How Shall I Get Elephants To Stay – exhibition

A SOLO EXHIBITION BY MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST GAYNOR PERRY

Islington Arts Factory, 2 Parkhurst Road, London N7 0SF

28 April to 19 May, 2017

About the exhibition

This is an exhibition of the artwork featured in Gaynor's book of dreams,  entitled as above.

Here, you will find paintings, photographs, and sculptures that express the artist's subconscious reality, guiding the empathic bonds she forms with the Animal Kingdom and Mother Nature.

During sleep the body and mind repair themselves in order to thrive. It is a time for restoration where essential truths are revealed in the realm of dreams, engaging with all the senses. In dreams, perception of time and space defies scientific laws. There are no rules in these surreal vistas, only an invitation to explore, untethered, and learn the true nature of our fears and desires.

Throughout history a reverence for the power and meaning of dreams has shaped civilisations.  They provide us with a potent awareness of ourselves and our bearing in the world.

Gaynor invites you to peer through her subliminal lens, lifting the veil on isolation and re-establishing a deep connection with the natural world, reflecting it within oneself.

Opening reception

On the opening night, Friday, 28 April, there was a presentation of my audiovisual work, including music composition and production, singing, and songwriting. I directed and produced each of these films, which feature generously talented friends and collaborators.

Still from St Anne's Well – immersive soundscape by Gaynor Perry

St Anne's Well (40 mins)

St Anne's Well is a meditative audio-visual experience designed to enhance a connection with the natural world. This piece incorporates CymaScope imagery transcribed from the source audio.

There is little known about St Anne's Well, an ancient holy well originally called Wealletune, after the place-name Welton in East Yorkshire. It was adopted by Christianity and renamed St Anne's Well around 1080. Prior to this, it is believed to have been a site of pagan ritual, with the well serving as a portal to the Otherworld. This place holds particular meaning for me, as I played around the site of the well as a child. Unaware at the time of the history beneath my feet, I find myself continuing to be drawn back there in dreams.

"... the holy well stands before a long, if tiny and ill-lit, corridor of history with doors leading off into many unexpected and little-visited rooms..." —James Rattue, author of The Living Stream.

As the soundscape evolves, various bird calls sing out, while at the still centre is the heron. The heron, an enigmatic being richly featured in mythology and folklore, holds a special place in my heart. To me, herons are among the most beautiful creatures to grace our skies, and whenever I see one, I instinctively feel it is a 'good omen'; they resonate deeply with me. In St Anne's Well, the heron may serve as both guardian and oracle, yet it is always an enduring presence in our subconscious landscapes.

"Give the bird a gift. Open the portal to the Otherworld."

Excerpt here.

What is a CymaScope? “The CymaScope is a new type of analog scientific instrument that makes sound visible, allowing scientists to see sound's vibrations. Within the instrument the surface of pure water offers a kind of super-sensitive membrane and by imprinting sounds onto the liquid surface, unique patterns of sound energy are created for every unique sound. Just as the invention of the microscope and telescope revealed aspects of the world and Universe that we didn't even know existed, the CymaScope allows the once hidden realm of sound to become visible. And since everything in the Universe is in a state of vibration a tool that shows the structures within sound and vibration can provide important new scientific insights.” John Stuart Reid.

Estelle Riviere as The Owl.
Concept and photography – Gaynor Perry.
Venue – Islington Arts Factory

Estelle Riviere (Monsterlune)

Estelle created the owl costume and performance based on my sketch and painting Blue Bear. Estelle is known for her highly creative and outlandish performances, showcasing her unique talent for costume making and painting, and transporting her audience into the realms of the surreal.

St Anne's Well was beautifully described by Estelle's spellbinding improvised movement performance.

