Live Art with Yara El-Sherbini
May 2008
May 2008
Yara El-Sherbini is an artist whose practice straddles many disciplines. Site, context and audience underpin her playful approach that focuses on the use of language, humour and popular culture to open up ideas about what art is and can be.
During an introductory session at the Chisenhale Gallery, a class from Osmani Primary School responded to Lucy Skaer’s exhibition, by creating a series of games. Within this they considered the imaginative use of language and explored the everyday as a potential for creating artworks.
Working with the group during the residency at the school El-Sherbini took inspiration from the exhibition to develop a series of site specific and context responsive jokes, based on issues and ideas raised by the children. The subject matter of the jokes ranged from London’s Mayor Boris Johnson, to violence, identity and place. The thirty jokes were presented in various forms within the school, including printing them onto the walls in the corridors around the school, a sound piece in the foyer and a live performance in assembly.
During an introductory session at the Chisenhale Gallery, a class from Osmani Primary School responded to Lucy Skaer’s exhibition, by creating a series of games. Within this they considered the imaginative use of language and explored the everyday as a potential for creating artworks.
Working with the group during the residency at the school El-Sherbini took inspiration from the exhibition to develop a series of site specific and context responsive jokes, based on issues and ideas raised by the children. The subject matter of the jokes ranged from London’s Mayor Boris Johnson, to violence, identity and place. The thirty jokes were presented in various forms within the school, including printing them onto the walls in the corridors around the school, a sound piece in the foyer and a live performance in assembly.