GOD FROM THE MACHINE, 2022

LAREE PAYNE GALLERY

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Exhibition Text-
"God from the Machine comprises nine meticulously rendered charcoal drawings on paper which depict a lone character often in a mildly distressed position; upside down, feet off the ground, blinded by light or unable to find the head hole in their poncho whilst their watch ticks onwards. Partially impaired, restricted or inhibited, the thespian characters appear to be waiting for someone to reach through the page and solve their problem; poor fools.

 

God from the Machine is a translation of the Latin phrase 'Deus ex Machina';  a plot device which originated in ancient Greek theatre whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is solved abruptly by an unlikely occurrence. Typically this is in the form of a god character who is brought into the scene by machine for example with a crane, or through a hatch in the stage floor.

 

In God from the Machine McAlpine presents the fool and god as one and the same or as one come the next. Undeniably relevant to the overwhelming predicaments of our time, God from the Machine provides a lens which is hyperbolic and theatrical, removed enough to allow for a fresh look and from the unlikely perspective of the individual. "

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- Laree Payne