Same as it Never Was

BACKLIT is an artist led gallery and studio space based in Nottingham and has opened a new exhibition that was on Wednesday the 17th October which reviews the journey of the organisation over the last decade. The milestone exhibition presents new commissions by its studio members and local artists alongside objects from a growing archive of material it has gathered since it was established in 2008 by five Nottingham Trent University Fine Art graduates.

The title, Same as it Never Was plays off the well-known Talking Heads song ‘Once in Lifetime’ from 1981 about the unconscious; in which we operate in autopilot and rarely stop to ask ourselves, ‘How did I get here?’. Themes of memory, time, personal development and progress intertwine with the artists’ works. The exhibition manifests as both a retrospective of Backlit gallery, but also as a commentary on the artists own careers and development within their creative industries. Featuring work by Matthew Chesney, Chloe Langlois, Demi Overton, Craig Parr, Martin Rayment, Jenna Round, Lois Gardner Sabet and K Webborn / fourbeatwalk.

Founding Director Matthew Chesney has produced a documentary about the challenges faced by the organisation and wider Nottingham Art scene which will be shown alongside the exhibition. Matthew says “The 10-year anniversary provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the successes, misfortunes and challenges of running an artist led gallery and how we got to this point. We are really proud of the thriving art scene in the city and are asking people to come to visit the exhibition and donate their memories of the local art scene by writing their experiences on a wall within the exhibition. This will subsequently form part of a publication and an artist led archive to be housed onsite for the future.”

Other works in the exhibition feature a Slime Machine by Craig David Parr, which draws comparisons to slime as a collective organism that has a memory – similar to BACKLIT as a collective entity that adapts and grows.

Chloe Langlois has produced a new video titled ‘The Manifestation’ which reinterprets the memory of BACKLIT’s removal from its original premises on Dakeyne Street to its current home at Alfred House through the therapeutic method of psychodrama.

Chloe says; It's exciting to be connected to a studio community where there are lots of different practitioners and being part of 'Same as it never was' has given me an insight into the history of Backlit and the people involved. My work presents a Psychodrama which is a technique used in group therapy to explore a memory or emotional block. The memory of one of the participants is acted out by the group until a change of perspective or realisation is reached allowing the person to move on. It is a way of working through emotions using action rather than talking through a problem. Using Psychodrama as a way to approach the themes in the show surrounding disremembering the past seemed to fit well.”

Learning Programme

The Learning Programme is focused on engaging families and young people; providing an opportunity to be creative, socialise, learn new skills and engage with art and history. FREE For more information , please contact Gina Mollett, Learning and Community Coordinator (gina@backlit.org.uk)

Public Programme

A series of talks and workshops accompany the exhibition; including a ‘Gallery Walkthrough’ presented by curators and artists discussing the theme of ‘What is the role of the arts within social movements? ‘ . As well as a writing workshop exploring The Oulipo School of writing led by an Associate artist in relation to BACKLITs current writer in residence programme. For more information, please contact Matthew Chesney, Director (Matthew@backlit.org.uk)

With support from:
Arts Council England, Foyle Foundation and TATE