Calvin Laing's practice considers the relationship between documentation, performance to camera and live performance. For his New Work Scotland, Calvin created a series of woks in which he presented himself ass the protagonist, playing an exaggerated and extended alter-ego. He caries out performances in the public realm and the interaction with the public, which often happens off-camera, is identified s an important part of the process.

In his work Calvin interrupts the mise en scéne with incongruous actions, which have an anti-climactic result, as in Calvin & Drylaw, where he runs towards a roundabout near his home, and has a rather pathetic fall, surprising and confusing the co-opted lollipop lady. In the exhibition at Collective Calvin presented his performances in different formats, playing with the idea of documentation and authenticity, making the viewer an active participant in questioning the validity of what they are seeing.

Download the exhibition information here

Read the New Work Scotland 2013 publication here

New Work Scotland Programme was an initiative launched by Collective in 2000. Through an open call, New Work Scotland Programme identified and supported some of the most promising new practitioners working in Scotland - providing them with the opportunity to create new work and bring it to the attention of a wider public. The 2013 participants were Frances Stacey, Calvin Laing, James Bell, Conor Kelly, Shona Macnaughton, Tom Varley and Rachel Maclean.