Bradley, Rachal
Rachal Bradley is interested in systems as a ‘set of things working together as parts of an interconnecting network; a complex whole’. Investigating the overlaps and interlaps between different system operations, the focus of her work is not necessarily the finished product, but the processes of relations created therein.
Interlocutor, 2018 was first shown as part of the artist’s solo exhibition of the same name at Gasworks, London. Here, her series of purpose-engineered, vacuum-formed units were installed on the exterior building. The network of red power cables also encircled and penetrated the institution’s hidden areas, such as offices, corridors and a terrace. Inside each unit is a component which expels negative ions into the surrounding atmosphere. Negative ions are said to be abundant in nature, especially present in waterfalls and thunderstorms, and to bring energy and vitality to humans. Adorning Gasworks’ facade like a complex alarm system, the units transformed the organisation into a large negative ion generator. Bradley plays with this overt visual reference to security and privacy, as well as the inversion of a ‘negative’ force into a ‘positive’.
The exhibition Interlocutor was commissioned and produced by Gasworks, through the Freelands Artist Programme, in partnership with Künstlerhaus Stuttgart.
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- Material description: Vacuum formed high-impact polystyrene, electrical components, wiring, junction box and installation hardware
- Credit line: © the artist
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- Accession number: ACC10/2018