The Curatorial Backlogs #2 : The Horror Show

Artist : Various  

Show : The Horror Show : A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain

Location : Embankment Galleries, Somerset House : London, England

Date Seen: 17 February 2023

Price: £16.50

Run Time: 27 October 2022 - 19 February 2023

Sponsors:

Curators: Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard and CLaire Catterall 

Website : https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/the-horror-show 

From The Witch section of the Horror Show Exhibition

The Horror Show at the Somerset House was broken into three sections : The Monster, The Ghost, and the Witch. It looked at Britain’s reaction to the genre of horror as a response to modern British history/events over the past 50 years. The exhibition interprets the last five decades starting in the 1970s of cultural shapeshifting through the lens of the horror archetypes. It uses horror to explore people's reactions to their fears, and as a voice for those on the perimeters of socially accepted society. 

Notes:

• The exhibition had a decent amount of wall text. The font of the text changed according to which section you were in. The font in some sections were easier to read as opposed to others. Notably the font of The Monster section was difficult to read. The use of this font and how difficult it was to read felt counter-intuitive to the amount of wall text provided which indicated that one would be meant to read the text for greater understanding. 

• The sounds/audio changes from section to section, and even within rooms in each section. 

• A multimedia exhibition - textiles, ceramic, sculptures (silicone and other materials used), 2D artworks such as paintings, prints, photographs, the use of video and sound. 

• There was attention to many non-traditional “fine” art materials. From ceramic to textile. 

  • Ceramic pieces were included which was exciting as it is a medium often ignored. Some pieces played with ceramic traditions and the history behind specific vessels while others just sought to create interesting visuals. 

  • The textiles ranged from tufted rugs to weaved items and clothing. Heavily located in The Witch Section. 

• The spiral staircases act as bookends to the middle part of the exhibition which hosts The Ghost and most of The Witch sections. The view from the stairs provide interesting and new perspectives of the pieces in the space below. I found myself stopping to examine the objects from the raised perspective as I ascended & descended. 

• The Monster

  • The exhibition opened up to this space about The Monster. It spread across the bottom floor with lots of twists and turns throughout the space in a maze like fashion. The lighting throughout the space was low which helped to articulate the feeling of slight discomfort the exhibition was attempting to make. Music played in the background and altogether the space was both comfortable and creepy. It felt as if it was part of a “freak show”

  • The exhibition walls were a warm brown (perhaps slightly marron depending on the lighting)

  • Focused in the 1970’s and the 1980’s via the pop punk movement. It focuses on people who sought to disrupt, define and destroy modern British culture as it was known. 

  • The show depicts much imagery of David Bowie and his influence in the punk scene to help form British cultural identity at the time. 

  • The last room of this section is inviting you into the punk and campy nightlight of the time. In the middle of the room is a large platform with mannequins in odd outfits. The outfits displayed showcase the non-conformity of the time. Along the perimeter of the room, on the walls, are photographs to show the cultural shift toward provocation and rebellion of the era. The music in this space was booming club music to help place the viewer in the club punk scene. 

  • Punk sought to push the “confines of personal identity, challenging the limits of social acceptance”

  • On the back wall showed a video of punk people in wild outfits entering a club by coming down through a staircase. Directly opposite this back wall was the staircase the viewer would use to ascend into the next section. The video and the structure within the gallery mirrored one another, and worked together to help the viewer feel even more in the club setting and people watching. 

    

    

    

    

• The Ghost

  • After ascending a spiral staircase and exiting The Monster section the viewer is brought into the second section : The Ghost. Focused on the 1990’s to 2008. 

  • This exhibition has spooky music playing, low lighting and a semi-sheer fabric stretched across wooden panels in a winding path to guide the viewer through the exhibition. 

  • The white sheer mesh stretched over wooden frames encapsulated most of this section. It was reminiscent of old furniture in a creepy old mansion that is convered. There, but not quite (much like a ghost). It zigzagged throughout the space and naturally directed people to follow the path it created. When looking at objects on display, this built structure was always in the periphery. You could also see the shape people as they past behind one of the frames/mesh - this emphasized the feeling of seeing a ghost. Yet again, there, but not quite. 

