 All over the new smart II, 2007 paper and polyethylene foam, 1370 x 1020 mm David Burrows All over the new smart For this, Burrows' third exhibition at f a projects, the artist will exhibit a series of large scale collage works that employ magazine covers, particularly from VOGUE, as their source. Each image starts with Burrows drawing and doodling over the magazine covers. These are then transcribed into larger, more complex images, meticulously constructed through the layering of coloured and metallic paper, card and foam. The originals are then destroyed. Burrows views the magazine images as messages from strangers, designed to channel our attention in specific ways, through the signifying and asignifying (or affective) aspects of the material they produce. These images are viewed by Burrows as powerful and affective magical technologies that demand and force attention so as to engage and construct specific subjectivities. Through the collages, Burrows explores, amongst others things, the following three approaches as a means of responding to these messages, with the aim of harnessing or countering the magical power of these mass media communiqués: "Doodles" - a playful technology that harnesses the durations that escape attention paid to everyday matters. Doodles are made in a distracted, absent-minded state without the aim of communication. Burrows' doodles create "all-over" and "from any-direction-whatever" compositions. "Diagrams" - an aesthetic technology that marks out or indexes movements, forces, thoughts, actions and desires. In this sense, Burrows views diagrams as a layer that traverses representation. "Sigils" - a powerful, magical technology that alters reality. Sigils are abstract or graphic images and symbols, often made with extreme care and craft, which are developed from spelling out and then abstracting wishes and incantations. Through this process, the original wish or incantation is forgotten except at an unconscious level. The wish is burnt into the mind by an individual concentrating intently on the sigil which is often destroyed at the end of the process. Burrows views the logos and images of consumer culture as perhaps the most powerful sigils ever created. Burrows sees his work as seeking to produce new or counter sigils: "detourned" sigils as a protection against the incantations of others. Exhibition: 2 April - 10 May 2008 Gallery hours: Tues-Fri 10am - 6pm, Sat 12 - 5pm f a projects 1-2 Bear Gardens GB-London SE1 9ED Telephone +44 020 7928 3228 Fax +44 020 7928 5123 Email info@faprojects.com www.faprojects.com |
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