Now. Here. This. collects artists’ responses to their physical locations and seeks to reconcile various experiences of “place.” Artistic practice is an extension of daily life, knowledge and resources–whether an artist’s habitat is a choice, a natural path, forced, or born out of necessity. The project arises from our desire to mine our local communities for intelligent, provocative, mindful work that best reflects our sensibilities as artists and curators–and to share them with each other and the public to promote visual and collaborative relationships and conversations.
The past six installments of Now. Here. This. have been geared toward promoting cross-cultural dialog, highlighting the variety of media represented in contemporary art and the different responses to the idea of location or place. You can find an archive of the art work here. Starting in January 2012, each installment will feature one artist or group in order to delve deeper into the power of the artist’s process. Each exhibition will change over time and provide an in-depth look into the visceral responses, performative gestures and inspired moments of artists affected by their surroundings.
The February 2012 exhibition features the work of Laurence Payot.
Laurence Payot short circuits daily routine to make us question the way we look, respond and behave in everyday situations. Like a chameleon, her work takes on various forms within the public realm, blurring the lines between the ‘real’ and the ‘staged’.
In her project ‘Coincidence’, 600 local people of a small area of Liverpool created a subtle performance to transform the behaviour of the place they live in; In ‘I thought it was real’, a performing human statue turned into a real statue and gathered perplexed crowds… Whatever physical form the work may take, what Payot really is working with is the way her audience responds to the work and thus to their environment in a real life situation.
For Now.Here.This., Laurence is opening up her studio practice online to share the way she initiates ideas. Throughout February 2012, she will be presenting a series of photographic sketches, experimenting with images of crowds as a way to spark new ideas. Mock-ups will be created from still images of Liverpool City Centre, accentuating and playing with noticed human behaviour.
Artist Bio
Laurence Payot is a French artist currently based in Liverpool England. She has worked on new commissions with the Pompidou Centre-Metz (France), Tate Modern (England), and Belluard Bollwerk International festival (Switzerland). She is part of The Royal Standard artist studios and gallery.
This exhibition will change and evolve over the course of the month, so please be sure to check back often!