Material Remains

About

As exhibitions are often used to mark important events, or the more random anniversaries of the birth or death of an artist or writer - Material Remains offers something different. As the Holden Gallery is about to be surrounded by hoardings, and work begins on a new building on the space next door, the exhibition reflects on that process. Beyond the familiar banality of making and building, there is an interest in the transformation of objects, things and sites. As the sounds of digging, drilling, filling, hammering and the pouring of concrete will be heard outside, inside the exhibition will explore the fascination with the materials left behind, or those utilised for other purposes. Looking at the carefully finished objects, consumer goods and buildings that surround us, it can be difficult to think about them in terms of their raw materials. The turning of these materials into desirable objects is a condition of our financial system, there is a demand for constant progress, yet the implication and consequence of this process is not always so visible or clear. Artworks in the show look to question the nature of everyday materials, provide alternative visions of outmoded things, re-work familiar objects, as well as opening up ideas around materiality and use. Whatever we do, there is always something that is left behind, some trace of the material remains of our existence. It is these traces which provide the focus of the exhibition, the need to uncover what lies beneath or beyond our vision.