Utopia (the shadow and light installation)
Alexandre A. R. Costa
2011

Lumiere, Durham, U. K.


Exhibition with
Dominik Lejman (Poland), Claire Morgan (UK), Verity Quinn and Bethan Maddocks + Richard Dawson, Edmund Francis (UK), Tracey Emin (UK), LAb[au] (Belgium), Ron Haselden (UK), Claire Fontaine (France), Ross Ashton, Robert Ziegler, John Del’ Nero (UK), Martin Warden (UK), Mick Stephenson (UK), Leonardo Meigas (Estonia), Tobie Langel (Switzerland), Jacques Rival (France), Dorota Kraft (Poland), Cédric Le Borgne (France), Richard Wolfstrome / Ira Wightman (UK), Daan Roosegaarde (The Netherlands), Boo Beaumont (UK), David Batchelor (Scotland), Simeon Nelson (UK/Australia) + Rob Godman (Soundtrack) + Nick Rothwell / Deadgood Studio (Coding)(UK), Liverpool Lantern Company (UK)... Accompanied by the Bagdaddies and Jazz in my Pants Compagnie Carabosse (France), Peter Lewis (Canada), [Engineered by Water Sculptures (UK)], Luma Labs (UK) [conceived by Paul Goodfellow]. Walter Holt (UK), Alexandre A. R. Costa (Portugal), Hi-lights (UK), Tim Etchells (UK), Jana Matejkova (Czech Republic) + Andrew Dickens (sound) (UK), Martin Creed (UK)

Information about Lumiere

"Early estimates indicate that 140,00 people took to the streets of Durham to enjoy the 35 artworks (...) LUMIERE is brought to you by Artichoke - best known for creating unforgettable events like La Machine in Liverpool or Antony Gormley's One & Other.

Information about the Alexandre Costa`s UTOPIA, produced by ARTICHOKE (London) for LUMIERE (Durham) U. K.

"UTOPIA sits on the rooftop of the derelict former ice rink. Once a pleasure palace, Costa's flickering installation appears to question the original purpose of the building. The piece is inspired by Thomas More's work of fiction, written in 1516, in which he talks about the idea of the 'island' as both liberating and isolating depending on your viewpoint. UTOPIA creates a similar paradox depending on how you view the work as it rolls through a shifting sequence. With a constantly changing perspective, the word UTOPIA is only ever fully lit when the sequence aligns. Will you catch it?"

2

The artist wants to thank the support and cooperation

- In Portugal 
Mário Caeiro (utopia curator)
Miguel Ângelo (utopia technical design)
Francisco Laranjeira (utopia app/animation design)

- In United Kingdom 
Martin Warden (utopia production, project coordination)
Ahmed Albasri (utopia production)
Richard Tiffany (utopia multimedia programming)
Helen Marriage and Nicky Webb (directors/curators, artichoke)
Hannah Standen (associate production, artichoke)
Cathy Hirschmann (general management, artichoke)
Susie Thornberry (communication / assistant production, artichoke)

And to LUMIERE and ARTICHOKE team, involved in the management, production, communication and presentation of UTOPIA in Durham, U. K.


Information about the artist

"The artist and curator Alexandre A. R. Costa was born in 1973 in Braga, but lives in Porto, Portugal. He works across a variety of media from illustrations and photography to video and performance. He has co-founded a number of artistic spaces in Porto, Portugal where he has also curated the activity at these spaces. His work is often concerned with a contemporary sense of disorder and transformation, disrupting the idea of linear communication systems, regularity, and the power of certainty." 

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1 http://www.lumieredurham.co.uk/about/ (acedido em 2011)
2, 3
http://www.lumieredurham.co.uk/programme/installations/utopia/ (acedido em 2011)
ou http://2011.lumiere-festival.com/programme/installations/utopia/ (acedido em 2015)

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Alexandre A. R. Costa (com Jorge Fernando dos Santos)