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Scope of work
Maurice Ward Art Handling has regular groupage or dedicated road transport to and from the UK and shipments to mainland Europe. Working with Void, and its international exhibition programme, we recently collected and delivered several artworks from the artist Candida Powell-Williams’ studio in London to Derry. Candida’s mixed media sculptures include ceramics, jesmonite, resin, embroidery, textiles, audio visual components and drawings. In preparation for this shipment and in order to ensure all of the irregular sized components of her individual show could be transported safely, we completed a 3-D rendering of the shipment. The use of this technology allows us to accurately assess which of our air ride climate-controlled transport vehicles is the best fit for unique consignments ensuring appropriate pricing and resources.

Another of our services for this job consisted in the week-long installation of the exhibition. One of Maurice Ward’s specialised technicians, Aidan Kelleher worked closely with Candida, Curator Mary Cremin, and Void to install the exhibition. With over 15 years of experience in the installation of exhibitions, biennials and art fairs, Aidan’s expertise is highly sought after and valued with our clients.

Likewise, Aidan was on hand and worked with Kippie (game developers) to install a complex animation piece that combined games software and gif images provided by Candida. The piece uses technology whereby the question typed in the program pulls up a reading consisting of various animations created by the artist as an answer to the question posed by the user.

Description of Exhibition
Command Lines is a theatrical installation of sculpture, performance and animation by artist Candida Powell-Williams. The works re-imagine the iconic tarot as a three-dimensional experiment in symbolism, action, story-telling and magical thinking. Powell-William’s installation uses the term Command Lines to frame the exhibition, insinuating systems, networks and feedback loops, control over and order of information. Her work builds on the play between performance, technology and sculptures that act as props to her fantastical stage setting calling into questions structures of reality.

Throughout the gallery there is a multitude of scales and forms of sculptures that determine how we interact with the works. The centre point of the exhibition is colourful stationary sculptural forms that are a chaotic shambles apparently poised ready for action, the space punctuated with enlarged heavy, stationary symbols. This main body of work acts as an anchor that feeds back and circumnavigates the works in the adjoining gallery spaces.

There are miniature scale versions of the same forms, ordered in 10 dioramas arranged as a Celtic cross tarot spread. The viewer is invited to peer into each proscenium discovering abstract forms, empty castles and temple-like structures, animal heads and frozen magician’s gloves. The tarot is stripped of its archetypal human imagery leaving a space to fill and pushing the symbolic to the fore. An interactive ‘game’, answering the viewer’s question with a series of animations derived from the performance and accompanied by a poetic voice. These vignettes mix ballet and computing terminology, which, rather than giving divinatory guidance are in fact instructions for the performance. This leads the viewer back to the main gallery where the props and costumes are waiting, as though inviting the audience to pick them up and start configuring their own imaginative reading. For more information on Void’s activities check out their website and keep an eye on Candida’s upcoming exhibitions and artworks here.

Testimonial

“Maurice Ward Art Handling were integral in the production of Candida Powell-Williams’ exhibition. From transport to the assistance of a technician, Maurice Ward provided a quality service throughout. The technician provided, Aidan, supported the install in all aspects from AV to papering the platforms. Some tasks involved included securing the built platforms, hanging works, installing and connecting all audio-visual work and lighting the space. His input and expertise assisted the artist in making sure her vision was brought to life. He was great to work with and actively solved problems as they arose. Aidan and Maurice Ward Art Handling ensured everything was done safely and to a high standard by the time we needed it.”
Void