Estelle Riviere as The Owl 

Estelle Riviere as the owl in the CymaGlyph

Estelle Riviere as The Owl

Blue Bear – 40 x 40cm, oil on board

Audiovisual Programme – Opening Reception

FORGETTING RESCUE

featuring Deborah Griffin, Gaynor Perry,

Estelle Riviere, Maria Rosa Mojo

POISON ARROWS

featuring Howie and Simone Austwick

ANTIDOTE

featuring Evelyne Allard, Noko 440, Gaynor Perry

PERPETUAL BABY

featuring Marnie Scarlet

RICHES ARE GREEN

featuring Gaynor Perry

FATHOMS

featuring Gaynor Perry

CONJURE WITH FIRE

featuring Francis Angol, Estelle Riviere, John Stuart Reid

Selected works

The exhibition comprises 40 works—photography, painting, and sculpture. Here  is an album of the complete works. Below is a selection.

Primary Route – 80 x 80 cm, oil on board.

The subconscious landscape: my route to primary school as viewed from above. This geography was imprinted on my impressionable and budding subconscious, forming the backdrop for sensory episodes delivered in the dream state and still is my prime nocturnal haunting ground. I know this landscape intimately. The red paint signifies areas of anxiety.

 Little Feet – Air-dried clay sculpture of child's feet. 10 x 6 cm, 13 x 7 cm.

What Shapes Me – 28 x 23 x 10 cm, air-dried clay sculpture. Books.

The Sacred Blue Penguin Portal – Fabric, thread & paint 110 x 25 x 17 cm

The Sacred Blue Penguin Portal – Fabric, thread & paint 110 x 25 x 17 cm

The Sacred Blue Penguin Portal – Fabric, thread & paint 110 x 25 x 17 cm 

Hermit's Burrow – wooden box painted blue,
approximately 42 x 42 x 42 cm, covered in chicken wire, camouflaged with twigs. 
The opening framed with aged timber. Inside the box is a wooden bed.
The mattress is filled with earth and covered in a thin, red quilt.
Seated on the bed is an anthropomorphic bird woman sculpture made from air-dried clay.
Standing sentinel by the box is an aged timber post mounted on a blue wooden square, 40 x 10 x 10 cm.


 

The Resident, Hermit's Burrow - Air dried clay, fabric & wood, soil

Tim-Lay-Lav – Air-dried clay sculpture . 20 x 20 cm

 Charming Fellow, Patagonian Mara – Black & white photographic print

Tim-Lay-Lav – Air-dried clay sculpture . 20 x 20 cm. Mirror disc. Glass bell cloche.

Portrait of Bert – Black & white photographic print. 101.6 x 76.2 cm

I Prick My Thumb: An introvert in the making – hand-carved alder wood thumb, 42 x 20 cm.
Rope. An outline of the artist's body in blue tailor's chalk, hand-stitched in blue thread on pale silk material, with a stitched central silver seam shaped at the throat into a tuning fork, 194 x 110 cm.

I Prick My Thumb: An introvert in the making 

Little Feet – Air-dried clay sculpture of child's feet. 10 x 6 cm, 13 x 7 cm. Mirror disc. Glass bell cloche.

Elephantine Beginnings – Black & white photographic print. 101.6 x 76.2 cm 

Installation Views

Guest Photos

What Shapes Me. Photo – Spacy Gracy

The Sacred Blue Penguin Portal. Photo – Stephen Crampton-Hayward

Opening night audiovisual. Photo – Deborah Griffin

Opening night audiovisual. Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia 

Estelle Riviere, opening night. Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia 

Opening night, We Morph #2 and The Solution.  Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia 

The Sacred Blue Penguin Portal.  Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia

Opening night.  Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia

We Morph #1-2. Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia

Little Feet. Photo – Deborah Griffin

I Prick My Thumb: An introvert in the making. Photo – Deborah Griffin 

Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Photo – Deborah Griffin

Estelle Riviere as The Owl/Sacred Blue Penguin Portal. Photo – Deborah Griffin

Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Photo – Zaz Arnold

The Owl – performance by Estelle Riviere for St Anne's Well

Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Lou Looby Love

Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby

Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby

Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby

Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby

Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby

Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby

Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby

An exhibition doesn't happen by itself. With heartfelt thanks for their seamless and solid support: Jen Snowball, Joe White, Estelle Riviere, Eleanor Pearce, and Aleks Solinski/Ace Bros.

