sid motion gallery Gleaners → . Bax often often . Bax ’ . Bax’s . Bax’s . It encourages . It encourages ’ ghostly vessels. vessels. ghostly , once their threads become become , once their threads ’ dreaming perhaps of nesting inside it. nesting perhaps of dreaming who finds a use for it? How? Can one live for it? How? Can one live who finds a use The tension at play here lies in acknowledging the presence the presence lies in acknowledging here play at The tension and cardboard packaging on my daily walk. I suppose daily walk. on my packaging and cardboard up set to rate a frantic at buying electronics people were gathering work started I making smaller home offices? I had. find and using up what what I could ’ averaged is ‘not and look, and, crucially, stop to you and furniture street references though it sometimes work, Those bulbous. wonky, is asymmetrical, public spaces, other are buildings on to added balconies Hong Kong precarious stitched on the pockets with our reliance Bax for connected hold our belongings use to we on the vessels our clothes, on to with the a play in her sculptures inspire They home. at inside and out, forming public and private, between relationship whose making structures also frames, are that cavities organic the viewer inviting on show, often and insides are underneath’s the work’s and peer in and through exploringly around walk to – and crevices windows the shapes are and confrontational, questioning Deliberately Bax, chez within sculptures sculptures are There problematic. uses thin steel to draw form in space, it is important to her to her to it is important to in space, form draw to uses thin steel handle, be able to and to physically her works to up measure the of With many them easily. dismantle lift and, if necessary, polystyrene is gleaned the armature in this exhibition, works of the stage begins there stands Once the form or cardboard. pulp, and then paper mâché papier wire, it in chicken coating and clarifying the drawing, solid areas as though creating is simple in this it. Nothing understand to it in order over going up to part dry any to take can for Waiting capture. of process an analogy draws short Cage’ story ‘The Bax’s Foot two weeks. be realigned to bone having broken her cousin’s between she herself and the way apparatus external wearing through is if the armature forms. ‘What find the right to uses armature the “wrong” sculpture make ‘Can we she asks. on the outside?’ round?’ way the architectural the human, in announcing it. Whereas of or stations such as gyms, railways public spaces of design average a theoretical for is conceived restaurants food fast as efficiently as funnel people through to in order person, in the way getting at ‘is good sculpture possible, their sculptural quality, she has also been collecting discarded discarded been collecting she has also quality, their sculptural – packaging pulp-paper moulded industrially in her cardboard and newspaper discarded collects Bax Olivia and salvages her studio and from to her travels’ ‘on rucksack artists both these For stores. hardware from paint unwanted the provide mill: they their to grist the essential are gleanings art. making her own paper Bax, make For needed to materials cheaply. material of a lot generate she can that pulp means If a elsewhere. ‘I use it she says, much material,’ ‘If I mix too waste.’ like I don’t reuse. I cut it up to working, isn’t sculpture used before,’ I have and objects images to returning ‘I also like worth from is something salvaging ‘to see if there Hughes, says Thus both time around.’ first noticed hadn’t I that the scraps own Varda’s to responses personal highly offer practices artists’ society’s to consider as a film-maker: her project of definition – ‘trash and waste others?’ of on the leftovers polystyrene I started collecting OB→HH: During lockdown urban is nourished and underpinned by work Olivia Bax’s she observed in Hong Kong, During a residency exploration. as as well buildings, to attached balconies bamboo makeshift such as facilities public urban of engineering the architectural in or, and space about structure ideas gyms, gleaning outdoor ‘picking her own process, describing Varda Agnès of the words Bax’s together.’ knot to begin eventually that up threads of this time in the form threads, with more begin sculptures These ‘doodles lines in a drawing. or armature, skeleton’ ‘a form shape, a suitable into knotted drawing the artist by three-dimensional as ‘a treated

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cardboard and cardboard and those rejected and those rejected other people whose motivations people whose motivations other 0), which explores various aspects aspects various which explores 0), 200 , such as, for example, the textile background background textile the example, for , such as, ’ an old woman’s hands – an old woman’s ). An urban figure associated with associated figure flâneur). An urban (a female During lockdown, making things out of whatever we we whatever out of making things OB: During lockdown,

