13th – 15th March 2020
Private view 12th March 2020 7 – 9pm
Opens 13th – 15th March 2020 12 – 6pm
In Paradox Amusements Birtles and Metcalfe deal with a day dream. This day dream encompasses extremities of escapism and obsessions with absurd fixations relating to holiday and play. Through performance, painting, photography and sculpture the artists challenge and darken escapist desires. Reoccurring motifs appear like holiday hallucinations. An inflated unicorn appears as an unsettling fluorescent monster, whilst an inflated dress is transformed into a drawing and brought to life by operatic singers. Metcalfe and Birtles unpack the surreal dream through interpretations from their ongoing research into the longing for escapism and performance catharsis.