GAYNOR PERRY

Physical Medium

2012-02-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

Physical Medium: Deborah Griffin

Music: "Bend" by The McCarricks - with their kind permission.

Photography, film & concept: Gaynor Perry

tim-lay-lav

2012-02-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

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oil on board, 70 x 70 cm

clay, 20 x 20 cm

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Art Erotica

2012-01-20T09:53:00.000-08:00

My photographs were on display in this group show on Cork Street.

Art Erotica Exhibition
28 Cork Street
London W1S 3NG

www.arteroticaexhibition.co.uk

January 19 -27, 2012
Open daily 10:00-18:00

As part of my submission to the show I was asked to write a statement:

As photographer, it is my role to promote and bear witness to moments of acquiescence. The exchange between camera and sitter is, at best, a sensual exchange; a willing trade of consensual energy and not an imposition.

I wait and share moments with the sitter until we reach a point of unspoken consent when we can join together in the act of image creation. Nothing is taken from the sitter; all is freely given in mutuality. So the intimate and authentic truth offered comes from within the frame and is not enforced from without.

To illustrate this further, the compliant bondee sheds any resistance and gives themself over to the act of restraint; wholly immersing into and fully inhabiting their inner reality. Not passive victim, but complete in their own understanding; allowing themself to be held in that volume of space and also suspended in that moment of time.

The process of witnessing the light within the sitter can be helped by encouraging a spirit of playful adventure, a journey into the here and now where an inter‐personal alchemy can bring forth an inner fire usually hidden by daily niceties. Giving the sitter this freedom to explore and express their essential truths can lead to spectacular displays of flamboyance or moments of pure stillness and reflection.

I would like the viewer of my work to be drawn into these scenarios and explore their own sensual response without deliberately guiding them to any foregone conclusion of my own, but opening them up to the tangibility of the inner worlds.

What drew me to explore the visually erotic was a desire to show the beauty of the human form as complete, fully sentient and rational with an emotional depth. The truly erotic exists below the surface.

The Truth Of You

2011-10-10T12:31:00.001-07:00

It takes courage to speak one's own truth. The inner voice has gone quiet; a low hum. The voice of reason that assures you all is well lacks conviction and each moment the world grows colder.

This is not the truth of you.

Portrait of Maz Spencer.

Portrait of Sarah Angliss

2011-09-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

Sarah Angliss from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

The footage is of Sarah experimenting in the crazy mirror set to her music; she's playing the theramin accompanied by a bell riff from her Electric Lullaby played on the Ealing Feeder.

Musician, engineer & writer.
www.sarahangliss.com

Sarah wanted to explore the visual side of herself as a performer.

She doesn't get much time to prepare visually before she performs due to the amount of time she needs to spend setting up her equipment & making sure her machines are ready to perform.

This one Sarah took of me.

After the attack of the sea gulls we decided to continue our voyage of discovery inside.

& there you have it ... ;-)

Thornhide

2011-07-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

This is not just a man wearing a mask. This is the creature that dwells within the man shown the light of day. At dawn the birds begin their songs and people are stirring from dreams, half in this world and half in another. Unhindered by the weight of reality we are free to embrace all possibilities.

"Thornhide"
by Stan

Scanning the reach of the harrow way
red streaming stood the Thornhide
gaze drawn to the rising sun
still dreaming
Again they had not come

***

Thornhide appears in this fine art book now available to buy. The leather mask is made by Stan. The preview on blurb.com shows a small selection of images taken from the book. You can also order directly from this site. Click on the link below for full details. Also on sale at Arbeit Gallery. ARBEIT is located at 4 Helmet Row, EC1V 3QJ, in a small street just opposite St. Luke's Church, home of the LSO. http://arbeit.org.uk/.

