CUBIST PORTRAIT MACHINE

A happening at the National Portrait Gallery

An interactive performance featuring reflective body-centric objects inspired by the National Portrait Gallery’s Picasso exhibition.

Commission

Di was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to present an interactive performance as part of their Late Shift happening “Everything You Can Imagine is Real”. Curated by electronic musician Martyn Ware and inspired by the Picasso portrait exhibition, Di created the Cubist Portrait Machine, a series of reflective body-centric objects which transformed visitors into living portraits.

Experience

Like Picasso’s circle in Montmartre in the early 20th century, for one night only the gallery became an artists’ colony featuring a wild cross-pollination of ideas, music, poetry, performance, art, film and dance. Dressed like art handlers with black aprons and white gloves, performers Martha Canning and Daisy Cauty used these modular devices to create unique portraits of the participants. Each portrait was captured on a mobile phone and the unique image was printed immediately for the participant to take home.

Tour

2017  National Portrait Gallery, London

Partners

National Portrait Gallery

Full Credits Below
CREDITS

Di Mainstone

Martha Canning and Daisy Cauty

Martyn Ware

Other films
Di Mainstone ©Di Mainstone

Di is a multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker whose work has been exhibited at Southbank Centre, The Barbican, the V&A, Sage Gateshead, The National Portrait Gallery & more.

Visit

Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, London EC2A 3PQ