Pipeline: What does this space mean for you?

Matilda Sutton:

To me the pipeline is a chance to experiment and test new and uncertain areas as well give a sense of what's germinating in the studio. I like the dimensions and light of the space which give a kind of intimacy to the way you view works in there. It’s a contrast to the bright open space of the main gallery that is viewable from the street - more of a safe testing ground for work that feels new and vulnerable. That’s an unusual type of chance to introduce your work to people who may not have seen it before.

Gabriel Kidd:

It has the feel of somewhere you’re not normally allowed but where the plans for future projects are stewing. I love the quiet introduction of exhibiting in it. Being able to share space with another show without interrupting that artist’s world, carving out something self contained.

P: Why have you chosen to present this work in advance of your upcoming exhibition?

MS:

I chose to present Mantle because it's the realisation of specific ideas that have been bubbling  away for sometime. The pipeline seemed the perfect opportunity to put it out in the world. It’s also connected to the work that will be included in the upcoming show whilst still being quite different. The piece came from material experiments but also ongoing enquiries into the boundaries of bodies and between bodies, and working with the idea of wrappings, cloaks, veils and cloth that carries or covers. However in the upcoming show these ideas are approached pictorially - in the actions of the figures involved. This focus also came from conversations with Gabriel and finding these points of overlap and shared concerns, getting excited about how these ideas of interiority and preoccupation with containers might be communicated across different practices. 

GK:

Magpies outside my window again feels key to the direction I want to be making in, somewhere that touches on more senses than sight and aims to be more encompassing. Sound knocks on people’s internal world, lets them build visions in their heads without needing to engage with specific reference - I think the immediacy is pretty magical. It’s still pretty new to me which is why the Pipeline space is so ideal, offering up a chance to present something that doesn't have a conclusion quite yet. I’ve tried to focus on layering, stretching, and flattening field recordings to build up a small landscape of sounds. Something in that feels connected to the drawing; a stacking, rubbing out, restacking etc. It felt right to show the two bits of practice together ahead of the upcoming show as a vibe setter for the stories and approaches to making I want to bring to the exhibition. I think having something so unintrusive in the space also opens up a way for mine and Matilda’s work to find conversation with each other in ways we might not have come to otherwise. We’ve been speaking about veils, walls, caves, so the atmosphere feels like an important thing for us to find ways to construct. 

P: How have you used ‘the Pipeline’ for previous exhibitions at the gallery?

MS:

The first time I used the pipeline was to present a small painting called Sleepovers . It was a work that felt like a good introduction to my practice - being the first time I’d shown in the gallery. It featured figures typical to my paintings; androgynous and in varying states of dress and furriness. It also represented a slight pivot-point with the involvement of multiple figures instead of one solitary subject.

GK:

My previous pipeline work Beneath the Mountain was a really valuable testing ground, having a drawing as the main focus was new to my practice at the time. Being the first time I’d shown anything in London, I was nervous to make sure I communicated everything clearly. I think I felt some internal pressure to present a fully contained story so in went the drawing, installation, a long text etc. The worldbuilding has really sprawled out since but I look at that work now and see it as a turning point in learning how to communicate that world. 

P: How does this opportunity present itself differently compared with your first experience in this space?

MS:

I’ve chosen a newer, sculptural work this time around. Having a developing relationship with Pipeline as a gallery has given me the confidence to present work that is fresh from the studio and might look a little different from other things I've made. It’s also in some ways a lot more specific, this piece comes from a particular set of ideas i’m working with and shares visual elements with what will be included in the next show. And again the aspect of this being a duo show, gave clarity to what I’d want to include. I like that we’ve both chosen works that are materially different to what will be seen in the show, but lay out a conceptual or tonal introduction. 

GK: This feels more like a prologue to me rather than a self contained chapter, like the last time I used the pipeline. It is more of a building towards the upcoming show’s potential atmosphere. It also feels like an opportunity to be more confident in not giving too much away, enjoying the restraint of something small and non-physical. Maybe being more comfortable in the gallery brings an opportunity to not lay everything out on the table. I’m really excited to share the space with Matilda which is a big change from doing it on your own! I think we’ll give each other’s work layers that connect/disconnect/obscure/reveal things in our practices - maybe this is where that pressure to explain is pulled away for me? The works in the room offer each other extra context. I feel like, with the work Matilda is showing, mine can inhabit the room more loosely with Matilda’s magical sculpture to anchor us.