“David Come Home” and the Journey of Artist Simon Isaac
“David Come Home”, by Simon Isaac
Opening Event: April 29th, 2022, 19:00
Exhibition from April 30th, 2022 to May 29th, 2022
Curated by Brunno Silva
“David Come Home” is the culmination of a project that started in 2017. The exhibition includes more than 50 artworks across 3 floors in the Silver Building, Docklands, London in addition to an accompanying publication.
In this extensive body of work, Simon Isaac expanded his photography practice by incorporating new technologies to build a fragmented narrative of a future that seems, although fantastical, an inevitable future of space colonisation and the possible social and physiological implication of such a narrative.
Isaac’s vessel for this tale is David whom we meet before the first image is in sight. The message in the title is clear: David is forcefully summoned to return to some concept of home. The title also offers a possible description of three equal parts, one named after each word of this journey, this can also be perceived in connection to a three act structure, often used in fiction as a narrative device.
The infinite nature of outer space starkly contrasts with the isolation and loneliness of David. These two positions oscillate between expansion and contraction, also noticeable in the stages where we witness the subject transitioning from open to closed spaces. At times David is unidentifiable lost in vast otherworldly landscapes, his figure blending with his environment. Whilst, other images confront the viewer with enforced intimacy through detailed close ups of the protagonist.
David’s story also find parallels with narratives around migration and displacement, the latter in relation to the artist’s own military discharge after his relationship with another serviceman was discovered. Being gay was a crime in the British military until 2000.
As multi billionaires burn fuel through the sky in their run to the space in the face of a global ecological deficit, we may ask ourselves if all faith in the Earth’s future is long gone and that the only means to survive is to escape physically and mentally from our predicament. In this position David is an anonymous totem from an unknown future that reverts, circles back, and returns as if to rediscover Earth and re-infuse it with humanity. This can be seen in ‘Parable 2’ where the growing plants and David find themselves in a mechanical environment imbued with its nightclub club pink colours. Organic yet controlled, it is a beautiful and multi-faceted world that still feels hostile.
Ultimately, David guides us through a landscape of places and states. A journey of leaving and returning and thus, discovering what we may be in relation to our environment and ourselves. Simon Isaac builds this world and its emotions with fantastical images and textures in this constellation of artworks.
About the artist:
Simon Isaac, who grew up in the industrial heartland of Wales through the 1980s, is a multimedia artist working predominantly with photography and moving image. Isaac research explores themes of isolation, abandonment and trauma in the self and society. Such exploration occurs through imagery of place and the relation between sentient beings and location. The idea of future and technology are often used to build the artist narratives and artworks.
About the location:
The Silver Building is a workspace and cultural centre in Silvertown, London. It provides workspace and exhibition venue for designers, photographers, artists and the arts. The Silver Building is located on Dock Road near West Silvertown Station on the DLR.