Falling Slowly

Authors
Kelland, Dean
Issue Date
2016

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Abstract
Kelland’s practice examines the construction of masculine gender stereotypes in comedy. The research draws from historical contextualisation of comedy within Post War Britain: autobiographical account, historical figure and comedy character. Cultural context, defines comedy socially and politically, and the comedian in return acts as a mirror that reflects the era’s motifs back upon itself. Dean’s practice utilises multi-disciplinary approaches that encompass performance, photography, filmmaking, and mixed media processes.
Publisher
Asylum Art Gallery
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2436/620192
Type
Exhibition
Language
en
Description
DEAN KELLAND ‘FALLING SLOWLY’ 2016 Kelland’s practice examines the construction of masculine gender stereotypes in comedy. The research draws from historical contextualisation of comedy within Post War Britain: autobiographical account, historical figure and comedy character. Cultural context, defines comedy socially and politically, and the comedian in return acts as a mirror that reflects the era’s motifs back upon itself. Dean’s practice utilises multi-disciplinary approaches that encompass performance, photography, filmmaking, and mixed media processes. In his most recent performance-based artwork, Falling Slowly, Kelland addresses Slapstick Comedy. This is an Interrogation of the genre of slapstick and challenges the audience to ask questions about the role of the comedian and the subsequent exchanges between audience and performer. A multiple series of events derived from the artist performing a repeated ‘slapstick’ act in live situations are scheduled for 2017. Once in ‘character’ the artist performs the act to live audiences that is taken from, and embedded within, the history of slapstick (references such as Charlie Chaplin & Buster Keaton) yet is ruptured through the inadequacy and repetition of the performance. The audience reaction within this situation helps to shape the direction of the on-going performances and illuminates the role of tragedy and the culturally gendered stereotype of the flawed male within comedy. In this companion photographic piece to the live performances we are invited to evaluate the character post-performance and go ‘backstage’ in order to intrude into the reflective period of the character/performer after the act. Born in 1973 in the Great Barr suburb of Birmingham, Dean Kelland is a UK based artist who explores portraiture as a performance practice. He holds a BA (Hons) in Photography, an MA in Fine Art and has recently completed a practice-led PhD at Central Saint Martins. Exhibitions include Ikon Birmingham 2011 (solo) and 2013; About Town, Birmingham Hippodrome and Ikon Gallery 2014 and New Art Gallery Walsall Artist Residency 2013. Symposia presentations include With Humorous Intent at Oriel Mostyn, Llandudno (2012) and the annual British Comedy Conference 2011 at Manchester Metropolitan University. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Fine Art & Photography at University of Wolverhampton. www.deankelland.com
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