Tamsyn Challenger: Monoculture

Commission and residency

From 28 June 2012  until February 2013

Wednesday – Saturday, 11am-5pm

Monoculture Launch: Friday 29 June, 6-8.30pm

Monoculture is a new project conceived by Tamsyn Challenger to focus on the homogenised nature of global culture and to explore alternatives.

A series of public performances and events build towards a new body of work embracing themes of habitual performance, viral infiltration and feminine identity. The project unfolds as a series of experiments that look at traditional ritual and its relationship to homogeneity and use the agricultural use of the term as metaphor. The venue-wide exhibition opens February 2013.

 


Experiment 1: Monoculture was launched in the Upper Gallery by Challenger introducing her lifelong Tamsynette project to audiences – with an interactive photo booth presenting an opportunity for visitors to don a wig and make like Tamsyn. Now available in the Arch Gallery.

Monoculture: Growing Rape
Experiment 2: A customized polytunnel has been set up by the artist to provide an environment to grow and harvest her own crop of Oil Seed Rape. A cash crop known for its devastating effect on the land it is grown on, in the absence of rotation.

Monoculture Polytunnel in Beaconsfield's Arch Gallery

Tamsyn Challenger takes up residency with Beaconsfield between June 2012 and February 2013 – as a continuation of Beaconsfield’s TestBed series.

Follow development of the project on Tamsyn Challenger’s Monoculture Blog.

Follow Monoculture on Twitter @monoculture_me .

Find regular updates on Facebook facebook_logo small  

TestBed signals our role as a mentoring organisation, demonstrates our function as an incubator and generates visual/digital technology commissions tied to residencies.

Images: Tamsyn Challenger, Monoculture, 2012
Top: Monoculture Suits in Arch Gallery
Middle: Experiment 1: Mono Portrait, Visitors wearing Monoculture makeup and wigs
Bottom: Experiment 2: Growing Rape, Polytunnel installation image (Arch Gallery)
All images courtesy the artist and Beaconsfield