Quadratura

“One day it was clear to me that my hands and tools were no longer sufficient to work with the colour. I needed the model to paint the monochrome painting”  Yves Klein

In March 1960, at the Galerie International d’Art Contemporain, Paris, Yves Klein presented his Monotone Symphony and Anthropometries of the Blue Period. It was the first conceptual piece to be shown at the gallery by their new artist.

Mr Klein conducted a ten-piece orchestra in his personal composition the Monotone Symphony, a work he had written in 1949. This symphony consisted of a single tone. As the orchestra played his composition, three beautiful naked models rolled themselves in blue paint and then pressed their bodies onto giant pieces of paper to create paintings. Klein’s idea was to distance the artist from the creation of the work, for the models to directly create the images.

To see a video of the original performance in 1960 please click here

On March the 1st, 2010, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this major event in contemporary art, dynamic video artists, Quadratura and GV Art present a new performance utilising the latest technology.

On this occasion a single musician using a laptop computer will play the Monotone Symphony and by using light, rather than paint, Quadratura will re-create The Anthropometries of the Blue Period images. With the use of their state of art projector and technology systems, the recreation will not only homage Yves Klein but also attempt a new exciting interpretation of Klein’s work.

With projected light aimed at a plain white wall, the performers will stand still in front of the surface as their silhouettes are slowly filled in with colour. When the performers move the colours will merge into one another to create a changing and evolving image. By using light, rather than paint, Quadratura continues Yves Klein’s idea of physically distancing the artist from the artistic process.

Marja Koponen and Geneva Rosett-Hafter from Kiihko Dance will be performing and creating the images.

Once the performance is complete, the installation will remain at GV Art so that members of the public can interact with the work.

Time
Monday 1 March 7.30pm (performance at 8pm, duration 20 minutes)

Location
GV Art Gallery
49 Chiltern Street
London W1U 6LY
Nearest Tube: Baker Street
www.gvart.co.uk

Admission
£8 in advance
£10 on the door
Alcoholic beverages will be included in the ticket price.
Tickets can be bought in advance buy clicking on the “Buy Now” button below