Collaborative debut for multi-disciplinary artists positioned within the former veterinary school’s glass cabinets
In Parting Glass is an experimental collaborative endeavor by choreographer Riccardo Buscarini and visual artist Richard Taylor. The result is something that feels like a work in progress, with traces of the artists’ actions in Summerhall’s Laboratory Gallery still visible among the works.
The artists have never worked together before, but it is clear from the energy and synthesis of elements in this exhibition that they share an artistic affinity that goes beyond their shared forename and age. Taylor’s contribution to the show takes the form of a sound piece and playful sculptural compositions comprised of personal paraphernalia in the gallery’s cabinets. The materials utilised by Taylor work well behind glass doors: ephemeral biographical remnants are delicately assembled to elevate the objects above their material worth. While Taylor suggests the body indirectly, Buscarini uses his own body to explore intimacy and vulnerability. A video recorded only 48 hours in advance of the exhibition preview shows the artist performing inside one of the cabinets. At one point Taylor can be seen reflected in the glass filming the proceedings.
In Parting Glass is a sensitively handled exhibition that successfully brings a multitude of disciplines together in one space without jeopardising the voice of either Buscarini or Taylor.