CAN09: No Visible Means of Escape

Louise Bourgeois, Cell (Eyes and Mirrors), 1989 -1993

Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery is holding an exhibition inspired by the period in the castle's history when it served as a prison.

No Visible Means of Escape features art inspired by interpretations of the idea of imprisonment and incarceration.

"The artwork is beautiful but haunting," said Harriet Godwin, curator of the display.

The exhibition is part of Contemporary Art Norwich and runs from Saturday, 18 July - Sunday, 4 October, 2009.

Norwich Castle was built more than 900 years ago by the Normans.

Originally a royal palace, the castle became a prison in the 14th Century.

No Visible Means of Escape draws upon this history and examines the ideas behind incarceration, looks at control, punishment and surveillance and raises questions about the psychology of imprisonment.

"The inspiration for this exhibition came about because the castle used to be a prison," said Harriet.

"There is creativity within the confined. Amazing things can come from it," she added.

Wider look

The name comes from a statue by Marc Quinn, one of 12 artists whose work is on display in the gallery, which features a cast of the artist's body suspended from the ceiling.

"Some of the exhibits deal with obvious forms of imprisonment but others take a wider look at the ideas that the word imprisonment evokes," said Harriet.

"Marc's statue portrays the idea that we're all imprisoned within the body," she added.

One of the central works on display is Cell (Eyes and Mirrors), a work by Louise Bourgeois, the 97-year-old artist famed for her giant spider sculpture, Maman.

Drawing from Bourgeois' childhood, Cell (Eyes and Mirrors) is an imposing cage-like construction, assembled from doors and window panes, with mirrors and large marble spheres inside suggesting an all-seeing being.

Louise Bourgeois' work creates an atmosphere of confinement, which the artist has linked to the claustrophobic home environment she experienced as a child.

New commission

The exhibition includes a new commission by Christine Borland.

Her work draws inspiration from the death masks and phrenology collection at the castle.

Marc Quinn, No Visible Means of Escape IV, 1996

"She has created anatomical wax figures," said Harriet.

"She was inspired by the death masks of two women that the museum possess. They are curious sculptures - weird and wonderful.

"It examines the way medicine and institutions can devalue people's lives."

Other work on display includes Manu Luksch's film Faceless and the Langlands and Bell work, Millbank Penitentiary.

Luksch used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain real CCTV footage for her film Faceless, with all faces concealed to protect identities.

The film's soundtrack, spoken by actor Tilda Swinton, uses the fragments of footage to create a narrative around the central character - the artist herself.

Institutions

Langlands and Bell's Millbank Penitentiary is a model of the former prison, which once stood on the site of the Tate Modern.

The idea of a prison where the authorities are able to view and control the inmates from a central hub is one that applied not only to prisons but other institutions like schools and hospitals.

The theme of being surveilled is brought to a head by Spanish artist Dora Garcia in Instant Narrative.

Viewers will be confronted with very real evidence that he or she might be under surveillance by an observer within the gallery.

The artist writes a commentary on what is going on inside the gallery space and the results are then projected onto the wall.

Norwich Castle may have been turned into a museum in 1894 but No Visible Means of Escape promises to provide a haunting reminder of its history.

No Visible Means of Escape runs at the Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery from Saturday, 18 July - Sunday, 4 October, 2009.

For opening times, prices and more information visit the Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery website.