Hannah Hughes has amassed an archive of hundreds of of hundreds of an archive Hannah Hughes has amassed found around the house became an important part of life, an important the house became part around life, of found particularly very when supplies became in the beginning, precious. incredibly became ordinary and things scarce been I have become. I have then how wasteful I realised which practice, my to the links at in looking interested really in value seeking a long time around for has been centred using the parts of and of materials, and discarded found be overlooked ordinarily might that and objects images away. or thrown a few ingredients and making sculpture. The comparison felt felt The comparison and making sculpture. ingredients a few made we home, At lockdown. during particularly profound In the studio, the cupboard. from cans with historic meals other and paint of bits finish the last to an urgency I had up. use things to in order materials

framing an object featured in an auction catalogue. Drawn to to Drawn catalogue. in an auction featured an object framing of ‘negative spaces of ‘negative mass-produced images out of which she cuts out the shapes which she cuts out of images mass-produced Venice Biennale. Biennale. Venice potatoes also inspired Varda’s first visual art installation at the visual art first installation Varda’s also inspired potatoes potatoes (discarded for being the ‘wrong’ shape) and the direc being the ‘wrong’ for shape) (discarded potatoes film contains a moving juxtaposition of shrivelled heart-shaped heart-shaped of shrivelled juxtaposition a moving film contains own hands – tor’s time on the process of ageing she notices in her own body. The in her own body. she notices ageing of time on the process – waste of denunciation and its at the same reflects and interviews, images through and feel – her narrative into but she does also weave and penury, hunger people say what gleaning France, through journey her circuitous dialogue with those gleaners that are moved inexorably by by inexorably moved are that with those gleaners dialogue a partrecording herself her film and, while of makes explicitly to good use. Varda’s film is for the main part a compassionate partfor the main film is a compassionate Varda’s use. good to Varda rubbish. Moreover, from things and remake make to appear through their practices much more akin to glaneuses akin to much more their practices through appear she harvests what who puts and also a maker a hunter-gatherer, who like artists children, and activists unexpected: more are leisure, an amused observer. In contrast, Bax and Hughes Bax In contrast, an amused observer. leisure, The glaneuse is a seeker, with her surroundings. engagement meanders through the streets at her at the streets through the idle flâneuse meanders Paris, practical-minded frontal, with the flâneuse becomes a more flâneuse In the glaneuse, the curiosity she has in common and drive. (a female gleaner) rhymes with the more familiar French word word French familiar with the more rhymes gleaner) (a female idle; she has purpose The glaneuse isn’t Varda. in the spirit of work of both artists, and perhaps for their sensibility. Glaneuse their sensibility. artists, perhaps for both and of work interest in Agnès Varda’s film offers a useful crucible for the crucible a useful offers film Varda’s in Agnès interest Beyond Bax and Hughes’s specific approaches, their shared their shared specific approaches, and Hughes’s Bax Beyond HH→ I often draw an analogy cooking with only between draw OB→HH: I often was also partwas their conversation. of food and discarded goods from urban markets and dumpsters, and dumpsters, markets urban from goods and discarded food over produce from fields after the harvest to the salvaging of to the salvaging harvestafter the fields from produce over The Gleaners and I ( and The Gleaners left- of the collecting from France, in contemporary of gleaning Significantly, Agnès Varda’s experimental documentary film experimental Varda’s Agnès Significantly, photographic collages and sculptural forms respectively. respectively. forms sculptural and collages photographic of photographs and empty packaging in the case of Hughes’s Hughes’s of in the case and empty packaging photographs of unwanted paint in Bax’s sculptures; ‘negative spaces’ cut out spaces’ ‘negative sculptures; Bax’s in paint unwanted – in their work materials discarded the uses of restricted by the Covid epidemic. They discussed in particular discussed They epidemic. the Covid by restricted circumstances and sphere of action had become considerably become considerably had action of and sphere circumstances about their experience of making work at a time when their a time when at making work of experience about their conversation between artists between Hughes and Hannah Bax Olivia conversation During the parenthesis of lockdown a reflexion blossomed in blossomed reflexion a lockdown of parenthesis During the Words by Muriel Zagha by Words sid motion gallery Gleaners ------t there. t there. a visual exploration a visual exploration potentially vehicles for uncanniness? uncanniness? for vehicles potentially or, as is the case of Hughes’s enigmatic compo enigmatic Hughes’s of case as is the or, or, it seems to me, a sort All her com me, pulsation. it seems to of or, . They are portals and triggers to an alternative way way to an alternative portals are and triggers . They Thinking about our attitudes to the body soon shades soon shades the body our attitudes to Thinking about Never let anything go to waste. Remain open to accidents accidents open to Remain waste. to go anything let Never 2020 October Hughes’s original ‘Flatland’ collages incorporate modelling incorporate collages original ‘Flatland’ Hughes’s of Prints Fibre Digital series, Movement Outer Hughes’s gives a clue to its ‘attitude’ in ‘attitude’ its to a clue gives as Zip Down such a collage of thinking Hughes was work the shaping as she was this respect: about talking lockdown videos during these exercise all ‘about the amused by quite and I was body, in your feel you the way and core” or “zipping up your thighs” “zipping up your of idea everything pulling upwards.’ was like one it felt so with this or abstract whether all shapes, aren’t But the uncanny. into – figurative celains also invert the material value of the original pulp skins, the original pulp skins, of value the material celains also invert with something and throw-away tough something replacing remained whatever this removes way, In a and fragile. delicate of their functionality.’ possible the best Surprise is often and chance encounters. and turning harvesting means rejects a gleaner Being outcome. – new and unexpected something them into of being human. and shadows derived from the lighting in the original photo the lighting from derived and shadows Tensions of this kind. dynamic reconfigurations positions are the and the sculptural, shifting by the flat between created are on tryingbeen working Hughes has and the constructed. found to made software using computer by her collages ‘animate’ to a 3-D realm into in twowork dimensions and then being forced the read tries to happens when the computer and seeing what other-worldly The resulting dimensions. in three images 2-D made unity actually are their apparent of which in spite images, retain, and times, places different lifted from fragments up of fully ‘that is not something sort ‘a activeness,’ of she says, ’ resolved you. is around what of seeing another represents in stacks, arranged materials packing found real of photographs time, the first for are, Here the screw. turn of assemblage by Transformed forms. collaged of instead objects authoritative. mineral, pulp looks the paper and photography, saying: in porcelain, the forms some of Hughes has also cast of in which the idea way is another ‘Moulding and casting These new por […] the work. comes into and negative positive – neither/both sitions, Many of A Romance is Flatland: Hughes for A seminal intertext that novella Victorian A. Abbott, a satirical Edwin Dimensions by alle and socio-political science fiction of the genres straddles two-dimensional world It describes a rigidly hierarchical gory. who is is a square The narrator figures. geometric occupied by a three-dimen of the idea to a visiting sphere by introduced to contemplate his own, and also comes beyond sional world are collages a fourththe possibility dimension. Hughes’s of the perceive how we of a questioning by informed profoundly a fourth dimension, some dimensionality of and, possibly, idea somehow can we see but that can’t we ‘that Hughes says, thing, shifting, create is to her compositions The purpose of visualise.’ one thing and between a slippage containing images ambiguous isn’ that see something to begin we where another, photograph a separate piece from each which endows graphs, In the a sculpture. like form, volumetric of with the appearance the magazine she is re-photographing collages, Image’ ‘Mirror the from projected shadows so that in studio-setups fragments backdrops. on her photographic shapes fall original magazine in lockdown, made , an image about Contradance Talking been thinking about the idea she had that Hughes explains about one another, while facing moving dancers of groups of in which the shapes could be seen to within the work movement can volumes that the way of pushing and pulling, together work as in together, and shift work as the elements retract to appear a dance – -

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, are ‘not ‘not , are ’ . The artist is ’ . One aspect of this is the ghostly this is the ghostly of . One aspect ’ . During lockdown, the idea of the virus going the virus going of the idea . During lockdown, ’ Packing forms an outer membrane, an outside skin, an outside membrane, an outer forms OB: Packing wrapping, shielding, cocooning, cradling, suspending fragile suspending fragile cradling, cocooning, shielding, wrapping, The being bruised or broken. them from protecting objects, the memory storing strata of or layers a sediment pulp is like discover to be sifted to something objects, absent of histories. concealed Bax’s expressive use of colour is a major aspect of her work’s her work’s of aspect colour is a major use of expressive Bax’s gleanings, the starting point of her images, come from maga come from her images, the starting of point gleanings, focus on to the zones around the objects on display. Hughes’s Hughes’s on display. the objects around the zones on to focus he choreographed space around his works, shifted Hughes’s Hughes’s shifted his works, around space he choreographed Brâncuși’s sculptures taken in his studio. These, showing how These, in his studio. taken