In his first institutional solo exhibition in the North East of England, Simeon Barclay presents a new body of work informed by research into dance. From the visual spectacle of contemporary dance theatre to the communal experience of the night club dance floor, the exhibition Bus2move combines costume, film and video, photography, lighting and sound. Barclay's interest in dance and its many facets centres on the construction of masculinity, with particular focus on the way popular perceptions and stereotypes become defined, contested and encoded upon the male body.
Barclay undertook a research residency at the internationally renowned Phoenix Dance Theatre based in Leeds to inform the creation of new artwork for the exhibition. Focusing on choreography; sound design; costume; lighting and stage design, this research informed a series of new installations which continue Barclay's ongoing interest with the complexity of subjectivity and how these states of consciousness are refracted through race, class and received notions of identity.
The exhibition is a partnership with The Tetley, Leeds and Turnpike, Leigh and is supported by Henry Moore Foundation.
