Two-handed timekeeper

Two-handed timekeeper (left & right) | 2021 | Three minutes of digital video x 2

“The railway time is shown by a silvered minute hand, 

the minute hand denoting the true time being gilt.”* 

During the mid-19th century, with the coming of the railways, many of Exeter’s public clocks had two minute-hands, one showing Railway Time (or GMT), the other Local Time, which was approximately 14 minutes behind by the sun.

Two-handed timekeeper is derived from a recording of shadows moving across a playing field in Exeter on 14 July 2021. The footage has been split, superimposed and speeded up to make visible the solar time difference between Letchworth and Exeter. 

This work arose from shared research and experiments made with Savinder Bual during the Correspondence01 project. It reflects on human-made rules and scales of measurement versus the independent movement of celestial objects.

Two versions of the video will be shown simultaneously: one at Exeter Phoenix, the other at Broadway Gallery Letchworth.  The video still above combines both versions into one image.

Left: Two-handed timekeeper  ̶  Exeter and Letchworth (Longitude -3.542433 and -0.22703)

Right: Two-handed timekeeper  ̶  Letchworth and Exeter (Longitude -0.22703 and -3.542433)

Correspondence01, curated by Kristian Day and Matt Burrows

17th August - 5th September 2021

Broadway Gallery,  2 The Arcade, Letchworth Garden City SG6 3EW

Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street EX4 3LS

*The clock at St John’s Church, Fore Street, Exeter, as described by the Exeter Flying Post in 1845. Source: Clive N Ponsford Time In Exeter (1978)

Ghost Moth and other manifestations

Gabrielle Hoad & Megan Calver | Ghost Moth | Exeter Phoenix Platform | 2021

Between 2nd and 8th August, I was lucky enough (along with Megan Calver) to be part of Exeter Phoenix’s Platform series, which offers artists based in the South West region opportunities to test out ideas, new work and recent developments in their practice.

Our opportunity took the form of a short, experimental residency, during which we reconsidered our predominantly site-specific practice for a gallery environment. Working quickly with a limited range of low-cost and recycled materials, we created a number of test pieces and prototypes, with particular focus on scale, impact and use of space.

Although there was no pressure from Exeter Phoenix to be visible to the public, an audience felt important in the context of what we were trying to do, and so we challenged ourselves to have work in progress on view through a ‘porthole’ we created in the whited-out gallery doors. We also invited a few colleagues and contacts to come into the space by appointment. Curator Matt Burrows provided additional mentoring and support throughout.

It was a great opportunity to ‘think big’ and scale up our work. We were able to experience how different objects, materials or presentation styles read in the formal gallery setting, and how they ‘talk’ to one another and shift in meaning.

Some of the work was made quickly and spontaneously, some developed over the week, some was abandoned after only brief display, some was intentionally ephemeral, and some made purely for ourselves.

Gabrielle Hoad & Megan Calver | Exeter Phoenix Platform | 2021

The above image is from Monday 9th August when we dismantled the temporary weekend exhibition and, in doing so, made a whole new iteration of a sculpture we nicknamed 'the lighthouse' – possibly my favourite version of all.

https://exeterphoenix.org.uk/events/calver-and-hoad/