One night stand

One Night Stand is an exhibition of performances and screenings that treats the ground floor of the gallery as a stage or an arena. The shop window of g39 separates the ‘white cube’ space from the world of passers-by, framing the artists for the public and vice versa. Two very different worlds meet but are forever separated as the artists create their own panorama and the viewers inhabit theirs.


The exhibition commences with a 12-hour performance by Samuel Hasler. Over the 12-hour period, the empty space will gradually fill with balloons inflated by Hasler, who will be hidden from view. The room (and the performance) will be in darkness until the movement of passers-by trigger a floodlight, and the space becomes momentarily illuminated.

The weekend before Valentine’s Day, Paul Hurley will be performing an energetic lecture that will contribute to his ongoing investigation into the cultural manifestations of love, sexuality and desire. Hurley is 25, single and not a stranger to one night stands. For this special one night stand at g39 he will make sure he looks hot. Hurley come fully prepared and if all goes according to plan he will end the night in a sweaty, exhausting and passionate climax. Everybody is invited to come, although it’s obviously not essential.

On the following weekend, Kristel Trow and her string quartet will perform pieces derived from the soundscapes of the city on customised instruments. The composed symphonies will merge and become part of the natural sounds of Cardiff.

Over the final weekend, Rebecca Spooner and Richard Bevan have organised a Super-8 film mini-festival, featuring the work of four artists, a showreel of new films by various students, artists and enthusiasts as well as some vintage home movies. The artists share an appreciation of Super-8 film because of its associations with nostalgia, memory and domesticity and the rich, warm depth of colour. These qualities have provided beginnings for new work included in this exhibition.

Programme