- Venue
- University Of Derby
- Location
- East Midlands
Synapse Festival review.
Synapse inspired me when I read the Notes On Genesis, which made me think of Christian electro-metal band Justice’s religious epic dance track from their Cross album, and the art/science/musical amalgamation in the work of Supergroup Apparatjik.
However, Synapse as such has been somewhat of a disappointment.
I was expecting a series of large installations, interactive work that really engages the audience, but after arriving at the University of Derby’s Markeaton campus, I was at a loss to find the work, and none of the staff seemed to know where it was. Signposted very unnoticeably, it was difficult to differentiate work for Synapse among other University project work. It wasn’t in a dedicated gallery space, the location was along corridor walls, and when I eventually found it, the work didn’t immediately strike me as a particularly well curated within the space.
The most conceptually relevant pieces were Chie Hosaka’s series of surreal drawings investigating the absurdity of reality.
A series of illustrated drawings, graphite on found envelopes, reminiscent of Apparatjik characters, The Sea Of Eyes depicts two characters that evoke the simplistic beauty of studio Ghibli animated films such as Spirited Away, amid chains of eyes like cell formations, microcosmic, mysterious, the way that all life begins.
Cassandra Thompson’s Anomolies are very striking, exciting, and visually compelling life studies, two large scale figurative drawings decorated with a gold leaf background and embellished with added Atomic elements that mutate the original forms into something that is possibly evolving into the superhuman.
Terry Shave reels out a CV, but nothing about his photographs have anything to say about ideas relating to Synapse. It just seems as though Synapse is a convenient place to exhibit some work of his, but nothing about it really grasps your attention or makes you want to find out more.
At Déda, Steffie Richards’ paintings are most evocative of the notion of Synapse, the use of Marathon running as a connection between people juxtaposed with an innovative technique of re-appropriating digitally created images in oil paint, leaving only traces of an experience, a memory. Steffie’s paintings render that notion, as most of her Marathon running experience is lost.
This also makes you wonder about people with Alzheimers, whose ability to make connections is deficient and Steffie’s paintings are a similar reconstruction of a past or lost event in time. What becomes of lost connections?
Work was easier to find at New Art Exchange in Nottingham, although Joanna Geldard’s Persuasion was blockaded slightly by a pile of chairs, and I do not believe this was part of the work.
Frankie Buckle’s series of photographs observing “Genesis” in Biology showed a greater connection between the concept and process, with the use of an electron microscope showing images standard for school biology lessons, becoming especially resonant for Synapse.
Conversely, Elena Smith displayed a series of photographic work that was totally out of context with themes and ideas of Synapse, and would’ve been better placed in another exhibition at another time.
Some confusion has arisen over Beth Heaney’s work, advertised from 6th – 20th June, I was planning to visit the week of 14 – 20 June, but was informed that the dates are wrong, and that it isn’t on until the Private View from Friday 18th June. So I’m not impressed with the organisation and marketing here.
Eventually, when I did go to see it, I wasn’t surprised to see experimental drawing, or drawing as process, which can come across as pretentious.
Perhaps the type of marks made have different meanings – they’re not meant to be read I’m sure, but perhaps they are interpreted as possessing meaning, of language, of mathematics.
The large sheet of paper made up of a series of marks written over and over each other creates an incoherent scripture, evoking Babel and Matrix code.
I’d been told that visitors had contributed to the piece, but it wasn’t apparent that they had.
The final work I actually missed. As far as I knew, work at Royal Derby Hospital by Lorraine Ashley and Alison Yule was still on until 26th September, but when I arrived on Thursday 23rd September I found the work had been replaced by a new exhibition.
So why had this been removed before the end of the exhibition?
Why was the date of 26th September upon the exhibition literature if the work was due to be taken down prior to that date? I suspect it could be that this wasn’t marketed by artists, but by the NHS trust. The relationship with graduate artists and the Royal Derby Hospital is a successful one, however, these teething problems need to be ironed out for it to develop.
Lorraine Ashley’s Air Of Hysteria is available to view on her website.Ashley has spent a lot of time in hospital being treated for a very rare medical condition that affects the lungs. Her exhibition has engaged people with this, and both artists received positive feedback. The atmosphere in the Royal Derby Hospital is very positive.
In this context, who is it that Synapse connects with? For some, that level of positivity comes from communication with the divine. Connecting with the positive forces of nature that enable growth, life and development.
The greatest Synapse of all, I realised whilst watching again The Matrix Revolutions, in a quote spoken to Neo at the Train Station:
Rama Chandra: “I see that you are in love. Can you tell me what you would give to hold onto that connection?”
