QUAD Derby - A Darkness More Than Night

A Darkness More Than Night

Click here to download QUAD's 'Season of Noir' virtual brochure

QUAD Gallery

11th November 2011- 29th January 2012
Preview Thursday 10th November 2011

Entrance is FREE

Artists presented in the exhibition include: Thom Andersen (USA) Chris Burden (USA) Mike Cooter (UK) John Divola (USA) Douglas Gordon (DE / UK) Johan Grimonprez (BE) David Noonan (UK / AU) Hadrian Pigott (UK) Laure Prouvost (UK / FR) Fergal Stapleton (IR/UK), Sturtevant (USA), Nicole Wermers (UK / DE) Cerith Wyn Evans (UK).

During the coldest and darkest months of the year, you are invited into a world of smoke and mirrors, psychological states, Hollywood glamour, ambiguity and vice.

'A Darkness More Than Night' explores contemporary art through 'noir', a genre most readily associated with stylish Hollywood crime dramas of the 1940s and 50s, yet whose precursors date back through nineteenth century literature to Greek tragedy. Taking a forensic approach, the exhibition considers the aesthetics and mood of noir through key themes of the genre, and features contributions by international contemporary artists working across a variety of media - including sculpture, installation, print and film.

Many of the themes that are central to noir are universal: a troubled mind, a fruitless or baffling pursuit of an impossible goal, vice, deceit and the isolating effect of the city. Owing to these enduring impulses, and the stylish and modern aesthetic that are associated with noir, the genre has remained influential for successive generations of practitioners across the arts. But whereas the links between the genre and recent cinema, graphic novels, literature and television are readily apparent through 'neo-noir', 'A Darkness More Than Night' is the first exhibition to consider the relationship between contemporary art and noir.

The exhibition is accompanied by Miscellany of Noir, a free booklet that expands on the ideas explored in the show through a selection of historical and recent texts, images and ephemera.

Gallery exhibition curated by Ariella Yedgar and Rosie Cooper, in collaboration with QUAD.

In conjunction with A Darkness More Than Night don't miss our Corridor Spaces Exhibition:

Emphasise

QUAD's Youth Forum have been working in collaboration with London based artists Kelda Hole, Arnold Borgerth, Carolyn Lefley and Neil Kelly in a series of workshops that explore techniques and ingredients of Noir.

The exhibition investigates and emphasizes Noir as a 'genre' through photography, soundscapes and installation.

Following the exhibition in QUAD's Corridor Spaces, the work will then be taken to the ART HUB gallery in London in February 2012. The show is curated by Neil Kelly, Marcus Reading and QUAD's Youth Forum.

Exhibition Talks, Tours and Events

Curators Tour
Friday 11th November 1:30pm - 2:30pm
QUAD Gallery, Free
An opportunity to join the curators Rosie Cooper and Ariella Yedgar for a guided tour around the exhibition to hear more about the artists and the selected works. Please click here to book your place or contact the QUAD Box Office on 01332 290 606.

Exhibition Tours
Tuesday 6th December 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Tuesday 17th January 12:30pm - 1:30pm
QUAD Gallery, Free
Join us for a relaxed, informal tour of the exhibition to hear about some of the exhibiting artists' ideas and be guided around the exhibition by QUAD's Front of House team. Please click here to book your place, or contact the QUAD Box Office 01332 290 606.

Murder Mystery Dinner
Saturday 10th December 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Tickets: £28.00
Lostboys Productions in partnership with QUAD invite you to a New Orleans Noir Speakeasy; - a world of jazz, prohibition, glamour and murder.

During your three course meal you will become detective as you search for clues, investigate crime scenes and follow the evidence as the trail twists and turns exploring QUAD as you have never seen it before. Can you stop the killer before they strike again?

Food will be New Orleans themed, dress glamorously for a night you will never forget. Limited places, please book in advance and let us know of any dietary requirements you have.

Click here to book your place, or contact the QUAD Box Office on 01332 290 606.

Artist's Talk: Mike Cooter
Wednesday 14th December, 2:00pm - 3:30pm Tickets £3.00
An opportunity to meet Mike Cooter, one of the artists in the exhibition, and find out more about his work and his interest in the history and aesthetics of noir. Cooter's composite research brings together the ephemeral and the structural through a taxonomy of genuine and forged historical narratives. Click here to book your place, or contact the QUAD Box Office on 01332 290 606.

Artist's Talk: Brian Dillon
Wednesday 11th January 2:00pm - 3:30pm Tickets £3.00
Writer and novelist Brian Dillon leads a tour and discussion around the exhibition. Dillion is the UK editor of Cabinet magazine, author of 'Tormented Hope: Nine Hypochondriac Lives' and 'In The Dark Room', contributor to frieze, Artforum, The Guardian, and The Wire.

Apologies, this talk has had to be cancelled due to personal circumstances. We are really sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Crime Espresso
Wednesday 25th January at 8:00pm

QUAD joins forces with Writing East Midlands and Five Leaves Publishing for an evening of short, sharp shots of crime fiction. Novelists Danuta Reah (aka Carla Banks). Niki Valentine, Stephen Booth, and David Belbin will be on hand for readings and discussions around the noir aesthetic and its influence on crime writing.

Tickets; £5.00 full price, £4.50 concessions, £4.00 QUAD Members
Please book through QUAD Box Office 01332 290 606.

A Darkness More Than Night BFI Mediatheque Selection
A special Mediatheque Collection has been curated by QUAD and the BFI to reflect the ideas behind A Darkness More Than Night exhibition in QUAD Gallery, with films in the noir genre from the 1920s to the present day. Click here to find out how to use the BFI Mediatheque for free.

Children's Activity Guide
Look out for the noir Children's Activity Guide packed with tips about the exhibition, creative games and fun for our younger audiences is available in QUAD plus an Education Pack for Schools is downloadable from the website.

Derby [2061]
Experience and explore future echoes occurring in Derby, from the year 2061. Discover a noir world where Derby is the centre of a strange new economy of downloadable 'memories'. Explore Derby City Centre, QUAD's building, brochure and website via your smart phone using the 2061 web app and popular locative game Foursquare. Visit www.wearemudlark.com/derby2061

Free Teacher's Resources for QUAD Gallery

The following resources have been written to help you explore the A Darkness More Than Night and Emphasise exhibitions at QUAD.

Click here for Key Stage 1 & 2

Click here for Key Stage 3 & 4

Image credits;

1) Exhibition Title

2) Cerith Wyn Evans "Meanwhile ... across town" , courtesy of White Cube, London

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