Scott Myles Head in a Bell

27.07.24 – 23.02.25 Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow, Scotland

(En)

In this exhibition of painting, sculpture, print, moving image and sound, Scott Myles examines ideas of exchange and circulation. At the heart of the exhibition is Instrument for the People of Glasgow, a social sculpture comprised entirely of donations from Eurorack synthesizer manufacturers from many different countries. Myles views his action of asking ‘a little, from a lot of people’ as an egalitarian model of economic organisation. His artistic strategy is applicable to other contexts and …

(En)

In this exhibition of painting, sculpture, print, moving image and sound, Scott Myles examines ideas of exchange and circulation.

At the heart of the exhibition is Instrument for the People of Glasgow, a social sculpture comprised entirely of donations from Eurorack synthesizer manufacturers from many different countries.

Myles views his action of asking ‘a little, from a lot of people’ as an egalitarian model of economic organisation. His artistic strategy is applicable to other contexts and scenarios, for example politics. In the spirit of this gifting model, Myles has produced a poster detailing all the donations, with printed copies free to take away by visitors. At the close of the show Myles will donate the instrument to Glasgow Library of Synthesized Sound (GLOSS), the UK’s first electronic musical instrument library.

The exhibition features a collaboration with artist Oscar Prentice-Middleton. Myles and Prentice-Middleton have attached sensitive geophone microphones, which detect vibrations, to the gallery’s hidden air-exchange system. Wires physically connect the concealed plant room to Instrument for the People of Glasgow in the public gallery, creating a new live sound work that reacts to GoMA’s infrastructure. Head in a Bell invites viewers to consider unseen aspects of our institutions, forms of organisation, companionship and the climate emergency.

Scott Myles Head in a Bell 2024

Installation view, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow. Photo: Patrick Jameson

Scott Myles Able Inhaled 2024

acrylic on canvas 270 x 346 cm

Photo: Patrick Jameson

Scott Myles Head in a Bell 2024

Installation view, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow. Photo: Patrick Jameson

Scott Myles Grey Box 2024

Installation view, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow. Photo: Patrick Jameson

Found object (filing cabinet), oil paint, silkscreen, flight case, ratchet straps 116.5 x 75 x 90 cm

Scott Myles and Oscar Prentice-Middleton Air is Moving (detail) 2024-2025

Photo: Patrick Jameson

Live sound feed from gallery plant room, four omnidirectional seismic measurement microphones adjusted for field recording, two basicUcho microphones, cables, Eurorack modules (Instrument for the People of Glasgow) dimensions variable

Scott Myles Head in a Bell 2024

Installation view, Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow. Photo: Patrick Jameson

Scott Myles Untitled (Echo) (detail) 2016 – ongoing

Photo: Patrick Jameson

aluminium, powder coating, snail shells, hot glue, steel fixings, wooden sticks, string, shelving support upright, tape measure, microphone, cable 183 x 67 x 67 cm