Main Gallery

Kevin Laycock

Collision

An exhibition in collaboration with Michael Berkeley

13 October - 12 November, 2011

Art First proudly presents Collision, a collaboration between composer Michael Berkeley and visual artist Kevin Laycock. This is the result of cross-disciplinary work that examines the intersection of research in music and contemporary art, in particular, the questions associated with the analysis, translation and interpretation of the musical score into a visual format using painting practice and digital media. This immersive piece combines sound and digital visuals and is accompanied by Laycock's concurrent original works on paper.

Kevin Laycock is a Leeds based artist and classical musician. Since studying at the Royal College of Art, he has exhibited widely throughout the UK, mainly through Art First. Laycock's two most recent publications, Uncertain Harmonies and Tectonics were both concerned with the interpretation of visual and harmonic information derived from the musical score. Laycock teaches at the University of Leeds.

Michael Berkeley is an internationally known composer. He studied at London's Royal Academy of Music and then with Richard Rodney Bennett concentrating on composition. Berkeley's output ranges from solo instrumental to a series of concerti and the operas. He has been Associate Composer to both the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales and is currently featured composer to the New York Philomusica. He has been commissioned by leading festivals in Europe and Australia and by the BBC Proms. He is also well known as a television and radio broadcaster on music, currently presenting BBC Radio 3's Private Passions.

This exhibition was previously at Gallery Oldham and Leeds Art Gallery. There is a University of Leeds publication "Collision" available including texts by the artist, the composer, the critic Richard Cork and the musicologist Anthony Gritten.