Erasure is the first new media exhibition at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent and runs from 29 January – 2 May. The exhibition asks, ‘What is created when you remove something?’ It features work from local artists as well as two major pieces on loan from Arts Council England.
There will be a programme of associated activities and events, as well as a dedicated website www.erasureexhibition.org.uk The Museum outreach team worked with pupils from Gladstone Primary School throughout autumn to create various short digital films using Scratch and Art Rage, and these will be on show during the exhibition as well.
Appearing with Broken Mirrors is Matt Pearson who is a writer, coder and generative artist also known as zenbullets. Pearson creates organic forms by electronic means. He adapts logical programming language to create a chaotic, unpredictable naturalistic aesthetic. He is also interested in digital memory and its recording of social interactions. These interests have converged to create Broken Mirrors 1 – 4, a generative art work which directly responds to social interaction with the viewer. Broken Mirrors 1-4 is a large-scale reflective projection, that only exists while a spectator is interacting with it. Each viewer’s movements control one of four generative animations, so no two visits will produce the exact same visual. The experience is made more immersive thanks to a specially written soundscape by Maps and Diagrams who has constructed a series of loop-based compositions to accompany each module of Broken Mirrors. Each of the four pieces were based around each of the four animations and sketches on sound were built-up around the visual pieces to create a feeling of movement and a sense of tactile interaction. Matt Pearson has previously created visual work as zenbullets for Hessien.
Other artists appearing at Erasure are; Chris Twigg who uses bold colours and patterns in dramatic, static pieces, Toby Zeigler combines subtle patterns with scale, and John Frankland creates permanence for transience.