(selected by Andrew Patrizio)
Heaven Search Station, 2001
Paul Carter's work engages with the actions of individuals aspiring to take ownership of global, political and existential issues while using accessible and localised means of production. His constructions raise big ideas while maintaining a DIY aesthetic, the result of a marriage between the universal and the local, creating visionary scenarios that sit somewhere between fact and fiction, between the universal and the personal.
Edge of Darkness, his 2003 exhibition at the Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, took as its starting point the mid-nineteenth century exploits of Scottish eccentric evangelical explorer John MacGregor, who travelled across Northern Africa in a canoe. A series of dioramas showed reconstructions of the discoveries of a fictional explorer who has journeyed into the Northern part of a future terrain named the Dark Lands, which are at present the British Isles, echoing the explorer's desire to colonise the blank spaces on the world map. Inspired also by Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness, considered to be a powerful indictment of imperialism, the exhibition plays on the misunderstandings Europeans had about other cultures during the 19th century, and the problems and possibilities that arise from this merging of fact and fiction.
Carter (b. 1970) studied Sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art before completing his Masters degree in Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art in 1995. (January, 2005).
Obituary
On 12 August 2006, Paul Carter tragically died in a car accident in Edinburgh.
Hannah Firth, curator at Chapter Gallery, Cardiff writes: 'Anyone who knew Paul Carter for even the briefest of times will know that there are far too many anecdotes to recall here. A great raconteur, he liked nothing more than the chance to put the world to rights. Paul was lively company and I will miss him as a friend and as one of the most exciting artists that I had the pleasure to work with. I met him when I moved to Edinburgh, watched his work shine in shows like those at the Collective Gallery and Generator, and was lucky enough to work alongside him at Stills Gallery, in the exhibition Become Like Me.
When I moved to Wales to work at Chapter Gallery, one of the first meetings I had was with Paul to talk about working with him towards a solo show. It was shortly after 9/11 and we looked at a headline in The Guardian. It read: 'What's the worst thing that can happen?' and was accompanied by a picture of a nuclear mushroom cloud. I asked Paul if it worried him; if we should, indeed, be making plans in such desperate times. He laughed out loud and procedded to tell me about a film called Silent Running, 'not quite the worst film ever made', on which he planned to base his entire exhibition at Chapter. The premise of the film - in which the remaining pieces of the Earth's rainforests are floated into space in giant ecosystem space stations and visited as tourist attractions - would form the basis of his new works and through this he would continue his attempt to make contact with, escape to, or find salvation in a number of (often hopeless) situations. His fantastical journeys, missions and explorations might bring up some questions that could focus our search for a meaningful life.
It strikes me now that sometimes, when you're researching an artist, working closely with them to deliver a show, a little of the immediate spark that you feel about their work ebbs away; the suspension of disbelief is suspended. With Paul, this was far from true: he sprinkled his blend of DIY mystery and unbending belief in belief itself, and the magic revealed itself little by little. It continues to resonate, even now.'
Hannah Firth's text is published alongside those of Mike Nelson, Craig Coulthard, Will Bradley and Professor Jake Harvey, in 'You're Not Alone', Map, Issue 8, Winter 2006/7, p. 44.
Further information
Defenders of the FaithThe exploration of new places, both on earth and beyond, leads to exotic ideas about who, what and where we are. We all have some romantic notion of visiting somewhere new, discovering... read on
Edge of DarknessThe 19th century saw numerous expeditions and voyages depart from Europe bound for Africa, South America and the Arctic Circle, in search not only for the accumulation of material wealth but driven... read on
ShrineReconstructed from drawings made by the explorer who discovered the stone-built original, Shrine shows an archaeological artefact from the Dark Lands. The main structure is hollow, and identifiable... read on
Burial Chamber'Burial Chamber' shows a reconstruction of a structure which originally formed part of a larger complex incorporating the 'Shrine'. The stone walls of the chamber are similar in nature to the... read on
And the Names of the Dark Gods AppearedA diagram in Aleister Crowleys book Magick shows a configuration of names used to summon the Dark God which, when arranged in an unbroken circle, are claimed to create a boundary within... read on
Paint-Spill MiracleWhile helping a friend paint his kitchen, the artist knocked over a tin of paint from the top of a stack of furniture. The resulting spill created an image which seemed a hybrid of Jesus Christ and... read on
Heaven Search Station'Heaven Search Station' was first installed on board the Travelling Gallery bus and then modified as a trailer that can be towed behind any vehicle. The words 'Speak to Me' face skywards while a... read on
