A photographic collection of hands taken between 2016 and 2019 across London, Berlin and Denver by Ozziline Bill.

The subject matter of strangers’ hands and haptic gestures, considers the narratives constructed out of mundane, day-to-day transactions, whilst reflecting on the compulsive activity of Ozziline Bill’s own hands taking the photographs.

The images are supported by introspective monologues in six chapters by editor and co-curator Brenna Horrox. 

Evolved with and printed by Folium Publishing, The Possessed Hands of Bill is presented as a hand sized book. 

Designed by Numbered Editions, the bespoke ‘hand gesture’ typeface on the front cover captures our tactile imagination and is reflective of the hands within.

In the current climate the focus of hands is particularly interesting. The photographs within The Possessed Hands of Bill become an archive for the 'old world' of frequent haptic meetings with strangers. Simultaneously offering an alternative proposition of experiencing touch through images and words that arouse our tactile imagination.

130mm x 210mm, 108 pages, full colour digital printing throughout, perfect bound, softcover with foil type, 2020.

Correspondence - we want to showcase the power of cooperation and collaboration. By celebrating works that involve two or more artists working together, we bring to the forefront the idea that we are better together and unexpected and exciting things happen when we connect with each other.
“The term correspondence can mean “close similarity” and “communication by exchanging letters”, if we try to combine both meanings, the distance between the correspondents is recognised physically, whilst in immaterial ways, such as ideas, ways of thinking and interests there is an undividable proximity. The mind denies the physical distance and finds a way to remain in conversation.Artists can interpret the word “correspondence” freely. I believe that collaborating and influencing each other is always part of artistic production. Even today, no one is living in full isolation. This could be the perfect opportunity to create conditions that artists need to work together and discover how that process of influences and interference can be the space for creating a truly unique and unexpected body of works. I find it fascinating the idea of artists in conversations and that this exchange takes the form of an artwork, as a third entity to this relationship.”

Correspondence in ‘The Possessed Hands of Bill’ can be seen to manifest itself in numerous ways. As this was the first collaboration between artist Ozziline Bill and curator Brenna Horrox into a new territory of book making, they instantaneously recognised the need for informal conversation and knowledge sharing. Their ‘learn as you go’ attitude evolved into a ‘learn as you converse’ method. This back and fourth dialect throughout the book making process enabled them to find their own voice within the world of the Artist’s Book. At every step of the pre-production and curation, Ozziline and Brenna would chat, research, learn, unlearn, reach out to others and chat again. 

The dialogue between images and words within the book are a physical correspondence to the conversation between artist and curator, demonstrating how correspondence can be an artistic medium in itself. The photographs taken over 3 years are taken out of an impulsive desire to document the hand-frenzied activity of daily-life, the words reflect, analyse and empathise with these images from the writers own experiences.

This dialogue can be further exchanged beyond Ozziline and Brenna to the audience as they flick through ‘The Possessed Hands of Bill’. Perhaps they will begin to examine their own hands, the hands that flick through, and the hands of those around them; feeling familiar and strange at the same time, creating space for a dialogue, corresponding to that of Ozziline and Brenna’s.


https://www.artconnect.com/profile/ozziline
https://www.artconnect.com/profile/brenna-horrox

BOOK CAN BE PURCHASED WITH THE LINK BELOW :)


The Possessed Hands of Bill

As we float between url & irl so does SOAP - inverting exhibition-going culture within a gaming software and embracing the ever growing cultural production of online communities. Thereby creating a space to ask what can be learnt from these amalgamations and offering an alternate connectivity for artists to thrive off.

The participating SOAP artists are Caroline Ballegaard, David Lisbon, Don Elektro, Esther Merinero, Freya McLean, Harry Grundy, Kirsty Sorley, Ludovica Bulciolu, Ozziline Bill, Samantha Watson, Tigris Li and Tommy Camerno & Lee Stevens.

SOAP is about the spaces in which we view art; the possibilities within our now prevalent virtual life are explored and boundaries of the online interface pushed. With cultural institutions closed, SOAP considers the architectural experiences which normally impact our perception of an artwork when visiting a physical gallery.

SOAP provokes this by creating a somewhat alien architectural language, symbolic of the uncharted territory we now exist in and have to adapt our ways of seeing to.

Designed in collaboration with architect Daniel Pope, the SOAP geo-domes and gridded mega-spheres are an artwork in themselves. Our on screen experience of art is elevated as we enter the virtual SOAP bubble.

SOAP is a virtual group show of digital artworks responding to Covid-19. Existing in webspace, SOAP imagines a new world for artists to exhibit in during lockdown. The artworks displayed react, reflect and embody this strange and significant time.

Curated by Brenna Horrox and Ozziline Bill (Body Odor Studios).

SOAP was born out of of the understanding that correspondence between creators inspires artistic discourse and production. We felt with artists in lockdown it was necessary to ensure this correspondence continued so that artists could not only create to stay sane but also have a space to pause, comment and critique on the events in the world that were unfolding around us.

Cyberspace became our primary meeting spot - we met, discussed and viewed artworks on various interfaces to create SOAP, extending this to our online opening hosted on Zoom. 

We embodied the nature of Cyberspace as an endless pit of connectivity and ideas where crossovers of location, vocation, class, income etc. can occur. This idea of cross over was something SOAP wanted to push in its curatorial structures and output so we moved between specialists and different knowledge forms - from our real lived experiences to unfamiliar languages embedded in code. For instance we collaborated with architect Daniel Pope to design the virtual exhibition space, also an artwork in itself. And with the exhibition being realised in the gaming software UNITY, we were met with another interesting amalgamation - an exhibition as game. It was in these cross-overs that produced a correspondence that critically thought about our current context as people/artists within a world where the digital and physical were merging. 

The artworks selected by Ozziline and Brenna questioned our relationship to IRL & URL and the inner to the outer. They expressed desire for each other physically but also mentally, offering ways to begin to understand each others environment, the alternative cultures and the societal structures around us. Making it explicit that our lives make up the social infrastructure of others and vice versa. Therefore SOAP offered an alternative correspondence despite being isolated in our homes.
https://www.artconnect.com/profile/ozziline
https://www.artconnect.com/profile/brenna-horrox

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