Tahera Aziz

[re]locate

 

Dates:  Saturday 16 January - Saturday 10 April 2010

Preview: Friday 15 January, 6pm - 9pm

Opening Times:  Monday to Friday 10am - 7pm and Saturday 10am - 5pm

Admission:  Free

 

New Art Exchange is proud to present this ground-breaking sound installation by Tahera Aziz, which revisits the place where Stephen Lawrence was tragically murdered. This 'experience' is an attempt to preserve the memory of, and bring some understanding to the tragic events surrounding his death...

 

[re]locate revisits an ordinarily public ‘place’ that retains the traces of a deeply significant event; it is concerned with the processes involved in struggling to preserve the memory of that event whilst offering new insights. The impetus for the work flows from the tragic events surrounding the racially motivated murder of 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence near a bus stop in South London in 1993, and the deep impact this has had publicly particularly following the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry into the police handling of the murder investigation, and its subsequent lack of resolution.

 

Taking the notion of the daily routine of waiting at the bus stop as its starting point, [re]locate explores the disruption of the everyday, to foreground the event once again, highlighting detailed elements that have particular resonance.

 

‘...never take the tedious task of waiting for a bus for granted...’

What Stephen Lawrence Has Taught Us by Benjamin Zephaniah

 

Tahera Aziz has had a longstanding creative and political interest in identity, migration and racism. She has produced photo-based and installation work that explores how wider socio-political issues or events can impact on the individual to shape their experiences, and their sense of self and belonging. Motivated by a desire to explore the potential of sound to re-examine events associated with the Stephen Lawrence case, Aziz has developed [re]locate with funding from the Arts Council of England and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, in partnership with London South Bank University, PVA MediaLab and New Art Exchange.

 

During the exhibition, the artist will be requesting visitors to give some feedback on their experience of the sonic installation. In keeping with the research process, these responses will be integral to the evolution of the artwork as it moves to new locations and spaces.