'CURSUS'
THE SACRED NETWORK
Date and venue TBC
A programme of events, screenings, performances and happenings by Chaos Magic in response to the exhibition TRANSFORMER at 180 The Strand, London.
With contributions from: Daniel Brathwaite-Shirley, Wayne Burrows, Tree Carr, Angela Chan (WORM), Arit Emmanuela, Ignota Books, Francesca Gavin, Evan Ifekoya, Ken Hollings, Ben Jeans Houghton, Carolyn Marcinyak, Tom McMullan, Strange Attractor, Nisha Ramayya Tabita Rezaire, Wingshan Smith, Jamie Sutcliffe & Joseph Winsborrow.
Ley-lines are thought of as pathways which identify prehistoric connections of both natural and manmade structures. These meridians are the arteries where a spiritual life force runs through, where the Earth's magnetism flows. They form a sort of circuit which we can 'plug in to' for refreshment and healing. Different cultures had different names for these sacred lines; the aborigines calling them Dream Lines, to the Chinese they are Dragon Lines and the South American Shamans - Spirit Lines.
The 180 Strand building is situated upon around a cluster of ancient ley-lines. For this programme of events we situate how art, ritual, mapping and symbology can create catharsis, marking out a place of self-reflection, into the realm of the subconscious.
Shaped by our roots, the earth holds messages for us. Let us seek them out, connect to the underworld and become vessels for our innate power.
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TRANSFORMER::
THE REBIRTH OF WONDER
The Store X The Vinyl Factory presents a new group show TRANSFORMER: The Rebirth Of Wonder at 180 The Strand this October.
Curated by Jefferson Hack, TRANSFORMER opens on Tuesday 2nd October as part of Frieze London, and features newly commissioned and debut works by: Doug Aitken, Sophia Al-Maria & Victoria Sin, Korakrit Arunanondchai, Donna Huanca, Juliana Huxtable, Evan Ifekoya, Dozie Kanu, Quentin Lacombe, Lawrence Lek, Jenn Nkiru, Chen Wei and Harley Weir & George Rouy.
The title of the show is inspired by beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s ‘I Am Waiting’, which comments on the societal problems of contemporary America, and calls for a change of consciousness – the rebirth of a new wonder.
As such, TRANSFORMER explores ideas of identity, representation and self-image, while questioning how coming together to take action can help shape positive change.
As Hack says: “The artists in TRANSFORMER look deeply into the present and see the future. Each artist is a powerful mediator of their community and culture, using storytelling, poetics, and ritual to author new narratives and expand our field of vision. They are world-makers, inviting us to access altered states of consciousness as we step beyond reality into a series of highly authored, staged environments.”
The exhibition will be accompanied by Alchemical Realms, a programme of performances, talks, workshops and community-based actions by collectives and artists invited by TRANSFORMER associate curator Susanna Davies-Crook.
TRANSFORMER is the second major exhibition to be presented by The Store X The Vinyl Factory this autumn, following the immersive a/v exhibition Other Spaces with United Visual Artists, also opening on 2nd October.
It is the latest in a series of exhibitions commissioned by The Store X The Vinyl Factory at 180 The Strand, including Strange Days: Memories of the Future, in partnership with New York’s New Museum curated by Massimiliano Gioni (2018), Everything at Once, in partnership with Lisson Gallery (2017), and The Infinite Mix, in partnership with the Hayward Gallery curated by Ralph Rugoff (2016).
Visitor info:
TRANSFORMER: A Rebirth of Wonder
Dates: October 2 – December 8, 2019
Address: 180 The Strand, London, WC2R 1EA Free Entry
Opening times:
Tuesday – Sunday:
12pm – 7pm Tuesday – Saturday
12pm – 6pm Sunday