2014, London, UK         


Smile All the While



Three channel video installation
Duration 25 minutes
Commissioned by Whitechapel Gallery

Where does a story begin and end? Can a character become real? Artists Heather and Ivan Morison take us on a humorous exploration of how fiction and every

day life can be woven together. Smile All the While uses games and improvisation to trigger unexpected and playful situations. Presented on three monitors and structured as a play in six acts, this commission for the Whitechapel Gallery draws on Heather and Ivan Morison's interest in performance, storytelling, object theatre and comedy.

A man, a woman and a young girl are telling a story. They talk about love and friendship. They are playing games that involve objects, words, jokes, waiting and watching. The conversation follows certain rhythms, patterns and rules. The space turns into a set, and dialogues evolve as a kind of story-making-machine. Within the character's immersive and strange world, one becomes aware that 'each rule has a consequence'.


Heather and Ivan Morison were inspired by a year-long residence in a local school, where they explored with students ways of learning and making through play - using objects, trees, puppets, shelters and writing to test out possibilities of how to be creative within the school environment.

Known for their large scale sculptural installations, one-off happenings, a nomadic puppet theatre company and fictional writings, Heather and Ivan Morison challenge the boundaries of different art forms and consider how places and communities can be transformed through collective action.

Sofia Victorino, Daskalopoulos Head of Education & Public Programmes, Whitechapel Gallery, London


       



Produced with assistance from DiverseWorks, Houston

Filmed by Harry Dearing III

With special thanks to Thomas Buxton Primary School (London Borough of Tower Hamlets): teachers David Cooke, Olivia Greenaway, assistant head teacher Zinath Begum, and all the many students of Year 4 that took part in the residency, from September 2012 to July 2013.

Thanks also to the actors Tek Wilson, Kaleb Fields and Kallen Haynes.

Love Me or Leave Me Alone        

Publication



Love Me or Leave Me Alone, The Very Public Art of Heather Peak and Ivan Morison presents a journey through the past decade and a half of the artists’ practice, with an emphasis on their pavilions, escape vehicles, and public artworks.  The book can be ordered from the publishers Art/Books
Press contact        


If you can’t find the information you are looking for you can contact the studio of Heather Peak and Ivan Morison here: studio@peakmorison.org