qualities.

In this exhibition, the space will be filled with a number of bespoke glass bells, each suspended in mid-air by a helium-filled balloon. The work relies on the principle of neutral buoyancy; a state of equilibrium that exists when the force of gravity is in perfect opposition to the force of lift. The helium affords the bells autonomy of movement but also makes them susceptible to a number of factors. In addition to the effect of gravity, the balloons respond to variations in air pressure, air currents, temperature, humidity, vibration, and electromagnetic radiation. The complex combination of these influences determine the behaviour and configuration of the artwork. Over time, it will offer subtle perceptive differences as the bells occupy new spatial positions. Visitors will be able to contribute to the ongoing reconfiguration of the work simply by being present in the space.

Joshua Le Gallienne (b. 1985) is a non-binary British artist exploring sustainable and unconventional approaches to the production and perception of acoustic sound within an artistic context. Through sculpture, installation, and performance, the artist stages intimate experiences that explore the relationships between sound, physical materials and environmental phenomena. Joshua’s work is regularly exhibited and performed in the UK and internationally; operating primarily outside of a traditional gallery context. Their work is unmediated and mostly undocumented, in line with this the artist has no website or online presence.