CityLife

Tracing the darkness

Chimney - Alexander Bates 1 / 5 images

ARTIST collective Trace opens a multimedia exhibition tomorrow (October 24) entitled Illumination, which has involved blacking out all windows of the old Service Point building on Whitworth Street West. Featuring the work of MA graduates from London's Slade School Of Art, the display runs until October 30.

Thirty-four artists have produced a variety of media works, including seven projections and two dual-screen monitor pieces alongside a selection of photography, installations, a film piece and some site-specific interventions.

The collective - named Trace to reflect the aim of leaving a mark in a subtle, gentle mode - started exhibiting together 18 months ago with a show in London, then toured in Frankfurt and Cardiff. After Manchester, there are plans to visit Berlin and Athens.

Their work is often a response to the space in which the exhibit takes place, which is the case with this show's Illumination theme.

'Dark space'

"We obtained the building through Interval, who've done other work in Manchester," says Trace's Peter Nutley, referring to the non-gallery space of the former Service Point building, at 4 Whitworth Street. 

"Then one of the artists here suggested blacking out the whole building. Her piece incorporates every single window, so she's painted them all. It's only visible from outside. That's creates a dark space inside - and the idea of illumination has developed from that.

"A lot of the work is video or film - but there are lots of people using mediums which aren't necessarily the latest technology and it's quite interesting how that works if the whole space is dark.

"For example, there are sculptural and photography pieces, which then have to be somehow illuminated to represent the theme."

For images from the exhibition, click on the main picture in this article.

For more information, visit the link on the right.