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REFUSE : REFUGE : RE- FUSE
PERSONAL PROJECT
Dom Fisher and I were approached by the newly opened Koppel Project Gallery to create an eye-catching poster to promote their upcoming exhibition REFUSE : REFUGE : RE- FUSE.
The exhibition consists of six artists examining the notions of freedom, safety and value.
The poster is made up of a found, disused mattress which has been skinned, spray painted and stuffed into the one-inch display gap.
Once we unpacked the definitions of REFUSE : REFUGE : RE-FUSE it was clear that a disused mattress was the ideal material to embody all these multiple meanings at once:
REFUSE
noun/verb
• matter thrown away or rejected as worthless; rubbish.
The disused mattress was found on the street, considered rubbish by its previous owner.
• indicate or show that one is not willing to do something.
The mattress is seen to be pushing its way out of the poster site, rejecting its restrainer.
REFUGE
noun
• the state of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or difficulty.
Beds are the cultural signifiers of safety and shelter.
RE-FUSE
verb
• to re-join or blend to form a single entity
The combination of mattress, spray paint, effort, vinyl and physical force combine together to make a reformed communicative object.
"It's always the others who die".
PERSONAL PROJECT
Bent and cracked acrylic mirror sheet, vinyl text.
About the exhibition: It's Always The Others Who Die is an immersive, nihilistically hedonistic labyrinth of dark humour, antagonistic gestures and fragmented narratives. The title refers to the inscription on the grave of Marcel Duchamp, a provocative maker of meaning and meaninglessness. The installations presented immerse the viewer, like a fun house at the fair; evoking traditional forms of mass entertainment, such as music halls, clowning and mesmerism.
Poster site: Taking inspiration from traditional fun houses, we decided to transform the poster site into a massive fun house mirror, distorting bypasser's reflections into freakshow like figures as they walk past. The crack signifies the darker undertones of the exhibition as well as linking back to one of Duchamp's art pieces involving a large shattered glass.
In collaboration with Dom Fisher.
Exhibition posters: We created a series of bespoke posters highlighting some of the key artworks in the exhibition on social.
"Danger Dog" by Nick Abrahams.
"The incredible lightbox glasses" by Nicholas Pankhurst
"The amazing muscle man!" by Laura Ashcroft
"Teeth falling out" by Laura Ashcroft
"Carrots" by Nicholas Pankhurst
"Polar bear man" by Nick Abrahams