[spectre] Threshold artspace, Perth, UK: S P A R K L E

[Iliyana Nedkova]

S P A R K L E
Public preview 10am-8pm, Saturday, 2 December 2006
Exhibition runs until Friday, 1 February 2007. Open daily 10am–7pm
Threshold artspace, Perth Concert Hall, Horsecross, Mill Street, Perth, 
Scotland, UK

Sparkle – a trail of new exhibitions will be switched on at the 
Threshold artspace on Saturday, 2 December 2006 for the first time. The 
exhibitions will continue to illuminate the gallery throughout the 
festive season. Sparkle features 15 works by more than 15 Scottish and 
international artists – a glowing selection of brand new additions and 
old favourites from Scotland’s only permanent collection of digital art 
at the Threshold artspace,

Sparkle finds a natural habitat at the artspace which itself thrives on 
such moments – the way artists use pixels, light, time, sound and 
electricity as their media of choice. This is an exhibition which 
literally shines a spotlight on these basic ingredients of digital 
artistic practice. An exhibition which also brings a touch of glitter 
to the long dark winters of Scotland.

The Sparkle trail of shows starts at Threshold Welcome – the giant 
interactive juke box at the entrance of the Perth Concert Hall. Walking 
though visitors will be able to trigger at random more than 200 new 
snippets from a medley of classic Christmas crooners and carols to more 
surprising leftwing songs – guest-curated by Andy Shearer.

Next, the exhibition takes over the Threshold Wave – the long digital 
canvas of 22 flat screens under the copper dome. Brand new highlights 
include Sonorous Forms – a piece for cello, water and 22 screens in C 
Major by the emerging artists and musicians Catherine-Anne Lee and 
Eilidh Glynn; Berlin-based artist Graham Robertson experiments with a 
roll of film slowly winding it through the camera with shutter open 
capturing brilliance, time and motion; Simon Wilkinson's Light 
Fantastic recreates the euphoria of the search light show which bathed 
the skies over the concert hall in space age glamour; for her humorous 
video collage Snowdome Theresa Pickles animates a bunch of these 
popular treasure-like miniatures full of fake snow and curiosities. 
Recently launched Counting Until the End of Time by Bergen-based artist 
Lei Cox will provide a breather of a flickering intermission between 
each film.

The interactive playground at Threshold Stage is divided between the 
new arrival at the artspace collection Random Snow Generator – a 
digital snowflake fiesta by Ross Cairns and the old favourite Influx, a 
tricky digital mirror by Joanna Kane.

At the Threhsold Flush screens tucked away in the public toilets people 
can dip in and out of The One Minute Wonders – a selection of 20 
seriously funny films of 60 seconds each by young people from a network 
operating across Europe – guest curated by Raya Ribbius.

On view (and for sale) at the flexible office/artspace Tay Suite are 
the shimmering, limited edition prints by artist Susan Collins from the 
series Glenlandia The Four Seasons. They will soon be joined by 
Catherine-Anne Lee’s new video stills Sonorous Forms.

Additionally, art historian Lindsey Morse has been commissioned to 
produce a series of contextual essays about selected works from the 
Threhsold artspace permanent collection. The first in this new critical 
writing series is dedicated to Catherine-Anne Lee’s new work Sonorous 
Forms and will be published on the occasion of Sparkle.

The exhibition launch (4-6pm) will round off with artist Simon Bogle’s 
Glowing Throwies workshop in electronic graffiti – an inexpensive, DIY 
way to add a touch of sparkle and colour to any magnetic surface. To 
join call box office 0845 612 6319. Price 3GBP.

More about Sparkle
* Sparkle is curated by Iliyana Nedkova and produced by Horsecross for 
the Threshold artspace in partnership with the University of Dundee; 
Eyebeam, New York and Eyebeam’s Graffiti Research Lab, European 
Cultural Foundation, Film and Video Umbrella, FRS Freshwater Laboratory 
and Art Research Communication.
* Sparkle is the first in a series of annual exhibitions at Threshold 
artspace enabling artists and audiences to respond critically to the 
festive frenzy and the fundamental ingredients of digital art – pixels, 
sound waves, light, electricity.

More about the artists and their works
* As part of Sparkle Sonorous Forms and Random Snow Generator are the 
first public exhibitions by Catherine-Anne Lee and Ross Cairns since 
they graduated from the University of Dundee in the summer of 2006.
* Glowing Throwies is an artist-led participatory project for young 
people which will result in a short film by Simon Bogle to be premiered 
as part of Sparkle 2007. This is the first time the LED Throwies 
technology will be seen in the UK.
* Lindsey Morse is currently undertaking her first internship at 
Threshold artspace after graduating from the University of St Andrews 
in the summer of 2006.
* Counting Until the End of Time by Bergen-based artist Lei Cox is part 
of Lei Cox Revisited – a retrospective exhibition featuring another 
three works by Cox recently repurposed for the Threshold Wave.
* Susan Collins’ Glenlandia The Four Seasons is the first artist's 
limited edition produced by Horsecross. It is available as signed and 
numbered inkjet prints on archival paper in an edition of 20 in a size 
of 13.5 x 18 cm and priced as 200GBP each or 700GBP for a set of four 
unframed.

Threshold artspace, Perth Concert Hall, Horsecross, Mill Street, Perth, 
PH1 5HZ, 0845 612 6320,  info at horsecross.co.uk,  www.horsecross.co.uk
Scotland’s first dedicated gallery for digital public art, with nine 
unique spaces presenting a varied programme of artists’ films, videos, 
editions, games, text, photography, performance, light, sound and 
software art.

For further details please contact Iliyana Nedkova, Horsecross Creative 
Director New Media at inedkova at horsecross.co.uk