sculptures Brâncuși’s objets trouvés objets pulp packaging discarded that It is no accident Constantin of namely photographs and photography, sculpture HH→ Modernist between in the relationship is an interest practice the body. towards always human, gesturing are works her of the root At dimensionality spaces. and in-between to make it stick. Rather than either abstract or figurative, the or figurative, than either abstract Rather it stick. make to presence, of with the mysteries preoccupation a profound actually a colour a actually the stuff pressed Bax how the story of telling on the surfaces, an artist Hannah Hughes, of with the eye caught should have and visibly so. Tactile impressions from the maker’s hand stay hand stay the maker’s from impressions Tactile and visibly so. the same act of distillation. The shapes are moulded by hand, moulded by The shapes are distillation. of the same act correct colour and the finding of the right form are one and form are of the right colour and the finding correct Bax says, ‘something has to be red.’ The working out of the out of The working be red.’ has to ‘something says, Bax with more colour in it. The colour has to fit the form; sometimes, form; sometimes, fit the colour in it. The colour has to with more around inspired her to intensify their tones by mixing more pulp mixing more by their tones intensify her to inspired around even ‘a character or attitude character ‘a even she calls ‘their own sense of presence and internal logic’ and logic’ internal and ‘theirshe calls presence own sense of compositions until the resulting visual forms develop what what develop visual forms the resulting compositions until process of configuration and assembly, trying out different and assembly, configuration of process the figure to bodily connection ‘a Hughes calls volume in the image created by Hughes. This involves a lengthy a lengthy This involves Hughes. by created in the image volume what retain and some will figures, shapes around from came it. The title to think about oneself in relation to one is having sections of a photograph are inverted to become the positive become the positive to inverted are a photograph of sections original forms these images’ of A lot the image. when looking at and when clear, isn’t the image of especially when the scale bits, the overlooked corners and edges, the unimportant and edges, corners the overlooked bits, subliminally perhaps perceived the human body, of presence feel, the viewer shapes make that in the way also interested them into new works. In a revolutionary move, the throwaway the throwaway move, In a revolutionary new works. them into These Hughes cuts out and re-photographs in order to make make to in order out and re-photographs These Hughes cuts were originally behind, around or between objects and figures. and figures. objects or between originally behind, around were zines and catalogues, specifically focusing on the spaces that that focusing on the spaces specifically zines and catalogues, likes the idea that these, because they are ‘wrong are they because these, that the idea likes paint colours that have been mixed wrongly are banished. Bax Bax banished. are wrongly been mixed have that colours paint gleaned from the back of hardware stores, where household where stores, hardware of the back from gleaned oranges and pinks are punchy. They are also scavenged colours, colours, also scavenged are They punchy. are and pinks oranges something invisibly at work within them. work at invisibly something greens, yellows, purples, Her blues, presence. confrontational around them, while conversely retaining a sense of secrecy, of of secrecy, a sense of retaining conversely them, while around they become, Bax says, ‘activated’ by our gaze, by our movement our movement by gaze, our by ‘activated’ says, Bax become, they when they are finished and positioned in the exhibition space, exhibition space, finished and positioned in the are when they of distillation, of a slow transmutation of materials. And then, And materials. of a slow transmutation of distillation, of nothing is her family from rural Scotland, where whisky is dis where Scotland, rural from is her family nothing products are too sculptures the fruit. Bax’s waste to so as not their playful titles, present the same organic/mechanistic dual the same organic/mechanistic present their playful titles, hurry for Not to us through. designed transitory public spaces sloe gin made her father in lockdown, and where, tilled locally, juicing here? Why? Other works such as Suck and Sift, with Other works Why? juicing here? streamlined those carefully say, from, way different an entirely The shapes are also evocative of internal organs. What are we we are What organs. internal of also evocative are The shapes but in funnelling, of the action towards gesture works Bax’s of machinery and, connected to it, an umbrella stand or golf bag. bag. or golf stand umbrella it, an to machinery and, connected Many digestion. and/or processes of automatic suggestive ity, suggests at once a sewing table, a desk, a piece of industrial of industrial a piece a desk, table, a sewing at once suggests and mysterious embedded narratives. A work such as Juicer such A work narratives. embedded and mysterious