‘in with in’ Exhibition

in with in attempts to address the ways in which we frame our experiences of the internal space we retreat to from the external experiences that shape it. Rather than talking of past and present moments the show refers to the distance in space between markers of expectation. On the one hand the escape of an imagined, infinite world is within our grasp, on the other hand something is trapped within the planes of the medium. What is given up or lost, and what incidentally occurs in that place is where this exhibition begins. The exhibition comprises painting, sculpture, video and sound made by current and alumni of the Fine Art BA (Hons) Course, alongside established artists and writers currently working in the North West.

The exhibition will feature the first digital work acquired by The Harris, Lucy Gunning’s Climbing Round My Room, from 1993.

In this work a trained dancer climbs around Lucy Gunning’s empty room, circumnavigating it without touching the floor – a whimsical childhood activity which is, nevertheless, strenuous in the extreme. The camera steadfastly follows the course of this feat as, with gymnastic agility and poise, the dancer navigates her way around the room exploiting the narrowest of shelves and ledges, the merest protuberances, door-handles, a coat hook, a picture hook, in a faultless performance. The viewer’s perception of the room is transformed, its surfaces less remote and its geometry inverted.

Credit: Copyright the artist. Courtesy the Harris Museum and Art Gallery. Acquired from the Contemporary Art Society, 2000.

Join us for the closing event on Thursday, 18 April from 4:30pm – 6:30pm for a talk on building a collection of new and established artists.

Harris Your Place

Harris Your Place is a £16 million project set to restore and reimagine the Harris for 21st-century audiences as a cultural learning space. The aim of this project is to protect the building and the architecture for future generations whilst enhancing accessibility options and positioning the Harris as a community hub for Preston and Lancashire.

The capital project is more than simply preserving this much-loved building; Harris wants to ensure that it remains a vibrant heart of the community. A place where people want to spend their time.