  • There was a clear focus with the curatorial team on atmosphere building through the structures produced, and the sounds throughout the gallery in an attempt to evoke feelings of unsteadiness, and being on edge (ready and not for the sight of a ghost) within the space. 

  • There is a consistent thump thump thump vibration from the floor throughout this exhibition. It evoked a sense of anxiety in the viewer which felt very fitting to the space as it was heartbeat-esque. It was subtle yet noticeable. I found myself curious about the science behind this and was wondering whether it was done on purpose to evoke anxiety in the viewer (because it did in me). It felt too consistent in The Ghost section and ONLY the Ghost section to not be intentional. Yet, despite that, it was unintentional. The vibration was occurring due to construction occurring very nearby. 

  • Once finished weaving through the main section of ghost, the viewer can go up a small set of stairs to three additional rooms which displayed different videos/visuals and audios. These rooms have seating available for the viewer, providing a space to rest a bit more than halfway through the exhibit. It is a good spot to relax, as the viewer is aware of the fact that they have already seen the rest of the ghost section, and this is the finale of the section. 

    

    

    

    

    

    

• The Witch 

  • The Witch was the last section in the show, and arguable the smallest - but that doesn’t mean it didn’t also pack a punch. It focuses on the years 2008 to now – from the financial crash to present day. 

  • The space opens to a large collection of textile works. One of the walls is entirely encompassed by a piece which fills an annex of the space. The artist created a makeshift wall out of fabrics aligned with the normal walls of the annex to cover the opening. There are eye-shaped holes throughout this makeshift wall which allow the viewer to peek through to see the other side of the space which housed smaller items/sculptures still. 

  • The other textile works within the space showcased tufted sweaters, knit and loose yarns, pin cushions, a variety of different fabrics, costumes, even the use of grass/nature into the form of a heavy cloak. 

  • The prevalence of women in this section is very prominent and present. 

  • This room showed many non-traditional mediums  such as textiles(as previously mentioned), ceramics, and tarot card renditions. 

  • One of my favorite pieces within the show was Serena Korda’s bartmann jugs. Bartmann jugs are stoneware vessels commonly used to store alcohol or other drinks. They have a bulbous base which comes to a thin neck of the vessel, and on the neck is the imagery/stamp of a bearded man. These jugs date back to the 1500s. A lore associated with them refers to them as “witch bottles” The myth goes that if a man suspected his wife  to have been cursed he would fill the jug with pins, nails, hair, fingernails, human urine, blood, etc. and bury it under the front steps of his house. The bottle would then be thought to absorb the spell/curse which had been cast and redirect the energy back to the witch who had cast it to torment her instead. Korda’s jugs were the traditional shape of Bartman jugs, but with additions such as toads, hedges, and black sludge coming from the mouth of one of the bartmann jug men classically depicted. The curators placed these in an interesting spot with some of the pieces around it as well to create a conversation. Directly behind the three jugs was Ackroyd and Harvey’s Truth Coat. This piece is a large cloak grown with seeding grass. The back of the coat reads the word TRUTH were the grass did not grow.The back of this cloak acted as the backdrop for the jugs. Along with this, and off to the side was a sculpture made of twigs and other found materials that evoked the myth of the Greenman. Altogether these pieces seemed to speak together to discuss cultural relevance and importance of nature in finding balance for people through the use of folklore, history and witchy practices. 

  • After exciting one room of the exhibit, the viewer is brought to the staircase which leads them back down stairs and overlooks the bottom floor gallery space (a continuation of The Witch). Downstairs is a spirit/uterus-esque looking sculpture, and behind that is a smaller room in which one is invited to participate in a moment of meditation. The smaller room is painted entirely red with dramatic lighting to create large shadows which move as the viewer moves. The room feels very much like a coven’s ritual space.