Francesca Bertolotti-Bailey, Acting Head of Programme of Kettle’s Yard, says: ‘The idea for the series was inspired by Jim and Helen Ede, the founders of Kettle’s Yard. They hosted, commissioned and collected artists all of their life. Most of their friends were artists, and artists were undoubtedly the people they respected and trusted the most. So in this moment of uncertainty, it only makes sense for us to turn to artists and their worldviews to help make sense of our new normal. I am asking artists who have worked at Kettle’s Yard to answer to three questions with a short video. Enjoy!’
Watch Francesca’s introduction to the series.
Watch artist Marcus Coates’s response, filmed at his home, in the countryside near Malvern, Herefordshire, England.
About Marcus Coates
The work of Marcus Coates (London, 1968) focuses on relationships and re-imagines their defining characteristics as individuals, communities and species. His approach to art-making is often functional, with a social and ecological impact in mind, and the work may take the form of performance, photography, installation or video. Marcus has collaborated with people from a wide range of disciplines including anthropologists, ornithologists, wildlife sound recordists, choreographers, politicians, psychiatrists, palliative care consultants, musicians, and primatologists, amongst others.
Marcus Coates has been working with Kettle’s Yard to form The Royston Assembly, a group of residents in Royston, Hertfordshire that meets regularly to explore issues put forward by individuals and organisations from across the world. Responding to the need for radically different approaches to decision-making in society, the group uses imaginative techniques to provide new perspectives and insight into these issues. The group meets in Royston Cave, a unique and mysterious subterranean structure that lies beneath a busy street, re-purposing its historic function as a site of ritual to imbue it with a new civic function.
A new film by Marcus Coates and Leah Millar exploring the inner workings of the group will be released later in 2020. It will be screened at Kettle’s Yard as part of an exhibition that will include other material generated by the work of the group in the months leading up to and during the Covid-19 crisis, including clothing and masks that are worn during meetings. The project is part of New Geographies, a three-year partnership between nine organisations in the East of England.
Instagram @marcus_coates_
www.marcuscoates.co.uk