The Thinning, 2019
Friday 07 - 14 December, Broadway Gallery, Nottingham
An installation and animated short for virtual reality.
This exhibition takes inspiration from the apotropaic graffiti or ‘witch marks’ of Creswell Craggs, an enclosed limestone gorge on the border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. The cliffs in the ravine contain several caves housing ritual protection marks dating back hundreds of years. During this time a fear of the unknown prompted superstitious locals to mark many symbols in these rocks holding multiple meanings, which number in the high hundreds in one cave alone. Death and disease were everyday companions and evil forces could readily be imagined in this dark void. Marks have since been found in all caves at Creswell Crags.
The artist re-imagines such a phenomena in post-industrial Britain. Visuals are drawn from the artist’s interest in contemporary symbology, found in the urban environment. Through the use of these symbols, Heath considers how the unknown plays a role in the construction of narrative and examines how we seek meaning in an increasingly complex world. Heath borrows from the historical, semiotic and occult to illustrate these very human traits.
A 'Thinning' is a weak spot in reality where the fabric of worlds has been worn thin.
Produced with the generous support of Broadway’s Near Now and The University of Nottingham. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
Score by AJA Ireland.
Performance by Dean Morris
Installation by Anna Manfield and George Chinnery.
DIGLOSSIA, 2018, Acrylic Paint on MDF with Steel Frame & Security Spikes, 1050 x 2050
This piece was originally commissioned by BACKLIT Gallery as part of their Mountain of Tongues exhibition, celebrating the complexity of distinct languages.
This freestanding painting explores a series of forms, materials and subject together on one surface area, as a way to depict marks collected and interpreted from unassuming places within the Sneinton area of Nottingham. Notions of forgotten or defunct signage exist in the work as we are presented with a visual language that gives an oblique reference to the physical footprint of a place as it rests playful within the surrounding architecture.
It has since toured as part of the UKYA Nottingham City Takeover Festival and GRAFT - a group show at the Harris Museum in Preston.
http://www.ukyoungartists.co.uk/magazine/2019/4/18/g-r-a-f-t-review
http://backlit.org.uk/project/mountain-of-tongues/
Sensor Scan, 2019, collaboration with Lisa Selby of @bluebaglife
Lisa created the Instagram account @bluebaglife to post the photos she had taken and also document her partner's struggle to adapt to life in prison. This video shows a three-dimensional scan of Lisa and her partner, who was on temporary leave from HMP.
Since Elliot’s release in April 2019, ‘Bluebaglife’ has taken on a life of its own and the couple are using their network of supporters to aid their collective recovery and undo the shame associated with addiction and prison. Lisa and Elliot will be delivering a TEDx talk together, giving both sides of the story.
https://tedxkingston.com/attend
This Way, That Way, 2018, a collaboration with BACKLIT Gallery and CVAN (Creative Visual Arts Network) on their project 'In Another Place'.
In Another Place is a celebration of contemporary art produced and presented by venues in the East Midlands.
10 regional organisations invited visual artists to present original artworks on advertising billboards in a range of locations for 6 weeks. Transforming these everyday hoardings into a vibrant display across the region, In Another Place aims to bring art to audiences, in places where normally they would see advertising.