21st Oct 2013 12:00pm-1:30pm
Sallis Benney Theatre
Dave Stephens' recent work has been described as exploring “the tensions between incidental encounters and economies of dispersal, … increasingly relevant in a globalised world”. (Michael Stanley - Modern Art Oxford).
His art, which includes sculpture, film, performance and interactive mail art, uses the premise that a structure is born out of a necessity to support itself. In his latest series of works he looks at the way that mysteries can be associated with clues as a way to punctuate their form. This all stems from his original work as a performance artist in the 1970’s where words were used to brush the air into monologues that had both literal and abstract meaning. Throughout Stephens’ career there has been a constant concern about how the small and the large are dependant on each other for form, structure and texture.
As a performance artist Stephens collaborated with Performance Artists Jeff Nuttal, John Bull Puncture Repair Kit, Forkbeard Fantasy, Ian Hinchliffe, Rob Conn and Roger Ely. As a solo performer he has been often credited with being one of the forerunners of what was to become alternative comedy. His work is typified by unique and expressive monologues that have foundations in comedy and the Theatre of the Absurd.
Dave Stephens has performed in hundreds of spaces across many countries and has exhibited his sculptures in many galleries including the Laing Gallery, Newcastle and the Economist Building, London.
Alongside his solo projects Stephens has worked on a series of collaborative film projects with Matt Page and the experimental musician Steve Beresford.
