A solo show by Oliver Ventress.
Private View: Friday 21st June 2024 6pm (all welcome)
Free, refreshments provided
Exhibition open by appointment until 6th July - please get in touch if you wish to see the show.
Landing theorises a top-down view of what extraterrestrial visitors might encounter as they descend onto the Earth. We do not know what will exist when they do arrive – there might not be any people left, our present day architectural structures could be long gone. Within this work, it is imagined that monuments and structures that existed pre 1BC will remain as part of the Earth’s landscape.
The sculptural landscape which forms the central point of the installation references the Arbor Low monument in Derbyshire. The site is estimated to be 4000 years old and there are multiple theories as to why it was created. It appears to have been built to be viewed from above, implying that it was perhaps not made for humans at all. With so many unknowns as to the sensory abilities of extraterrestrial visitors, it is perhaps our physical landscape that will become our language - our common ground.
The installation consists of a landscape sculpture and a live feed of the extraterrestrial vision, which is displayed on a CRT Monitor. The monitor, manufactured in 1996, is the same age as the artist.
The exhibition also encompasses a preview of a new film produced by the artist in 2024 on VHS, titled Landing: The Extraterrestrial Experience of Earth.
Oliver Ventress is a video and installation artist who has a primary concern with the idea of Being as a Medium; evidential documentary footage and romantic pursuits to capture isolated natural landscape and existence on tape. Previous works have included a series of attempts to make contact with aliens, the formation of a UFO spotting network, a para-terrestrial seance and the documented seeking of a sea monster.
Instagram: @oliverventress