@The Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow until 25 May 2015
Katy Dove is the first artist to have work showcased at the Gallery of Modern Art as part of its Moving Image Season. Katy was born in Oxford in 1970 and passed away in early 2015 in Glasgow.
Currently screening in the gallery space at GoMA are four of Dove’s short moving image works. The projections are large and grand, but in no way imposing. This reflects the intimacy of the pieces on display and allows the viewer to immerse themselves in the engrossing imagery and sensory soundscapes. Each of the films combine animation and music to create tranquil and subdued environments that utilise watercolour and experimentation with subtle movement and anthropomorphic shapes. Although the use of computer manipulation is apparent, there is an organic life to the animation and it is this life that showcases the true temperament of the films.
The four works in the exhibition are titled Motorhead (2002), Luna (2004), Stop It (2006) and Sooner (2007), and are each vividly experimental in their combinations of sound and image. Katy Dove’s methods and energy evoke animator Norman McLaren – a commendable comparison. In 2014 McLaren’s centenary was celebrated, during which time there was as much talk about his ability as an experimental musician as his talent as a filmmaker. Katy Dove follows this trend through her use of bird song, ambient noise and pulsing rhythms. These sounds bring the watercolours to life and leave a lingering visceral image etched in memory.
Katy pursued her love of music collaboratively with the band Muscles of Joy (who were long listed for a SAY Award in 2012), and this passion and talent for music is apparent in her moving image work. The exhibition runs until 25 May 2015, and for those who enjoy immersing themselves in experimental animation and music, it’s definitely worth a visit.