 Nick Crowe Getting On Nick Crowe's new commission for Chisenhale Gallery is a reflection on age, youth and contemporary Britain. "Getting On" is an installation comprising a group of scarlet mobility scooters, spaced around Chisenhale's vast ex-industrial space. The scooters are available for the visitor to try out, allowing us to experience a glimpse of the 4mph existence that awaits all members of our increasingly aging population. Crowe is interested in the allure of the metallic scooter; their shopping baskets, their oxygen tank holders and their antecedents in the golf trolleys that were the stock indicator of wealth in 1970s American TV imports. But "Getting On" explicitly places the gallery visitor in the position of an elderly person, allowing for a kind of giddy empathy that results from seeing yourself as part of the west's ominously expanding lifespan. "Getting On" observes the proliferation of the mobility buggy on the streets of Britain, caused in part by the gradual disappearance of subsidised, communal modes of transport. The project acknowledges the fact that there has been a dramatic change in the UK's urban landscape: where once the Lambretta, BMX and Chopper ruled, now the three-wheel Pride Legend dominates. Nick Crowe's work examines the relationship between people and the technology that surrounds them. His extensive body of work looks at the cultural implications of the internet and includes hand-drawn books of personal homepages, online interactive films as well as cybersquatting the domain names of major London galleries. For five years Crowe was (with Martin Vincent) a director of The Annual Programme, the Manchester-based gallery credited with kick-starting an explosion in contemporary art practice in that city. Nick Crowe's recent exhibitions and projects include: Explaining Urbanism to Wild Animals (Tmesis Gallery, 2002); Nasdaq Landscape (Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 2001); Nick Crowe & Gary Hill (SFMOMA, 2000). Crowe's digital projects include: Police Radio (FACT, 2003); Different AVs (Film and Video Umbrella, 2002); Artones Ringtones (artones.com, 2002); SERVICE 2000 (multiple sites, world wide web). June 18 - July 27, 2003 Hours: Wed-Sun 1 - 6 pm Chisenhale Gallery 64 Chisenhale Road GB-London E3 5QZ Telefon +(0) 20 8981 4518 Mail mail@chisenhale.org.uk www.chisenhale.org.uk |
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