Fun and silly, yet also thought-provoking, daring, and experimental, Issey and Alex always bring creative elements to the workshops and shows. This time, the workshop began with a complementary jello shot upon arrival. Held by the artists themselves while standing in the corridor, their appearance reminded me of one of Marina Abramović’s performances. In the middle of the studio was a basket filled with a variety of fake fruit and several old iPhones dangling from string and sticks, much like a windchime.
Issey and Alex took the audience through time—while maintaining complete silence— with the help of narrator Mack Pegram. After the arrival in each time period was announced, Issey and Alex transformed into different costumes that represented it, and participants were invited to draw them posed surrounding the still life. Issey’s film playing in the background assisted everyone to visually “time travel”. Throughout the entire workshop, two musicians played live cello and violin, which made the transitions smooth and helped set the thematic atmosphere of the artists’ performances.
The History’s Gallop workshop felt very experimental, especially with Issey and Alex incorporating film and performance within a workshop structure. Although this workshop was originally intended to take place at the beginning of the autumn programme, I can’t help but feel that it was an amazing workshop to participate in toward the end of Eye to Pencil. Being able to laugh and draw, surrounded by a room full of people, was the best way to end the day and felt like a celebration of the work that Issey and Alex have done this term.
I’m honoured to have witnessed some of Issey and Alex’s work during my time at Eye to Pencil, and I’m very excited to see how their practices develop as they embark on new beginnings.
Join us for the grand “closing”* of the final term of Eye to Pencil for a historical drawing romp through the ages. Looking at stylisation from ancient times to imaginings of the future, peered at through a classically framed still life. Led by Issey Kang and Alex Heard, narrated by Historian Mack Pegram and accompanied live on cello by a special guest.
* This workshop is technically not the end of the term at Eye to Pencil, nor the specific ‘closing’, but this has been rescheduled from late September, our ‘Grand Opening’ (original date 25th September) to 19 November, which is near to the ‘closing’ of the DRAWING LAB, the final, experimental iteration of Eye to Pencil evening workshops in their current format.
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