[spectre] Lei Cox and Captured at Threshold artspace, Perth, UK

[Iliyana Nedkova]

Lei Cox Revisited

Preview 6-8pm, Friday, 27 October 2006
Exhibition runs continuosly from Saturday, 28 October 2006

Open daily from 10am for up to 14 hours. Admission FREE.
Threshold artspace, Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, Perth PH1 5HZ, 
Scotland, UK

Horsecross is delighted to announce the new retrospective exhibition of 
Lei Cox – an acclaimed British artist based in both Dundee and Bergen, 
Norway. Three of Lei's earlier works were selected to run specifically 
on the Threshold Wave – a digital canvas of 22 flat screens. These 
include Counting Until the End of Time – where time is stretched out to 
infinity or white noise according to a giant digital clock gone out of 
control;  The Wave – where the artist portrays a slapstick image of 
himself by performing an endless Mexican wave; and The Conductor – 
where the artist assumes the roles of both the conductor and the 
applauding audience.

All three digital  frescoes will be premiered in an exclusive 
exhibition at the opening reception in the presence of the artist. 
Later on Lei's works will be programmed on a regular basis as part of 
the permanent Threshold artspace collection. The selected works are 
exemplary of Lei's practice, largely informed by the tradition of 
performance art. They recreate surreal acts that could never be 
achieved in real life. The desire to be in more places in any one time 
and the wish for immortality trigger these thoughts. Genetics, cloning, 
helical graphs, perfect waves and counting time inspire the ideas.

Horsecross is also pleased to host the one-night only screening of 
Captured – a hour-long programme of 13 artists' films and videos 
curated by Lei and fellow artist Pernille Spence. Captured provides an 
ideal context for experiencing Lei's work as it includes a diverse 
range of films depicting various artists' performances for camera. 
Often artists would point the camera and microphone directly at 
themselves or allow the viewer to become the performer.

For example,  Holger Mohaupt shows a cheerful appraisal for a 
groundsman. Bob Levene manipulates her own voice. Matt Hulse tracks a 
naked man (the artist himself) in ruins. Michelle Deignan acts as a 
street photographer in the centre of London’s financial district. Caz 
McIntee presents Japanese women reflecting on their life experiences. 
Jackie Hatfield presents a performance with dog.  Katrina McPherson and 
Simon Fildes  portray fragile yet graceful dancers. Elke Reinhuber 
donates fluffy hair to the statues of Marx and Engels. Peter Richardson 
is haunted by demonic Morris dancers from an early episode of Dr Who. 
Mel Woods explores the idea of romance through a childhood game. 
Pernille Spence reaches up to the sky in an act of free falling.  Most 
of the artists featured in Captured will be present at the drinks 
reception.

More about Lei Cox Revisited
• Lei Cox Revisited is produced by Horsecross and curated by Iliyana 
Nedkova in partnership with CRATE and the University of Dundee.
• It is the latest exhibition where an artist's practice has been 
revisited in order to select and acquire works for the permanent 
Threshold artspace collection.
• Captured is the second in a series of one night only events at 
Threshold artspace showcasing artists' film and video following the 
presentation of SSA on Screen 2006.

More about Lei Cox
• Born in 1965 in Kettering, Northamptonshire. Lei lives and works in 
Dundee and Bergen, Norway.
• His work has been seen in exhibitions from Tel Aviv to Tokyo, Skopje 
to Sacramento, Adelaide to Amsterdam.
• Counting, eating, flying, time and mortality are common strands and 
obsessions throughout Lei's work often expressed though humour and 
irony.
• Critics have described his work as 'beautiful, sumptuous, disturbing, 
powerful, sensual, science-fictional, psychotic and surrealist'.

More about Captured
• Captured is a project of CRATE – a fluid collective of artists and 
curators associated with the University of Dundee working with 
contemporary media art.
• CRATE was established by Lei Cox and Pernille Spence in 2005. CRATE 
stands for Creative Response with Art, Technology and Experimentation.
• For further details about Captured please visit www.crate.uk.com

More about Threshold artspace
• Scotland’s first and only 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.
• Threshold artspace, Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, Perth, PH1 5HZ, 
0845 612 6320,  info at horsecross.co.uk,  www.horsecross.co.uk
• For further details please contact Iliyana Nedkova, Horsecross 
Creative Director New Media at inedkova at horsecross.co.uk