Emma Leach
Emma Leach is a London-based artist working with time-based media and primarily with text. Her practice engages with subjects of political, historical and social significance through the by-products of larger, more newsworthy events. Her text works include observational writing about real events and short fiction. Previous works have been shown in galleries, distributed in newspapers and transmitted by radio in the UK, France, Japan and New Zealand. In 2013, her short story The Moon Speaks was printed as a companion piece to works by William Hsu in the exhibition catalogue for Hermes’ lack of words (Pub: Artspace, New Zealand). Emma is Performance Curator at the Whitstable Biennale.
Conflicting Thoughts explores symbolic events in two long-term conflicts still relevant in Scotland today. A mediator reacts to two video clips: footage of football hostilities captured on live TV, and the demolition of Ravenscraig steelworks. The mediator’s responses were recorded and re-voiced by an actor. The work, like conflict, obscures and reveals in turn.
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Five years have passed since Emma Leach made Conflicting Thoughtsduring a residency at the CCA in Glasgow. In this new text, written by Emma for this occasion, and performed by Alison J. Carr, Emma reflects on conflict and the benefits of being spiky.