The Dawn Has A Lot To Offer by Gaynor Perry | Make Your Own Book

***

"I love the way your figures seem to appear out of nowhere. They emerge like our deepest fears and most intense longings from the evocative backgrounds of abstraction. These mythological figures remind me of archetypes and Freudian thought. Each of your works are compelling and provoke us to encounter our subconscious in a direct manner."
Abraham Lubelski, Publisher, NY Arts Magazine

The Speed at which Things Happen

2011-06-01T11:06:00.001-07:00

The speed at which things happen - oil on board, 70 x 70 cm

I cut my hand on a broken glass jar I had been using to wash my brushes painting this picture. It took no time at all. One minute I had sensation in my index finger, the next minute I had severed the nerve.

Funny that I had been holding in my mind the title of the painting as I worked; willing the world to show me something through the crucible of my imagination & bring it into my life. Am I calling the tune? Or is the tune calling me?

The hand heals slowly but surely. ;-)

Bring Out The Good

2011-04-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

A collaboration breathing life into the optimistic & adventurous character from my painting "Bring Out The Good", manifested beautifully by Rogerio Alves. Body painting by Estelle Riviere, hat by Stan Leather.

Also, the film starring Lamb Face (Tammy Nicholls) from my painting "111".

"Bring Out The Good" starring Lamb Face from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

Bring Out The Good, oil on board, 10" x 24"

Body Painting: Estelle Riviere
Lamb Face's muzzle, foot, country dancing skirt & Bring Out The Good's hat: Stan Leather

Music: "Bring Out The Good"
written, performed & produced © Gaynor Perry

Flute: Sarah Anne Robins

Painting, Music & Photography
www.gaynorperry.com

Lamb Face

2011-04-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is Lamb Face from my painting '111', portrayed wonderfully by Tammy Nicholls. Spirited & feisty she always bounces back.

(See May 2010 entry here, "Home Ground", for this painting.)

Lamb muzzle, country dancing skirt & foot by Stan Leather.

Lamb Face

Black Bryony

2011-03-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

‎Deborah Griffin as Black Bryony, a mysterious & slightly radioactive character from my painting '111'.

(See May 2010 entry here, "Home Ground", for this painting.)

She has dark powers & dark dreams ... ;-)

Black Bryony from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

I had a dream about her once, she filled my mouth with broken crockery. *!*

Black Bryony's bloomers: Stan Leather

Black Bryony from '111' - oil on board

The Jezebel Hussy

2011-02-09T02:55:00.000-08:00

An alchemical collaboration with Marnie Scarlet and Estelle Riviere bringing to life The Jezebel Hussy, a flighty character from my painting "Prade the Figgis" ...

(see "From the notebook of Prade the Figgis" June 2010 entry for this piece on here)

The Jezebel Hussy from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

The Jezebel Hussy from "Prade the Figgis"

Jezebel Hussy: Marnie Scarlet
Hair & Body Painting: Estelle Riviere
Concept & Photography: Gaynor Perry

Violin: Noel Vine

Music: "Pretty Lights"
written, performed & produced
© Gaynor Perry

Subterranean Journey

2011-01-26T08:25:00.000-08:00

A series of photographs I took showing people I know who have allowed me a rare insight into their inner worlds. Each one on a journey of self-discovery. Whatever the catalyst, they are reflecting on their lives, intent on moving forward with greater confidence, good humour and a deeper understanding of themselves.

Clarinet: Robert Schuck

"Subterranean Journey"
music written, recorded & produced
© Gaynor Perry

"Subterranean Journey" from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

Jenny Angliss

Flora

Salena Godden

Dennis da Silva

Robin Sheppard

Paul Hiles

Sarah Angliss

Stan Leather

Olivier Lebleu & Graham Fell

Derek Ridgers

Kirsty Allison

David Kempton

Noemi Quinones

Elizabeth Quinones-Callen & Noemi Quinones

Drew Walker

Andrew Batt

While We Contemplate This

2010-12-21T05:59:00.000-08:00

"While we contemplate this ..." * from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

Available to download on iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/while-we-contemplate-this/id418175387?i=418175442
---------------------------------

It's not about you, it's not about me either
It's not about the birds in the sky or how deep is the river
& while we contemplate this why don't we kiss

