Ghosting the Periphery: A Catalyst Arts Commission by Danny Bright Hatton Gallery, Newcastle University

7 – 28 January 2015 A new installation by sound artist and composer Danny Bright is set to open at the Hatton Gallery on Wednesday 7 January 2015. Funded by Catalyst Arts, Ghosting the Periphery is a site-specific commission reflecting on the remarkable and layered histories of the Hatton ahead of its planned major redevelopment in 2016. The impetus for the installation came during the artist’s initial explorations of the venue. During this research, Bright was struck by the peripheral spaces that surround the galleries but are never usually seen, such as the disused mezzanine above Gallery Four: “I became interested in the private and public areas of the Gallery as kinds of ‘sonic palimpsests’ - spaces that resonate with the traces of something that was once there but has since been removed.” On the commission, Madeleine Kennedy, Keeper of Art at the Hatton Gallery said: “We chose Danny Bright for this commission because of the affinities between his work and that of Kurt Schwitters, whose Merz Barn Wall is the star of our collection. “Schwitters pioneered different uses of sound and text in art and it’s great that Danny’s new work continues in this experimental spirit.” Since opening in 1912, the Hatton Gallery has hosted hundreds of exhibitions, welcomed millions of visitors and has been the everyday environment of countless artists and workers. Bright’s new work reminds us of these multiple histories but also acknowledges that it would be impossible to capture fully such complexity in sound form. Instead, Ghosting the Periphery seeks to conjure a suggestion of what it might be like to catch a glimpse of the Hatton’s sonic ghosts. Most importantly, it offers an invitation to listen for them. To accompany Ghosting the Periphery there will be a display of performance instructions pertaining to listening. The display is curated in collaboration with Occasion Festival and seeks to offer an alternative approach to the experience of listening.