Retro Future

Fulham Palace is a spectacular 11th century building that no longer houses bishops and tortures people in the Great Hall. These days design agencies rent offices and local mums drink frappacinos and it has opened its doors to contemporary art. This is no white cube and any work in its ex-hallowed rooms and grounds must choose to be concerned with, compliment, contrast or completely ignore the history. Dennis da Silva has curated a show that manages to work with the space and still retain some spark of rebelliousness and insubordination. Nick Ferguson's 'Dovecote' and John Foxx's 'Cathedral Oceans III' will compliment the space perfectly. The Dovecote, sitting in the grounds, draws on Modernist architectural styles and 1920s Utopian projects and offers eight pairs of doves heaven on earth. Foxx's dreamlike film and ambient score suggest an ethereal beauty befitting the ancient gardens and crumbling walls. 'Banderole C21' by Adrian Lee contrasts Fulham Palace's past as a site of great religious significance with the banal way church halls are used today. By using gold leaf and illuminated script, a humble vinyl banner bearing the phrase 'Bingo and Car Boot Sales' plays with this illustrious heritage.

AL