The Grey Area, Showing now at LCB Depot. Group show interact' 19

INTERACT'19 DIGITAL OPEN
WEDNESDAY 4TH - FRIDAY 20TH DECEMBER 2019
@ LCB DEPOT, LEICESTER9AM -5.30pm Monday - Friday (closing event on last Friday)
31 Rutland Street, Leicester, United Kingdom
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Artist Statement
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Leila Houston, The Grey Area 

Over the last 18 months Leila Houston has been researching the music box and automata and looking at how the ‘chimes’ can be related back to a time when people would call out the time of day to farmers far and wide in a field, dictated by a sundial or water timer. She has incorporated influences from both newer technologies and the older technologies they descend from. Leila uses analogue, digital, traditional art forms and participation to create the work.

In the installation The Grey Area will ask the audience to select options relating to one or more of their concerns about the current political system and their own well being. Data will be collected from their selections through touch.  Following the election on the 12th the data will be translated into a sound piece and a further artwork shown in the final week of the Interact 19 exhibition.

The project aims to be a socially engaged platform for many voices, a re-establishment of compassion. Having been brought up in a community centre in the 80s and learning the importance of centres and the need to build solidarity within them, Leila regularly invites the public to feed in to the development of the work and possibly find a way to break down today’s dehumanized experiences.

"The music box and the sound of the music box is something that takes people into a trance-like state - lost in a forgotten memory perhaps, maybe reverting to a child in an area of their mind and yet I also wonder about that place we go to when we create, somewhere between play and uncertainty, excitement, dissolution and enhancement."

Leila regularly collaborates with other artists and musicians to help form her ideas, The Grey Area has had recordings made by Leila and audio samples provided by musician Daniel Proud (Dee.P) who will also be creating the music score using the data collected showing in the final week of the show. James Chantry regularly collaborates with Leila and they run workshops for all ages in digital technologies mixed with traditional techniques. James has helped support this project through tech support.

Get in touch for sales, commissions and workshops accessible to all  [email protected]

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