A CLEAR DAY AND NO MEMORIES
a new project byJim Hobbs and Kinski
December 3, 2010 - January 14, 2011

Opening Reception:
Friday, December 3, 7pm

In conversation with Jim Hobbs and Kinski 
Moderated by Robin Held, Deputy Director, Exhibitions and Collections, Frye Art Museum: Tuesday, December 7, 7pm

A CLEAR DAY AND NO MEMORIES is a new multimedia installation, created through the Jack Straw New Media Gallery Residency Program, comprised of multiple 16mm film projections and recordings on vinyl, focusing on the atmospheric and atrophied architecture around Fort Worden and Puget Sound.  Taking inspiration from a Wallace Stevens poem of the same name, A CLEAR DAY AND NO MEMORIES presents the viewer with an ever-shifting sense of place - one that is never the same twice.  Within the gallery, 16mm films constantly run on looping machines, implicitly guiding the viewer through various environs and monuments.  The audio recordings act not as a synchronized soundtrack, but instead become a physical presence within the space redirecting the mood and gaze of the entire installation.   By manipulating the complex relationship between film and sound in a way that disregards a traditional or linear narrative, the work contemplates the fluid and evocative nature of memory and place.

Jim Hobbs is an American artist based in London, England. His work utilizes a variety of media including 16mm film, video, installation, site-specific work, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, sound, and photography. Recent interests include the personal and social implications of loss, oblivion, history, memory and the subsequent acts of remembrance/memorialization. His work has been exhibited internationally and he has been the recipient of various awards, grants, and residencies - most recently the British Council Grant for Individual Artists. He currently lectures at the University of Greenwich and for the Slade School of Fine Art.

Kinski are Lucy Atkinson, Chris Martin, Matthew Reid-Schwartz and Barrett Wilke. Their unique
evocation of avant-rock is deconstructionist and heady, but also emotive and visceral.  NME described Kinski as "like Sabbath in a washing machine during a power surge."  They have toured throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan, and have a lengthy discography, including 3 full length albums released on the seminal record label SubPop.

Hobbs and Kinski, along with Robin Held, Chief Deputy Director, Exhibitions and Collections, Frye Art Museum, will discuss this collaborative project and other aspects of their work via an evening of conversation.  The event will take place at Jack Straw Productions and the public is cordially invited to attend.

On the occasion of this exhibition, Hobbs and Kinski have created a limited edition artwork in the form of a 12" gatefold album.  The work is adorned with film stills from the installation, and contains two new sound pieces by Kinski and a limited edition silkscreen print by Hobbs.