Oliver Bliss A critical review of a piece of arts practice that you have been present at as spectator.

This critical review focuses on the exhibition Piercing Brightness by the London-based, international artist, Shezad Dawood that was held at the Harris Museum and Art Gallery. The paper examines the visitor experience and the impact of the supporting guide produced by the gallery. Piercing Brightness is an exhibition within three rooms. The viewer enters in the middle of a central rectangular space which has an adjacent room off either side. Upon entering the space it was immediately apparent that none of the pieces had any identifying labels or titles. Instead Preston City Councils Harris Museum and Art Gallery (2011) produced a Shezad Dawood: Piercing Brightness Gallery Guide for the exhibition. The guide explained that each piece was named after titles of science fiction books. The title of the artwork Rendezvous with Rama (2010) comes from Arthur C. Clarkes 1972 novel, whilst Jewels of Aptor I,II, and III (2010) were inspired by Samuel R Delanys 1962 science fiction novel. Dawood himself noted that: Fiction becomes a wonderful way in which we constantly recreated belief systems(Dawood, 2011). He also references the 12th century, Sufi epic poem Farid Ud-Din Attars The Conference of the Birds (Preston City Council 3). The guidance material introduced the viewer to the fact that there was diverse conceptual thought behind the iconography of the objects themselves, but did not provide much depth about how the novels and the poem contributed to influencing the artists final output. The absence of the titles (see above) may have been deliberate, by either the artist or by the gallery curator. It is arguable that labelling or providing a place with the books themselves would have been more effective in helping the viewer gain more understanding

about the work; however it may have been decided that it would detract from the encounter with the unknown experience, which I felt as I walked through the spaces. Reflecting on the visit, there is a sense that viewers are treated to a UFO experience with static objects. When I walked around the space I understood that I was viewing suspended objects in a setting created by the artist. The reason for their construction and their identity were unknown to me at the time. Subsequent viewing of Dawoods podcast where he explains the cultural and allegorical references he was deploying clarified his ideas somewhat:Mythic archetypesin a self-created fictional construct. This was my first encounter with Dawoods work; I participated in his construct by walking through the exhibition. I had the opportunity to indirectly communicate with Dawood through my interactions with the objects he had left for me to make sense of and explore. I had the prompts from the gallery guide to focus my understanding; however I was left to make my own assumptions and decisions about how to interpret their meaning and to ascertain whether the work succeeded on its own terms. Visitors to exhibition may not be aware of the literary allusions present in the titles as they were not provided in the space. After seeing the exhibition it was possible to discover that the book Rendezvous with Rama is a novel from the perspective of a group of human explorers who intercept an unknown spacecraft in an attempt to unlock its mysteries. (Rendezvous with Rama, 2011). Dawoods piece Rendezvous with Rama (2010) has three ominous neon circles suspended on the wall without any details as to why they are there. Had that information been available, the experience of the exhibition could have been improved as I felt it was difficult to look beyond a literal interpretation of what was being presented. Without any additional clues for

the audience to discover or interact with, the impact of the work is limited to viewing three lights on a wall. However in retrospect, knowing more about the novel, I can see that these loops represented the lights from a space vessel. In the adjacent room to the right, in a triangular formation around the room, were three birds: a flamingo, a macaw and a toucan, respectively entitled The Jewels of Aptor I, The Jewels of Aptor II and The Jewels of Aptor III. Each bird was hung with two bands of neon light around its body. Without knowing the history and significance of each birds character, they remained anonymous and alien as I only had a few lines of reference from the guidance material. I would have liked to have known how the birds represented a particular abstract idea or spiritual meaning and why these particular birds referenced to the poem. The poem The Conference of the Birds is an allegory of the quest for God (The Simorgh) Each bird has a special significance, and a corresponding didactic fault. (The Conference of the Birds, 2011) The parrots excuse is a passage within the poem; (similar to the taxidermied animal in Jewels of Aptor II). She Trilled: I have been caged by heartless men, But my desire is to be free again; If I could reassert my liberty Id find the stream of immortality 38.798-814

The parrot represents the idea of the pursuit for ones own immortality over the quest for God. If the gallerys guide had provided this additional context those who are unfamiliar with

the poem would have had the opportunity to link these themes with other references within the exhibition and gained more understanding of the artists inspiration source. Some viewers may have wanted to uncover and learn more about the art works and consider how they connected to references made in the guide. Personal research, undertaken after the visit, revealed depths to the work that would have made the experience much richer and more enjoyable. The minimalist interpretation strategy (if it was a strategy at all) resulted in a lack of information. Because the signification of disparate parts was not made clear this meant that the artists vision was in danger of remaining unknown. There is a potential risk that viewer could lose interest through this lack of understanding and insight. Before the exhibition moves onto a wider UK audience it should be contextualised so that the depth of the work can be understood and appreciated. Word Count: 1,022

Bibliography Attar, Farida al Din. The Conference of Birds . Ca1230. Darabandi, Afkham; Davis, Dick 1945. Harmondsworth: Penguin. 1984. Print Dawood, Shezad. The Jewels of Aptor 9/10-13/11/2010. Paradise Row, 2011. Web.14.12.11 Jewels of Aptor I,II and III, 2010. Neon and taxidermied birds, Variable dimensions. Courtesy of Paradise Row, London Preston City Council. Harris Museum and Art Gallery. Shezad Dawood: Piercing Brightness, Gallery Guide, Preston City Council. 2011. Print. Rendezvous with Rama, 2010.Wall-mounted neon 300x 245cm (blue 120x 60 cm, red 150 x 80cm, white 40 cm) Courtesy of Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai Rendezvous with Rama. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 November 2011. Web. 11 December 2011.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendezvous_with_Rama The Conference of the Birds. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 07 November 2011. Web. 11 December 2011.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conference_of_the_Birds