Parm Kaur - Artist Statement

parmwrite@yahoo.com

The intersection of philosophical, scientific and cultural ideas of time and its measurement with individual narratives is the central focus of her work. She is currently investigating the spiritual ideas of desire as a conceptual and physical site of the relationship between the self and other across time.

Parm Kaur s practice utilizes the dialectical relationships inherent in the mediums of video, sound, performance, poetry, installation and photography. Her video and sound installations been shown in galleries, broadcast on BBC radio and seen on the web.

She researches her work thoroughly from many different perspectives giving her final work depth and complexity. Her solo show Textual Time Space considered ideas of truth and action in Einsteins theory of relativity through personal narratives. She studied at the Dartington College of Arts and exhibited in solo and group shows at the 198 Gallery, and the Great Eastern Hotel, London and the International Video-art Festival, Valencia, Spain.

Her arts practice over the last seven years has been supported by the Arts Council of England. Her previous awards include the Hawthornden International Fellowship and Ledig Rahoult Fellowship.

A Way Away

A commission from Sony PSP, exhibited at the Great Eastern Hotel, Liverpool St, London this sound and video piece is designed for projection with stereo sound playback.

Given the cultural specifics and context of this particular commission and the artists focus on how ideas change over time and across cultures this piece is a multi-layered consideration of ideas of freedom. A dancer trained in the classical Indian Kathak dance attempts to free herself from a confined de-lineated space, both horizontally and vertically. When this is unsuccessful she reaches down to remove her dancing bells and scarf before finally escaping her constrained space, away over milennium bridge.

Simultaneously the artist engages with universal discourses on femininity and feminism, freedom of movement, the relationship between public and private spheres, whilst also deploying culturally specific indicators outside of their usual context.

The sound and video installation DVD piece is available in a limited edition of 12.

A way Away - a series of 6 stills from the sound and video installation

Limited Edition of 250 A3 prints

An Indian Kathak dancer attempts to free herself from a confined de-lineated space, both horizontally and vertically on Millennium Bridge at dawn. A multi-layered consideration of the desire for freedom – physical, political, cultural and spiritual set against fragments of English and Punjabi poetry intercut with the sound of the dancers feet.

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Textual Time Space

The work from the artist’s last solo show Textual Time Space consists of a series of video and sound installations considering ideas of truth and action in Einstein’s theory of relativity through personal narrative. These were shown in London at the 198 Gallery and the International Video Art Festival in Valencia in 2006.

Concentric Circles- 2 mins

Elucidated from Einstein’s physical metaphors in his explanation for the theory of relativity a young man seeks answers about future events.

Propagation -2 mins

An individual speaks of the poppies, a symbol first associated with sorrow by the Greeks amongst recorded political and military sound reportage from recent wars.

Inside Times- 2 screens- 8 mins

If time only exists through language (Wittgenstein) how do we co-exist with ourselves and others in real time and express and experience, simultaneously our interior mental dialogues?

The Workers –5 mins

One of the central tenants of Einsteins theory of relativity was predicated on an assumption of truth of 2 events happening simultaneously in two different places. Although scientific truth has become elevated above all others –here 3 women tell a story from their own truthful standpoint.

ALL pieces require stereo sound

All of the above are available in DVD format in a limited edition of 12.

Contact Parm Kaur at parmwrite@yahoo.com for more details.