New series of virtual experimental arts events launches at Holden Gallery

Interruptions, a new series of virtual experimental arts events focused on listening and wellbeing has launched by the Holden Gallery at Manchester Metropolitan University.

This series of free participatory events will take place online on consecutive days from Wednesday May 20 until Friday 22 and will feature the artists Aliyah Hussain, Barry Sykes and Freya Dooley.

Interruptions is a series of interdisciplinary performances and events which under normal circumstances would take place in the Holden Gallery, alongside their annual programme of exhibitions.

Artists at all stages in their career, from across the UK, are invited to participate. Its platform encourages experimental and collaborative artistic practice, with previous contributions ranging from experimental music and dance, to film screenings and walking tours.

With the Holden Gallery currently closed due to the Coronavirus lockdown, this series of events will be presented online for the first time. Designed for people to enjoy online from the comfort of their own homes, these events have a particular attention to listening and wellbeing.

Aliyah Hussain will present a new experimental ambient soundtrack with an accompanying animation which will be broadcast on Wednesday May 20 via YouTube. The sleep of plants is inspired by the narrative and themes presented in the 1967 feminist speculative fiction short story by Belgian author Anne Richter.

An Introduction to Laughter Yoga will see Barry Sykes attempt to recreate from memory a lesson with the same name he attended a decade ago. On Thursday May 21, he will lead an audience of participants over Zoom through the exercises he thinks he witnessed during that day. It is designed to introduce laughter yoga exercises and basic movements, taking people from gentle breathing, to arms aloft in hysterical elation.

On Friday May 22, Freya Dooley will present Ventriloquy for Radio, a new sound work live on YouTube in which Dooley sits alone in her room, not mastering the art of anything, exploring the possibilities for conversation via polyphonic monologue.

Zoe Watson, Curator of the Holden Gallery at Manchester Metropolitan University said: “As the Holden Gallery is currently closed due to the Coronavirus lockdown, we've devised a series of events to be presented online for the first time. This special edition is designed for people to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes, with a particular attention to listening and wellbeing.”

Interruptions is the latest example of how artists and galleries are adapting their practice amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Watson, alongside artists and lecturers from the University’s Manchester School of Art have written about how the art industry is responding to lockdown and what impact it has had on artists.