‘Let’s say, for argument’s sake, we have worked in sculpture and performance to produce positions that problematise our own vocabulary and relationships with matter. It might be emotional, material or intellectual. It reflects the high anxiety of our epoch.’ – Jess Wiesner and Rachal Bradley

Ever-Changing Moods is a project by Rachal Bradley and Jess Wiesner, commissioned by Auto Italia. The artists present sculpture and performance made in collaboration with with a variety of contributing artists.

Using Auto Italia’s main exhibition space, the artists use real objects (bottles, cacti, housewife pillows, boxing bags) together with treated elements that are scored, etched or welded to bring about a staged crisis. These sculptural pieces, installed on the horizontal plane of the exhibition space, seek to elicit changing perspectives and moods. Performances occuring throughout the exhibition act as additional material, like temporary sculptures. These include a mime performance with costumes designed by Melissa Gordan and Fabienne Gassman and a presentation on colour by Lucy Stein and Alex Neilson. Andrew Kerton, Auto Italia’s current artist-in-residence, will be making new work during the exhibition in dialogue with the artists.

The opening night of the exhibition will feature a large-scale performance entitled ‘Working Tax Credits; Full time, Full ON’. This will be re-staged again on 29 July 2011. A series of panel discussions organised in tandem with the exhibition draw on specialists from a variety of fields including law, neuroscience, critical theory, psychoanalysis and architecture. These panel discussions will explore topics ranging from the notion of truth in science, art and law to the actual meaning of a work/life balance and will include a discussion on post-analytical thinking.

All the elements of this collaborative work will feed into the idea of an ever-changing mood generated by a group of people working together and interacting through performance and sculpture. The artists involved engage with a concern that through a mood, ideas of action, agency, active rest and passive resistance can be rescued.