STRUCTURА OPEN WINDOWS #4: Nicholas McArthur. Don’t Bury My Heart Here
11.10.2023 - 28.10.2023
From dark alleys to litter-strewn wastelands, Nicholas McArthur seeks salvation in seemingly inhospitable surroundings.
His practice brings together various elements: specific lighting and sound, costumes and homemade props, and salvaged materials. They combine to create performances, videos and installations.
Nicholas McArthur is the fourth resident of Structura Open Windows and his video installation Don’t Bury My Heart Here will turn the audience’s attention to objects that don’t normally engage them – trash. The two-part film tells the story of a lone protagonist who explores the city’s wasteland with the help of a homemade device that tunes in to the voices of discarded objects. These objects share their stories, creating a fragmented narrative that reflects on the fate of abandoned objects. Dressed in old clothes, McArthur takes to the streets to become his characters, which are often lost or in search of something. Racing past unsuspecting people or run from stray dogs. In his work, the focus is firmly rooted in the present moment. The character’s lonely searches are accompanied by a sense of anxiety and uncertainty that seems to respond directly to the urban environment.
McArthur’s video works are reminiscent of the kind of oddball creations you find on YouTube. Low, amateur-like production values help to qualify the sincerity and fragility of McArthur’s performances. He is proposing his films as real artefacts, as if they had been made by one of his characters.
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Nicholas McArthur is a visual artist, who comes from London and now works in Sofia. He graduated from the Royal College of Art. Originally, he has a painting background and has worked extensively with video and installation. After that, he graduated from Central St Martins (UAL) with a First Class Hons degree. McArthur’s work has been shown at galleries and festivals in the UK and abroad.
The project is realised with the financial support of the National Culture Fund PROGRAMME FOR RESTORATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRIVATE CULTURAL ORGANISATIONS.
Art manager: Nana Melkonyants
Nana Melkonjanc’s interview with Nicholas MacArthur can be read HERE.
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