Unstuck in Time
02 August 2014 - 26 October 2014
The Otolith Group // Matthew Cowan // Phil Dadson // Tehching Hsieh // Toril Johannessen // Martin Awa Clarke Langdon // Darcy Lange // Kerry Ann Lee // Duane Linklater // Sally J. Morgan // Simon Morris // Sorawit Songsataya // Shannon Te Ao // Layne Waerea // Kate Woods // Nicolas Kozakis & Raoul Vaneigem // lightreading: Sonya Lacey & Sarah Rose // Torben Tilly & Robin Watkins
Curated by Bruce E. Phillips
Unstuck in Time is a multi-format exhibition that explores how perceptions of time influence humankind's occupation of the earth and our relationship to each other. The exhibition features a selection of 21 artists invited to contribute towards either a series of process-led commissions, a group show or a publication project.
Unstuck in Time takes its title from Kurt Vonnegut's seminal 1969 sci-fi novel Slaughterhouse Five − a World War II satire reflecting on the tragic absurdity of war and the senseless suffering it causes. Being "unstuck in time" allows Vonnegut's time-travelling protagonist Billy Pilgrim to become philosophical about his fleeting existence and the folly of humankind. The exhibition borrows Vonnegut's concept by considering what might be gleaned by being critical of "the time".
Reflecting this premise, the artists present many conceptual threads, from the relatively brief existence of Homo sapiens versus the earth's epic geological timescale, to the speed of modernity versus slower alternative rhythmsfor living. Lateral perspectives are embraced throughout to encourage the understanding that "time" is a fundamental concept that shapes the way we live.
Unstuck in Time is organised in collaboration with Phil Dadson, Andrew Kennedy, James McCarthy and supported in part by The Office for Contemporary Art Norway and Creative New Zealand.
Special thanks to: Sean Kelly Gallery, New York; LUX, London; Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo; Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth; the Lange family, Mercedes Vicente and Kelly McCosh; Elaine Smid, Jan Lindsay and Meg Parsons from the University of Auckland; Qiane Matata-Sipu; Paula Booker and Siobhan Garrett from the New Zealand Film Archive; Ian Wedde; Blair French; Ian Powell; Ian Whaley; Elizabeth Andrew, Chair of the Rangitoto Island Historic Conservation Trust.
