The Slightest Gesture is an exhibition of new sculpture and moving image works by artist Tabatha Andrews, who is known for making immersive sculptural installations that question our reliance on sight, drawing attention to non-verbal communication, touch, movement and listening.

The exhibition forms part of a socially engaged, collaborative sculpture and dance project, in which the artist worked with learning-disabled and neurodiverse young adults in Exeter to explore diverse ways of being and moving in relation to sculpture and environment. It celebrates intimate, everyday gestures; of routine, of care, joy or exhaustion, translating them into sculptural form in a variety of tactile, haptic materials.

Whether carved, cast, bound, or knotted, captured in video or sound, or repurposed from pre-existing objects, each work suggests a relationship to the body – of how they might feel or fit against it. They are informed by, or co-created through, the artist’s long-running relationship with Freefall+, a group of young adults with a range of learning disabilities who meet weekly at Exeter Phoenix to engage with the arts in an inclusive space. Working alongside members of South-West Dance Hub, Andrews led workshops with the group that explored translation; from one state to another, one material to another, one language to another, one body to another. The project celebrates the primal, elemental experience of creativity that sculpture can inspire. The visceral response to touch, texture, weight, balance and movement that all humans share.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY

Limited edition print:

An affordable limited edition giclée print will accompany the exhibition, available to buy in the gallery and online, for £30 (+p&p).

Exhibition Preview: Sat 26 April, 3pm–5pm, free.
Join the artist to celebrate the opening day of their new exhibition with works activated by members of South West Dance Hub.

Artist’s Talk: Sat 17 May, 12pm, free (booking required).
Join the artist as she discusses the exhibition and her wider practice, followed by an activation of the exhibition by South West Dance Hub.

About the artist

Tabatha Andrews is a sculptor and installation artist who works across diverse media. Her work explores the relationships between memory, materials and the observer. Creating experiences that question how we communicate through the senses, her works are immersive, tactile, and invite mental and physical interaction. Her projects are often socially engaged and collaborative, building relationships with a wide variety of diverse communities and contexts. Tabatha also works with arts in health and the sciences, exploring connections between craft, play, memory loss, sensory perception and language acquisition. She has worked with cathedrals, hospitals, composers, scientists, communities with diverse needs, singers and local craft groups.

About Freefall+

Freefall+ supports young people who have a physical and learning disabilities, are no longer in education, and have complex support needs. The group offers an inclusive space to come together to explore the arts, to create and to access the networks of support that Exeter Phoenix facilitates through its role as a creative hub in the city. The group’s dynamic offer is delivered in partnership with The Pelican Project CIC and is constantly evolving to support a diverse spectrum of need and ambition, from workshops that explore the tactility of materials to individually tailored sessions that support those who have their own emerging creative practices. Freefall+ is entirely funded through generous gifts and donations from our visitors and supporters.

About South West Dance Hub

South West Dance Hub is an inspirational space for professional dance artists and choreographers to share, learn, grow, support and be supported through facilitated sessions that include contemporary techniques, improvisation and choreographic exercises.