Pardip Kapil EXPLORERS Residency

September–December 2022

From September–December 2022, Pardip Kapil undertook a three-month residency at Studio Voltaire, in partnership with ActionSpace, forming part of the acclaimed Explorers Project.

In his practice, Kapil stages large-scale installations which contain bricolage, costumes and props which form spontaneous and site specific participatory performances, incorporating sound and projections to create ritualistic and often surreal work. At Studio Voltaire, Kapil had expanded space and time to focus on testing and experimentation. Supported by ActionSpace Artist Facilitators and guest mentor artists, the residency provided production support, external visits, artist fees and a production budget, allowing Kapil to develop his practice in meaningful ways.

During his residency, Kapil was supported by artist-mentors Pete Gomes, Richard Phoenix, Solomon Garçon, Emily Rees-Haynes, Louis Caseley and Shelly Davies, whose expertise developed new approaches to processes, materials and tools. The residency culminated in a live installation event as part of Studio Voltaire’s Open House 2022, which included a large-scale installation made from handmade and found objects, whilst Kapil mastered and remixed audio segments from an audio pad controller. Looped projections stretched across the room and temporary sculptural structures within the space.

Pardip Kapil's Studio Voltaire residency is in partnership with ActionSpace and is part of the Explorers Project. Explorers is led by Project Art Works and is supported by Arts Council England and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Pardip Kapil’s practice is part installation, part happening. He creates spontaneous, site-specific, temporary structures and scenes which frequently evolve with the artist as central to the work. He combines installation and impromptu performance with his eccentric hand-made costumes and props, found objects, music and projections to create multilayered experiences and moments. Essential to his practice is the public who are invited to engage with and often become part of the work. He explores the recurrent themes of celebrations, Christmas, Discos and FunFairs; reworking his ideas into many varied layouts whilst responding to the environment he’s working in. He documents his work through film and photography, recording the people and himself in his spaces often reworking the footage and images back into the next happening. Pardip’s energetic, often surreal practice is infectious and pure creativity. Since 2010 Kapil has led multiple live art events through ActionSpace’s Live Art programme including Pop Up Pardip 2018 and Tubelines 2019, Tate Exchange, Tate Modern and Pop Up Pardip’s Zoom Disco, Wandsworth Arts Fringe 2021.

Learn more at actionspace.org/artists/pardip-kapil
ActionSpace is London’s leading development agency for learning disabled artists. They are an exceptional visual arts organisation with big ambitions for all the artists that they work with. They support, advocate and promote diversity within the contemporary visual arts sector. All of their work is focused towards enabling learning disabled artists to have a professional career in the arts.

www.actionspace.org
EXPLORERS (2021-2023) is a dynamic collaborative programme of art and action that opens up routes into artistic practice for neurominorities, dismantling attitudinal and systemic barriers to representation and rights in art and society. It is led by Project Art Works and is in partnership with ActionSpace, Autograph, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Intoart, MK Gallery, Outside in, Photoworks and Venture Arts. The Explorers Project is supported by Arts Council England and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Learn more at projectartworks.org, or follow @Explorers__Project on Instagram.
Zoë Maxwell

Pardip Kapil EXPLORERS Residency

September–December 2022

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