State of Alarm – Mark Anderson & Jony Easterby
Following a two-week residency at The Sidney Nolan Trust, Presteigne, artists Mark Anderson and Jony Easterby will present State of Alarm, new outdoor artworks of sound, sculpture, video, light and fire in the gardens of The Rodd during the evenings of the 15 & 16 October 2021.
The artists will create work which responds to the ‘state of alarm’ ecologically, socially, and politically in the world today. Through the work they aim to tease out threads from this 'state', to pose questions, evoke emotions and to explore the contrast between beauty, hope and despair.
The residency will lead to the creation of new work and pick up on past streams of thought and investigation. The Rodd will become a place to experiment, collaborate and play, away from the artists’ studio environment, and a space for the presentation of this new work.
The performance of State of Alarm will take place in the gardens of Rodd Court, the Garde II* listed 17th-century Jacobean manor house, formerly the home of Australian modernist artist, Sir Sidney Nolan and his wife Lady Mary Nolan.
Mark Anderson is a visual sound artist, working almost exclusively outside. Drawing inspiration from the meeting point between the natural, industrial, and technological world, his work uses light sound and fire, to explore ideas and materials to create work with an almost childlike playfulness. https://mark-anderson.uk
Jony Easterby’s artworks are informed by an empathy for the natural world and its sense of place within culture and social context. His wide range of artistic skills have found him developing projects as varied as the construction of intricate sound sculptures, audio visual installations and architectural constructions. https://www.jonyeasterby.co.uk
Mark and Jony both live and work in West Wales and will be joined by long-term collaborating artists Mathew Olden, Pippa Taylor, and Liam Walsh. These masters of reinvention have previously worked on spectacular world-touring outdoor arts productions, including Furious Folly, For the Birds, Powerplant and Tree and Wood.
The performance will run from 6.30pm on the evenings of Friday 15 & Saturday 16 October 2021. Entry is Free and refreshments will be available to purchase. Please wear clothing and footwear suitable for an outdoor performance.
Antony Mottershead, Creative Producer at The Sidney Nolan Trust said
“Mark and Jony’s residency and collaboration exemplifies Nolan’s vision for The Rodd, as a place where artists can come together to explore questions and ideas that are pertinent to the world today. The artists’ diverse practice is also a reminder of Nolan’s own interests in a wide variety of artistic outputs, material and technologies”