You look me up, you look me down
& I can feel the way you talk to me, it's a beautiful sound
& as the story still unfolds, I hold your hand in the dark & wonder
Could our lust turn to love

It's not about you, it's not about me either
It's not about the birds in the sky or how deep is the river
& while we contemplate this why don't we kiss

You reel me in with your longing stare
What's underneath - the logic's bare, is there a heart in there to feed
& although your hands can do a little dance all through the show
It's not romance, as such, it doesn't go that deep

Another verse, another man to muse upon
& it's not long before you're under my skin
I caught a glimpse of something more inside the heart
The mind, the soul of you - it's burning from within

In your stream of thoughts I’m free
A figurine amongst the debris
Look at us in the battle dust
Our little hearts are just caught up
And in your flow of words I fall
I made a veil with them, that’s all
I slip away in your refrain
This tenderness caught in a flame ...

It's not about you, it's not about me either
It's not about the birds in the sky or how deep is the river
& while we contemplate this why don't we kiss

While we contemplate this why don't we kiss ...

Written, performed & produced © Gaynor Perry

The Spy

2010-12-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

This is "The Spy" from my painting, 111. Portrayed beautifully by Joyce Kidd.

With the Pussycat Estelle ...

'scuse my French ...

The Spy: Joyce Kidd
Hair & Props: Estelle Riviere
Concept & Photography: Gaynor Perry

Monsterlune - I was the purple cat ... ;-D

2010-11-12T10:51:00.000-08:00

I was delighted to be asked to play the PURPLE CAT in Estelle Riviere's Monsterlune performance at the Torture Garden Halloween Ball this year. It was the best fun I've had in ages ...

Here are some of the photos that Anne Laymond took of the show, it was a "Diabolical Wedding".

Some backstage shots I took on my phone camera:

The Bride

The Groom

One of the kids ...

... So mischievous, we had to take this crazy kid on an outing

to be continued ...

Estelle Riviere
www.monsterlune.com

Do Not Leave Naked Flame Unattended

2010-09-19T06:52:00.001-07:00

Portrait of Joyce.

EXHIBITION ... @ La Galleria Pall Mall, 30 Royal Opera Arcade, SW1Y 4UY

From the Notebook of Prade the Figgis

2010-06-27T01:13:00.001-07:00

2 August
For my own entertainment, I wept today. Shut up me for wimbling on, gasping. Afraid to bend for three days with broken, crossed-out eyes, and looking very shifty. Figgis. Merging uncertainly with columbine, spiders creepy crawling. Off with me to the lanky tree line, careful not to step upon bending grasses. How long did it take me, Prade the Figgis, whilst wallowing in the meagre satchel?

3 August
Concubine, tuft and trumpton are all good words to use when talking to grasses. It is one of life’s greatest pleasures to listen to their music and to embrace the topsy-turvy images they conjure up. Figgy me. Last night I tangled and wrangled in the emotional threads of someone else’s brain fever and now feel the need to voice my concerns, but to whom? My day undulated with the fall out and I wonder whether I should be sitting in that special space. I’m waiting for the marshes to dissipate, waiting to disappear.

5 August
I’ve been fly catching – not a pretty sight. Flummoxing around like a fool, blurting out. At odds with myself actually. On recollecting, mustering up, pre-fabricating I must hover. Poor rabbit, he drew near but only because he was dying – his nose bitten. Forgotten in a bed of thistle down. I called over to the goats and they came and kissed me – beautiful it was. They climbed up to show me their ancient horns. I touched them and wondered whether they were forever. I think so Figgis.

6 August
Gérard Depardieu has also got a big nose. He blew it hard one day and I felt it from here.

8 August
Been busy. Squabbled with myself when I awoke, then thought of nothing while I filtered through soil with my fingers. I toyed with the idea of erecting a monocle until the jezebel hussy ripped through from the other side, sounding like wind whipping through ice sheets. Shivering insect rhythms. I can tell no one about this, apart from my big toe who is a very good listener. Meanwhile, a wood pigeon flew my way. He fluttered and whistled, turning at a steep angle. Seeking refuge from my gaze in nearby branches. Quite an uncanny manoeuvre I thought, I must have made him start. Flap, flap.

