Terrestrial Act III follows on from a series of evolving immersive exhibitions as part of the project Terrestrial Act. Brought to Thames-Side Studios Gallery, Hot Desque creates a future-past landscape through the theatrical presentation of six artists’ sculptures within a set. Initially presented on stage at the Theatre Royal Newcastle within an ornate yet empty theatre, now, dislodged in a new spacetime, the set has transformed over time. The grand auditorium has collapsed and disintegrated, replaced by a vast empty factory space in an industrial complex in Woolwich.

Also showing is a collaborative artist film, shot on the Theatre Royal stage, as the microscopic lives of organic matter perform their own stories under the spotlight. From 3-D printed biodegradable saplings, through to mic’d up clay bubbling, the focus shifts between past and present, staged and unstaged, organic and fabricated. The film points to the role played by the human hand in altering the terrestrial terrain around us.

Founded in 2018, Hot Desque is a curatorial partnership by artists Lizzy Drury and Neena Percy, showing emerging and established artists within site-specific exhibitions including a former nightclub. The exhibitions bring artworks together as part of a theatrical mise-en-scène, providing a platform for experimentation and interdependence.

This project has been made possible with the support from Arts Council England, Theatre Royal Newcastle and The NewBridge Project.

Images: Terrestrial Act III, installation photos courtesy Hot Desque, poster design by Sam Tomsky, 2021

Thames-Side Studios Gallery
Thames-Side Studios
Harrington Way, Warspite Road
Royal Borough of Greenwich
London SE18 5NR.


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