The title of this exhibtion is a direct quote extracted from the blurb of a familiar TV advertising campaign by a well known cosmetics brand. Simon Morse and Kevin Wright make work that considers art, us and the product.

'Progress' is sometimes assumed to be a benign force with a natural momentum. A force that takes a rational, problem-solving path for the good of us all. The media exploits this belief and hi-jacks the language of science to convince us to consume. Simon Morse makes political capital with his digitally realised, hi-tech and very desirable 'inventions'. On the surface these natty little gadgets are deceptively familiar as marketable products, but on closer inspection, their function and use are hard to grasp because the buttons display symbols and abbreviations that are nonsensical. Who uses these devices; what for?... how? Cynical conclusions need to be drawn.

Kevin Wright's work has an austere quality that references the production line; partly because his starting point is with inert, man-made objects that have been born of this process... baths, gun turrets, tables are just a few examples... and partly because he applies what could be described as his very own personal methods of product design and manufacture in the studio. These objects have been 're-manufactured'.

Once an object has been chosen, its formal and spiritual integrity is scrutinised until decisions can be made about what to keep and what to reject. This notional dismantling and extraction leads to the physical re-making of the object as something different, yet reminiscent of the ‘muse’ that inspired it. These sculpted mutations do not suggest a practical use, they draw attention to their ‘dysfunction’ and modification for the approval of a very different kind of consumer.

List of works in the exhibition:

Simon Morse:

1. ‘An Arble’

2. ‘An Errauchen- C’

3. ‘A PRR-1250 Ambassador’

4. ‘A Bruntling Unbus FORELEST-1’

5. ‘An E2R- XV’

6. ‘A NEMM 868 Portable Warden with a NEMM 868W Portable Warden Warden’

Kevin Wright:

7. Shark

8. Buddha Wing

9. Bath Table

10. to 14. 'Slip' 1 - 5

For more information please email:
office@goodengallery.com