"Prade the Figgis": oil on board, 50 x 50 cm.

Twilight Shift - Lucha Underground

2010-06-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

Lucha Underground at the Resistance Gallery was, quite frankly, beyond my wildest dreams.

It's full speed ahead on the visual feast. Sexy. Exciting. Mad. A truly spirited evening.

I put together this "Twilight Shift" as a memento of the occasion with the photographs I took that night and some music I created. I've written parts for Sarah Anne Robins (flute) and Robert Schuck (clarinet) on several pieces. They bring great warmth to my music, lots of heart and soul. I'm lucky that they gave themselves so freely to it. I particularly admire their improvisations, I think they really enhance the atmosphere of the tune. The Turkish Nay which Robert plays, in particular, adds a wonderful layer of spooky mist. ;-)

Here's some more of the Lucha Britannia talent.

Philip Bedwell

Marnie Scarlet

Leon Britannico

Tammy Torture

www.myspace.com/luchabritannia
www.myspace.com/resistancegallery

And some more ...

Terence Dormer

Maz Spencer

The pain ...

The glory ... Shiro Yoshida

RESISTANCE GALLERY
265 Poyser Street
Bethnal Green
London E2 9RF

The Dawn Has A Lot To Offer

2010-06-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

I took these photographs on my phone camera. There is always time for a photograph, no matter how late I'm running. They were taken between shampoo and eyeliner, creaking wardrobe door and flurry of garments.

Clouds like searchlights ...

The more I thought about the dawn and marveled at the light, the more infused I was with ideas about the beginning of the day. These notions spilled over in my sleep and produced a vivid dream which sparked my imagination, adding another dimension. So I began a painting ...

"Deep Wave" - the dawn has a lot to offer from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

In the dream there were colossal, intricate gates constructed like the inside of a watch. A mechanism. I waited with my camera for the moment that the light shone through the gates igniting the mechanism, setting it in motion. I was looking up at this awesome spectacle. I had to capture the shape of the light in my lens as it spilled through.

Draw a line under it ...

Another morning, after another dream I woke up suddenly, looked out of the window and saw this - beamer! ;-D It didn't last for long and then the fog rolled in with the dawn chorus increasing in brilliance.

To watch the light change in the morning is a rare treat, it's never the same. There comes a moment when the light peaks, just before you see the sun pop up on the horizon. This is the moment I love the most.

The Dawn has a lot to offer ...

Oil on board, 80 x 80 cm

One Saturday morning when I really should have been asleep in bed enjoying a lie in, restlessness dragged my body outside to capture this moment on my proper camera.

Samurai Dawn

E X H I B I T I O N

an introduction to the painting, photography and music of
GAYNOR PERRY
MAY 5 - 31 2011

PRIVATE VIEWS

Thursday May 5th 6.30 - 8.30pm
Tuesday May 10th 6.30 - 8.30pm
Sunday May 15th 12.00 - 3.00pm

viewing by appointment at other times

Gaynorʼs inspiration manifests itself in a variety of artistic mediums. From an early age Gaynor often sought out the dark, mythical places around her home town of Hull and let her imagination breathe life into the haunted stillness of her surroundings creating a new reality to explore, inhabit and interpret by drawing and song. Exploring the mindʼs subconscious imagery, Gaynor succeeds in “keeping the possible impossibility of dreams” ever near allowing her to capture the fleeting moments between imagination and perception. The realisation of these moments often demands more than one expression with the kernel of an idea feeding into a painting, a tune or even a photograph. Her works have been described as "evocative, sensual and transportative".

Gaynor does not see her art as separate or apart from everyday life but as integral to the realisation and development of the human spirit. Although each piece is an incredibly personal testament, they each have the capability to strike a harmonically resonant and emotional chord in anybody who allows themselves the time to be with them.

