SIN IN MY HEART was a 3 day exhibition and event with an invite only policy due to the adult nature of much of the work. The ethos was as much to encourage discussion around the themes of the exhibition and to unite artists from various parts of the country and internationally as well as to show the work and have a party. Over 3 days this worked really well with people coming back after the initial opening night to absorb and revisit pieces and to meet the artists...
As well as having work on the wall I did one of my DARKROOM photo-booth installations throughout the event which was a huge success - I couldn't have wished for a more enthusiastic crowd and interest grew and grew over the 3 days as word got about and people showed off their prints... I was initially a bit worried that some of my raunchier peices on the wall might scare people of, but once they realised how unitimidating it is and actually how liberating the experience was for others who had dared to enter and saw their beautiful prints I was inundated! From intimate portraits and classic nudes to couples kissing and gay orgy scenes, I saw all that manchester had to offer me this weekend and it was glorious!
Not only did I exhibit work and do live photography but from that I have a new body of work so it really was a great success. Working in the context of a gallery rather than a club night provided the time and space to be more creative and to form genuine bonds and relationships with some of the participants, particularly those who revisited me on the Sunday afternoon...
Below are some of the hilites from the weekend...
Nudes - most people dont expect to do a full nude when they enter the DARKROOM but something about the atmosphere in our intimate little den and the opportunity to do something artistic that they haven't done before in a safe environment tends to make them go for it...
Couples - there is normally a driving force coercing the other in the case of couples and it's interesting to observe their interactions, for example one girl insisted her partner was a total prude and needed to do this, however he didn't need much encouragement to take his clothes off! Some came in with an idea and directed their partner...
Groups - things did get a little steamy at times, participants were so involved with each other that they seemed unaware of the camera making for some beautiful natural images...
In the Shower - Participants enjoyed this extra aspect to the DARKROOM and were quite playful with it, it was also interesting to see how the light changed as it reflected of the white...
I also enjoyed having longer with some of the participants - this is George Mellor who is a young artist I met through the show, we bonded in the DARKROOM and enjoyed collaborating on a a few experiemental ideas while the show went on next door...
Portraits - due to the nature of this show, I think more people stripped off than usuual, however we did make some clothed portraits, an area that I would like to develop with future photobooths and different lighting...
