THE PUBLIC IMAGE Scottish Lady Tiger

About

The Public Image – Scottish Lady Tiger: a response to the life and work of Muriel Spark by Michael Curran and a growing number of collaborators. An evolving, ever-changing exhibition as the artist and changing collaborators inhabits the space for the entirety of the project's run.

Video and performance artist Michael Curran and curator Hari MacMillan have created an environment in which a series of actions and performances inspired by the life and work of Muriel Spark can take place. Generator Projects is acting as a laboratory, a press office, a casting room and a film set for Curran and his collaborators to dissect the author’s fascination with appearances and what lies beneath.

Curran is inhabiting the space for the duration of the show reading aloud from Spark’s 22 novels, drawing, playing or sitting in contemplation soaking his feet, amongst an assortment of objects, videos and situations which reference Spark’s oeuvre and life. The exhibition will develop organically with the final result being an accretion of Curran’s time occupying the space. Members of the public are encouraged to become collaborators by joining the artists in live readings of Spark's 22 novels, paper making from shredded books, drawing, dancing and conversation. 

This exhibition will explore some of the ambiguities concerning Spark, the exile, the émigré and the enigma. As part of the project, Generator is producing an LP ‘The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark’ featuring sound artists: Viralux (Trish Lyons & Gordon Dawson) [BOX] aka Neil McIntee, UrbanFarmHand (Ben Seal) Somerset Moan (Emil Thompson), Ana Cavic, AD Crawforth and New Root Canal (Rufus Mich). The artists have been chosen by Michael Curran and the show’s curator Hari MacMillan. This will be released at the finishing party accompanied by performances from some of the artists on the LP.

All of Spark’s novels will be available in the space and visitors are encouraged to read from them either silently or out loud. Spark considered herself as a poet first and foremost, seeing her novels as long-form poetry. We have commissioned artists Rebecca Sharp and Valerie Sutton to create a scent ‘POETA’, evoking Spark’s luminous aura. The scent and it’s journey to reality will be introduced by Rebecca at the closing party. 

The show will finish with the performative Lecture: ‘Scottish Lady Tiger’ on Sunday 30th September (1-5pm) followed by live music from some of the artists featured on the Nine Lives LP. This event invites artists, performers and project participants and our audience to join together in celebration of Muriel Spark’s Centenary.

http://generatorprojects.co.uk/project/the-public-image-scottish-lady-tiger-2/

Further information on Michael Curran…

https://londonsartistquarter.org/artist-hub/users/mcurran/profilehttps://www.mattsgallery.org/artists/curran/exhibition-1.phphttp://www.luxonline.org.uk/artists/michael_curran/index.html