David Bethell
Fleeting Flights
2019
HOME, Manchester
Curator | exhibition, with Mark Devereux Projects
Commissioned by Arts Council England, Mark Devereux Projects and HOME
Installation images by Lee Baxter
A man opens the front door of his shack in a woodland clearing. He puts his face to the opening and looks around. Littering the ground outside is a collection of contraptions made from timber. Poking through the top of the shack is a wooden balloon.
Fleeting Flights was a solo exhibition by British artist David Bethell, following the story of a man’s struggle to escape from his own self-induced purgatory. Taking place in an isolated woodland, the story follows the protagonist’s futile attempts to escape his ramshackle shack via a wooden balloon.
The exhibition featured David Bethell’s debut short film of the same title, co-commissioned by Mark Devereux Projects and HOME Artist Film. As part of this solo gallery presentation, Fleeting Flights includes the many elaborate wooden contraptions designed and built by the artist.
Fleeting Flights was the culmination of an eight-month project (Re-sight), in which the artist undertook intensive artist professional development mentoring with Mark Devereux Projects and external mentors. The final work marked Bethell’s first foray into incorporating short film within his sculptural and performative practice.
Re-sight and Fleeting Flights has been supported by Arts Council England and HOME.