HERE'S THE AUDIO VERSION - HOW SHALL I GET ELEPHANTS TO STAY?

Jane Perry Woodgate – An Ode to 60 Years

These portraits of Jane — bassist Jane Crockford of the Mo‑dettes — were created to mark her 60th birthday. Instead of returning to the familiar visual language of punk fashion or live performance, Jane chose to strip away every accoutrement and be photographed nude among the trees at Chiswick House. We took a picnic.

She wanted to commemorate this milestone in a way that felt true to her spirit: uncompromising, mythic, and defiantly herself.

These portraits subvert the expected aesthetics of music photography. They show a punk pioneer not through a sartorial lens or stage lights, but through radical presence, unflinching vulnerability, and raw autonomy — the essence of punk stripped back to its core.

Jane’s lithe body reflects her worldliness and her hard‑won self‑acceptance. Her observations and poetic insight amplify this sense of release.

Through my photography I aim for the moment someone emerges from within and the camera disappears. Kindness and honesty are my rebellion; I strip away surface expectations to create space where collaborators feel seen, understood, and fiercely themselves.

Here are her poignant words about reaching this milestone in her life.

FÒK DID THAT HAPPEN HOW THE 

by Jane Perry Woodgate

Physically, I work hard

lifting, carrying, so much heaviness

spiritually, I work hard

lifted, carried, so much happiness

In the early morning it is difficult to climb

the stairs at the station

my legs ache so much

at the strain

In the early evening, it is delightful to descend

the stairs at the station

my heart hops and skips

homeward bound 

The future uncertain

no money

pension poverty

The future is certain

just love

blessedness and bliss

So, today I free my body

my soul

my mind

my heart

I climb trees naked and dance

I celebrate

every year

every moment

every person I have loved

I laugh and say

never stop singing

never stop praying

never stop loving

and most of all

I say

thank you.

Poem by Jane Perry Woodgate
Photography by Gaynor Perry

Haworth, Brontës Old Haunt

Visiting the home of the Brontës is a rite of passage for any poetic soul. The story of the Brontë family is now as well known as their books — and just as compelling. Tracing the sisters’ footsteps through Haworth churchyard, across the moors, and along cobbled streets and flagstones is an immersive experience. One hundred and sixty-nine years after the publication of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, the place still resounds with the Brontë spirit. In fact, their legacy sustains and inspires an entire community.

A signpost to Brontë Falls, a holiday home named Heathcliff, and a lorry emblazoned with Brontë Water — I couldn’t help but wonder if the chickens I encountered, scratching in the graves, were aware of their rich cultural heritage.

Hiding her chicks from the cat ...

Stepping into Haworth Church alone, I approached the corner where the Brontë Altar stands and was greeted by the violent crackle of static from the church sound system, coinciding with my first step onto the altar platform. It was a deeply shocking sound, as churches are usually such tranquil places. Yet, I found myself surprisingly calm in the midst of it. I doubted that this sanctuary had been rigged to startle unsuspecting Brontë pilgrims — especially with the famously haunted Black Bull just a few metres away. It felt as though the atmospheres described in their stories lingered around me; the sisters certainly did not disappoint.

The table where the stories where written ...

Haworth, East Yorkshire.

Primary Route

 

Primary Route – 80 x 80 cm, oil on board

The subconscious landscape: my route to primary school as viewed from above.

This geography was imprinted on my impressionable and budding subconscious, forming the backdrop for sensory episodes delivered in the dream state, and still is my prime nocturnal haunting ground.

I know this landscape intimately.

Conjure With Fire

Nothing would happen, I could conjure with fire.

