- Venue
- Durham Castle
- Starts
- Saturday, March 8, 2014
- Ends
- Sunday, March 16, 2014
- Address
- Durham Castle Durham University
- Location
- North East England
“MISSING LUMIERE GNOME SPARKS ‘TOLERANCE’ DEBATE” written by Flora Loughridge
Durham University Challenges were inevitable when Durham University students took on the huge task of building two large-scale installations, inspired by the dazzling displays created for the Lumiere Festival. The project, named Echo of the Lumiere was led by SCR member Goshka Bialek, an artist well known internationally for her large-scale sculptures and glasswork. The Echo of theLumiere installations were created and assembled in Goshka’s studio in Durham City with huge help of technician Ian Garrett. Shortly after being installed, the gnome went missing from its new home in the Master’s Garden. The ‘hideous’ sculpture was created to challenge perceptions and provoke debate about what constitutes ‘ugliness’, as well as to push the viewer’s taste and tolerance for visual art to its absolute limits. Goshka had expected the eight-foot figure to provoke a reaction from the public, who were able to view the installation from outside the castle walls. But it would seem that even the permission given by the university for them to do this was not enough to secure tolerance and respect for the project and the issues it raises. If anybody would like to challenge the public to further affront, Goshka and her team of student volunteers are still looking for a good home for the gnome!
