Other People
Edward Thomasson Southard Reid Gallery
15 SEPTEMBER – 29 OCTOBER 2016
Free
Thomasson's exhibition aimed to show how interpersonal relationships are difficult; how we use each other every day without realising, in ways which we haven't necessarily thought about before.
The location, Southard Reid gallery in Soho was through an alley-esque walkway, with a lot of building work going on around it. Considering it is in such a central location, it felt very 'off the beaten track' - and took a while and a few circles of the area to actually find.
Upon entering, you are presented with five simple yet skillful illustrations which depict different interactions between groups of people. There is a group standing on an individual, a orgy-like sofa scene and an image which resembles a rugby dog pile. You start to get the idea behind the exhibition pretty early on, yet the message remains unclear.
Upstairs in the gallery is a 25 minute film on a loop; it shows 3 different people's stories about how they may use/be used in daily life. It is very direct and matter of fact, no effects or 'arty' edits are made - making you feel that the video is purely a statement of the 'message' it is trying to convey. However this 'message' has no where near as much clarity as the visuals of the film. It is muddled, jumpy and honestly very, very cringey. The stories are attempting to relate to the average joe's daily life, however the acting is overperformed, giving it the feel of a children's programme (I specifically had Edie Mcredie from Balamory in mind). The actors sing the very high pitched lines 'Balance me, feel the weight of my body' on a loop, leaving the tune stuck in your head for the rest of the day until it starts to slowly drive you insane.
Overall, the exhibition hit a dumb note with me. Humanity and relationships are difficult, yes, and just as our relationships are difficult, so is attempting to convey these difficulties in a matter of fact way. Unfortunately, Thomasson fails this time.
OVERALL RATING: *
Watch the movie and see images here:
<http://www.southardreid.com/exhibitions/detail/edward-thomasson/>