Sunlit horizon perplexed by trees, abandoned ruins
Naked limbs twisted together, some broken, even more beautiful
I can conjure with fire, see sparrows in the afterglow.

I died again today, there's no mystery surrounding the cell
No-one will love you more than you love yourself
So imagine love – ignite your potential.

Before we descend into chaos, I'll hold your hand and see you
for who you truly are in dissonance enduring the weight of your scars.

We can conjure with fire.

written, performed & produced © ℗ Gaynor Perry

This audiovisual piece features CymaScope imagery meticulously transcribed from the soundtrack by John Stuart Reid's team.

What is a CymaScope? “The CymaScope is a new type of analog scientific instrument that makes sound visible, allowing scientists to see sound's vibrations. Within the instrument the surface of pure water offers a kind of super-sensitive membrane and by imprinting sounds onto the liquid surface, unique patterns of sound energy are created for every unique sound. Just as the invention of the microscope and telescope revealed aspects of the world and Universe that we didn't even know existed, the CymaScope allows the once hidden realm of sound to become visible. And since everything in the Universe is in a state of vibration a tool that shows the structures within sound and vibration can provide important new scientific insights.” John Stuart Reid.

Movement artist and choreographer, Francis Angol, sculpts a passage through the song with great care and thoughtful momentum. As a counterpoint to the strength conveyed by Francis, The Owl, played by performance artist Estelle Riviere, portrays an otherworldly fragility.

I would like this piece to transmit the idea of harnessing the power of anger for transformation. For me, the beautiful morphing quality of the CymaScope imagery describes the intangible evolution from one state of being to another through the psychic and emotional complexities of the human spirit. 

The CymaScope offers us the opportunity to visualise these changes taking place on a cellular level. That we are partly comprised water enhances our affinity with the sound structures produced by this invaluable instrument.

Conjure With Fire from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

Featuring:

Francis Angol – movement artist & choreographer

Estelle Riviere – as the Owl and maker of costume

John Stuart Reid – Cymascope footage

Film, concept & music written, performed & produced by © Gaynor Perry

movementangol.co.uk

monsterlune.net

cymascope.com

Estelle Riviere as The Owl

Estelle Riviere as The Owl

Francis Angol in the CymaGlyph 

Estelle Riviere as The Owl

Francis Angol

Estelle Riviere as The Owl

Francis Angol 

Estelle Riviere as The Owl

Estelle Riviere – as The Owl 

Estelle Riviere – as The Owl 

Estelle Riviere – as The Owl in the CymaGlyph

Estelle Riviere – as The Owl 

Estelle Riviere

Francis Angol

Exhibiting The Dawn

My painting The Dawn Has A Lot To Offer will be on show as part of the Islington Arts Factory Summer Salon.

“The Summer Salon embodies Islington Arts Factory’s ethos of creating an atmosphere where everyone feels welcome to participate, and providing a launch pad for local and emerging talent,” says Eleanor Pearce, IAF’s Art Director. “The idea for the show grew from French salons where people would meet to discuss the arts and exchange ideas. During the Salon we will be promoting formal and informal discussions about contemporary art themes”. 

Exhibition: 10th June – 1st July 2016

Private View: 10th June 6.30pm – 9.30pm

Islington Arts Factory, 2 Parkhurst Road, London N7 0SF

www.islingtonartsfactory.org

The Dawn Has A Lot To Offer

98 x 98 cm (framed) oil on board 

Detail below.

 

About this painting: Over a six-month period, I photographed the dawn on my phone. No matter how late I was running, there was always time for a photograph. These fleeting moments were captured between shampoo and eyeliner, the creak of the wardrobe door, and a flurry of garments.

The dawn began to infiltrate my dreams, until I was completely imbued with the spirit of night transforming into day. This feeling became the raw material for my painting.

This is one of the photographs I took of the dawn while creating the painting. I have never seen the sun do that before—or since.

I'm always watching the light