Jonathan Ross
Gallery 286
286 Earl's Court Road
(2 minutes walk south from Earl’s Court Tube)
London SW5 9AS

T: 020 7370 2239
email: jross@gallery286.com
http://www.gallery286.com

Home Ground

2010-05-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

I grew up in the fallout of a radioactive chimney, and so did my childhood friends...

Capper Pass, once one of the world’s largest tin smelters owned by Rio Tinto, operated on the outskirts of Hull between 1967 and 1991, when it was decommissioned. Some of the by-products pumped into the River Humber and the East Yorkshire air were toxic, carcinogenic and radioactive. Radioactive emissions from the Capper Pass Plant included Polonium 210. The Press referred to the imposing chimney as ‘Dante’s Inferno’.

There was a high count of cancers amongst the residents of the surrounding area, and the workers at Capper Pass; many sadly died way before their time as a result of the pollution. Even back in the early 70’s, lead and arsenic was found in cattle that grazed near Capper Pass; livestock and crops had to be condemned on several farms. It was thought the situation would cause public alarm should the fact become generally known. The environmental damage was widespread.

Despite the long reign of this invisible threat, the village continues to thrive and inspire the likes of me with it’s dark bodies of water and impassable woods. These are my childhood haunts.

"Home Ground" from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

Carol Coiffait is a poet who lives in the village. We share the same sentiments about the movement and purity of the water running through, teeming with life; possibilities. How it has influenced our lives. My dreaming life often takes place in these old haunts, and I wonder whether the water pulls my dreaming self back there. Towed along by the undercurrent. ;-)

“In the heart of the village the water shows itself again. Chatter from the mouth of the tunnel into sunlight caressing the gravel, the roots of cresses and minulus. Past water shrimps, minnows down towards the river…” (Carol)

The chimney itself was rarely out of the line of sight, a peripheral stigma. I gazed at it sleepless nights from my bedroom window, the warning light blinking in the dark. Hypnotising. Personified in my childish imagination, I even toyed with the idea that it could read my mind.

I wanted to capture the spirit of the place, somehow, as it has captured mine. And tell some of it’s story - there are many stories here…

Carol Coiffait, photo: Hugo Schlecter

"Home Ground" by Carol Coiffait

I know these contour lines, this cleavage
between rib
and rib of chalky wold.

I know these arms of scrub and scree
where, in autumn, black bryony
and sloe reach between
her knees.

I know how wolf-winds curse and whine
through stands of sycamore
and pine.

I know the glint of streaming eyes
and how her shoulders hunch
against the winter's worst.

I know of no soft options for her skin,
her teeth of chalk
and flint, crazed
by an east wind's flat out drought.

I know up here that spring steps
slow, while down below
the gleet of water
feeds her secret flowers.

I know that they run wild
across her lap.
The snowdrops, dog violets
and winter aconites
conspire
to hide something she doesn't wish to own.

Capper Pass, photo: Internet

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/environment/Relief-Capper-Pass-dispute-ends/article-234204-detail/article.html

http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/index.html?http://www10.antenna.nl/wise/351/3486.html

http://www.hullwebs.co.uk/content/m-21c/newspapers/cappa-pass.htm

Painting: "111" (all the ones I am when I dream)

Clarinet: Robert Schuck

Lust for Life

2010-01-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

"Lust for Life" from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

Lust for life...Europa: Oceanic sixth moon of the planet Jupiter. Frozen surface with liquid ocean beneath. Possible microbial life, deep down.

I think Jupiter is one of the most beautiful planets. It always fills me with awe, & the moon Europa is an enigma held in Jupiter's spectacular enthrall...

"Europa has a tenuous atmosphere composed primarily of oxygen. Its surface is composed of ice and is one of the smoothest in the Solar System. This young surface is striated by cracks and streaks, while craters are relatively infrequent. The apparent youth and smoothness of the surface have led to the hypothesis that a water ocean exists beneath it, which could conceivably serve as an abode for extraterrestrial life. This hypothesis proposes that heat energy from tidal flexing causes the ocean to remain liquid, and drives geological activity..."

