Baldock’s version presents an alternative history of clay as a tool of communication; his ceramic columns feature expressive faces, emoji symbols and make audible groans, whistles and chuckles through concealed speakers. The columns are also adorned with weaving, basketry and glass drawn from different eras of labour, folklore and storytelling like an archeological find from a parallel universe. The exhibition title itself is inspired by Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984 – a facecrime being an “unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself” suggesting that there was something to hide.
Facecrime was commissioned by Camden Arts Centre through the Freelands Lomax Ceramics Fellowship.
Frances Disley, Pattern Buffer
As part of Bluecoat’s ongoing commitment to supporting outstanding Northern artists, we are pleased to present a solo show by Frances Disley. As a starting point for her work Disley has previously used the colourways of a high fashion tracksuit to create a moving painting and a community aerobics class as the setting for a dance performance and installation. She is interested in the things we do to feel better about ourselves, while eschewing the elitism found within the self-care industry with its obsessions with conventional beauty, ideal body mass and self-regard.
For Pattern Buffer, as with many of her previous installations, Disley will layer multi-sensory elements to create an environment that invites gallery visitors to make use of her art works, whether that is to pause and rest in comfort, share a hobby or take something from the space. Reference points for her upcoming solo show Pattern Buffer include dominoes clubs, hair accessories as art, plants which survive from moisture in the air and the Holodeck, a device from the Star Trek science fiction series in which participants engage with different virtual reality environments.
Event Date: Friday 13th March 2020 - Sunday 21st June 2020
Categories: Arts | exhibition | Free
Contact Details: Callan Waldron-Hall,, Tel: 0151 702 5324
