Christopher Mathews (ii)

C's works are intended to dialogue with the spectator on themes of voyeurism, criticism, gender, body image, working conditions, intersections of the classical and contemporary, icon vs self, pop culture and dance history. He is interested in what happens when he brings his experiences of performing in reality television, which feel like a performance of the self, into other spaces such as the gallery, where the body becomes an object/ image for contemplation, more than a spectacle. ... is interested in the tensions of these colliding presentations, and the politics of seeing and acting in these contexts.




Lads looks at queering masculinity in dance history whilst simultaneously questioning how class structure plays a role in defining masculinity. The work reconfigures a dance battle between two figures wearing Adidas tracksuits. Each performer moulds between sculpture poses from art and dance history. The work seeks to shift normal perceptions of time through the way the performers move and the sound created by Naoto Hieda using a movement responsive computer program. #Lads is a hashtag usually reserved for traditional displays of masculinity and normative gender roles. In line with the installation Lads, I wish to occupy this virtual space with contrasting critical images to explore how the work collides with popular culture. Audiences of the live work are invited to post photos and videos of the work, or others of their choosing, onto instagram.