Photo: Internet

"Europa": oil on board, 80 x 80 cm

Salon of Kinbaku - Nawashi Murakawa

Salon of Kinbaku: Traditional Japanese rope bondage performed by Jon Blake (pictured above) at the Resistance Gallery, Bethnal Green. www.nawashimurakawa.com

The models are: Elisa, Max and Susie Wong

Our Morphing Love

2010-01-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

"Our Morphing Love" from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

2009 was an adrenaline-fuelled year, for one reason or another. It was great to experience the adrenaline for it's 'fight or flight' purpose and not just for fear of leaving the house...*!* being close to the lions in Johannesburg at the end of last year was the perfect antidote for that. ;-) I went for four fierce days, all the budget would allow - worth every penny!

I wrote this song a few years ago & the painting came soon after. Prompted by vivid dreams. I was delighted to discover Rodney Nombekana's photos of Kev & Meg in the water back in March 2009, it felt like the painting & music were coming to life...

There's a film, www.whitelionthemovie.com, which should be well worth watching. At the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAS) White Lion was nominated for several awards including Best Cinematography /DOP in a feature film (Michael Swan), Best Music Composition in a feature film (Phillip Miller) and Best Sound Design in a feature film (Ivan Millborrow, Nicky De Beer and Charlotte Buys). The film won all the categories it was nominated for. Hurray! ;-D

"According to the legend of the Shangaan, white lions are the messengers of the gods, but it has been years since one has been seen in their remote African valley. When a white lion is miraculously born into that valley, a young Shangaan named Gisani, finds himself destined to protect this rare and magnificent creature at all costs. This young lion, whom will be known as Letsatsi, is cast from his pride and forced to embark upon a perilous journey of survival."

"Cat's Cradle Twisters: Hamon": oil on board, 50 x 50 cm

'hamon' is Japanese, meaning "ripple, ring on the water". It also means "blade pattern" in terms of Japanese swords.

Guitars: Noko 440

How To Say Goodbye

2009-12-12T11:17:00.001-08:00

A tiny moment magnified...

Ann told me that the day before I went over to do the photographs she had been very distressed to find one of the little foals she looks after dead in the field. They're shetland ponies, so it must have been tiny.

Despite this sadness, we had a productive day, all being very creative. They were recording a tune and invited me to sing some backing vocals on it. It was called "I have a noble cock", which caused Ann and I to titter quite a lot. The lyrics were taken from a mediaeval song book. Ann was pleased with the result and held my hand as we listened back to it.

I wrote this song as a memento of the day and invited Andrew Prince to play on it. He really threw himself into the song and gave a lot to the performance. It reminded him of his dad who had sadly passed away. He had green eyes.

When it came to saying goodbye at the end of the day Ann was holding her cat. The cat in question was the one who turned up on her doorstep one halloween. I felt a bit awkward, as sometimes happens, at the moment of parting. Not quite knowing whether to kiss a cheek or give a hug. Anyway, with the green-eyed cat in arms, a little hug would've been tricky...

Water Bomb

2009-12-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

I've lived with Marianne Faithfull for many years now....not literally, of course! But with her music. And before that with the stories about her life which, being very young, I perhaps didn't fully comprehend; fascinated me nevertheless. No doubt she is many things to many people, having many admirers. To me, she inhabits rock pools and lakes existing there ethereally. The corporeal Marianne, an envoy, sent off on mad excursions - often musically, but always with great humour. I asked if I could photograph her earlier this year at an intimate gig held at Rough Trade and was given the green light (facilitated by her helper Andrew Batt). On the way to the gig we were water bombed. We escaped unsoaked as it skimmed my nose, exploding at our feet...;-)

"But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights..."
from The Lady of Shallott, Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892)

Salon of Kinbaku

2009-11-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

It's a bit special this, Jon Blake performing Japanese Rope Bondage at his Salon of Kinbaku life drawing class. Watching him work, you are drawn in hypnotically.

('StringTheory' drawing from 1992)

RESISTANCE GALLERY
265 Poyser Street
Bethnal Green
London E2 9RF