INSIDER'S LOOK: History is Now, Hayward Gallery
Exclusive interview with one of the curators of the Hayward Gallery 2015 exhibition, Turner Prize nominee Roger Hiorns
INSIDER'S LOOK: History is Now, Hayward Gallery
As the Southbank Centre's Hayward Gallery, London opens the new exhibition, History is Now, Roger Hiorns sat down exclusively with Culture Whisper to discuss politics, mad cow and power for our insider's guide London.
Who is artist Roger Hiorns?
You might remember the Roger Hiorns copper sulphate filled bedsit in Peckham, which earned him a Turner Prize nomination back in 2009. But there is no sniff of the Roger Hiorns Seizure commission, with its blue crystalized interior, at the Hayward Gallery this spring.
Instead, along with twins Jane and Louise Wilson, OBE John Akomfrah, British/Japanese artist Simon Fujiwara, photographer Hannah Starkey and sculptor Richard Wentworth, Hiorns has curated a section of the Hayward Gallery 2015 exhibition which focuses on significant cultural moments in the UK over the last 50 years. History is Now forms part of the Southbank Centre Changing Britain festival 2015 which interrogates British history in the run up to the General Election - so ready yourself for intense political debate!
Roger Hiorns: History is Now
Of all the moments to focus on, Hiorns’s section examines the lasting effect of mad cow disease (BSE) and the human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), in Britain. ‘It was quite a difficult period in the 90s for a specific generation of people to find there was an emerging crisis', explains Hiorns when asked why he chose this period of time. His examination is certainly unflinching, with countless cuttings of newspaper and personal stories that reach a hysterical crescendo. Gathering reams of information from archives, Hiorns was
fascinated to ‘look at material which hadn’t really been looked at before’.
As History is Now is so closely linked to the upcoming General Election (less than 80 days to go!), we couldn’t resist asking Hiorns about how he plans to vote. ‘Artist is a far more elevated position in society than politician. I think the destructive tendencies of governments have made politicians untrustworthy, but we all don’t take authority at face value anymore which is incredibly healthy for society.’ Hiorns lives in the key battleground seat of Hampstead & Kilburn where the Liberal Democrats and Labour are closely matched. ‘I think proportional representation would be a far fairer way of doing things - the strangle hold of the two party system is rubbish. They are just born to rule.’
Examining the rest of the Southbank Centre exhibition, Hiorns admires Richard Wentworth’s section, which examines post-war Britain as it tried to rebuild itself. But Hiorns can’t help seeing the Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth drawings as, ‘a grey scarf I wish would go away!’. Even the enormous Bloodhound Mark 2 Surface-to-Air Missile and Launcher, positioned on the roof of the Hayward, Hiorns jokes, ‘would have been better if it had been pointed at Westminster!’
Looking ahead, it's clear that Hiorns hopes this immensely political exhibition will have an impact and change the way we view this period in time. With such a depth of research driving an emotional response from visitors to the Hayward this year, it’s time to make your political leanings clear. We’ll have to agree with Hiorns: ‘We can't unsee what we've seen. We all know too much now.’
Who is artist Roger Hiorns?
You might remember the Roger Hiorns copper sulphate filled bedsit in Peckham, which earned him a Turner Prize nomination back in 2009. But there is no sniff of the Roger Hiorns Seizure commission, with its blue crystalized interior, at the Hayward Gallery this spring.
Instead, along with twins Jane and Louise Wilson, OBE John Akomfrah, British/Japanese artist Simon Fujiwara, photographer Hannah Starkey and sculptor Richard Wentworth, Hiorns has curated a section of the Hayward Gallery 2015 exhibition which focuses on significant cultural moments in the UK over the last 50 years. History is Now forms part of the Southbank Centre Changing Britain festival 2015 which interrogates British history in the run up to the General Election - so ready yourself for intense political debate!
Roger Hiorns: History is Now
Of all the moments to focus on, Hiorns’s section examines the lasting effect of mad cow disease (BSE) and the human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), in Britain. ‘It was quite a difficult period in the 90s for a specific generation of people to find there was an emerging crisis', explains Hiorns when asked why he chose this period of time. His examination is certainly unflinching, with countless cuttings of newspaper and personal stories that reach a hysterical crescendo. Gathering reams of information from archives, Hiorns was
fascinated to ‘look at material which hadn’t really been looked at before’.
As History is Now is so closely linked to the upcoming General Election (less than 80 days to go!), we couldn’t resist asking Hiorns about how he plans to vote. ‘Artist is a far more elevated position in society than politician. I think the destructive tendencies of governments have made politicians untrustworthy, but we all don’t take authority at face value anymore which is incredibly healthy for society.’ Hiorns lives in the key battleground seat of Hampstead & Kilburn where the Liberal Democrats and Labour are closely matched. ‘I think proportional representation would be a far fairer way of doing things - the strangle hold of the two party system is rubbish. They are just born to rule.’
Examining the rest of the Southbank Centre exhibition, Hiorns admires Richard Wentworth’s section, which examines post-war Britain as it tried to rebuild itself. But Hiorns can’t help seeing the Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth drawings as, ‘a grey scarf I wish would go away!’. Even the enormous Bloodhound Mark 2 Surface-to-Air Missile and Launcher, positioned on the roof of the Hayward, Hiorns jokes, ‘would have been better if it had been pointed at Westminster!’
Looking ahead, it's clear that Hiorns hopes this immensely political exhibition will have an impact and change the way we view this period in time. With such a depth of research driving an emotional response from visitors to the Hayward this year, it’s time to make your political leanings clear. We’ll have to agree with Hiorns: ‘We can't unsee what we've seen. We all know too much now.’
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