Lay Down is an entirely new work by Capaldi, a site-specific installation involving a video sculpture with continual performance, inspired by her time in the deserts of the American West. Here, Capaldi met a Utah cowboy and his horse, a film exploring their relationship and the vast, performative landscape that surrounds them forms the core of the installation. Lay Down asks how power is constructed and understood, this question arising throughout the installation, in the iconic figure of the American cowboy, the influence of the sublime landscape and the authority of the screen.
The crossover area between the disciplines of sculpture and performance are of particular interest to Leah Capaldi’s practice, with echoes of the seminal performance work of the late 1960s and early 70s. Capaldi’s work explores the pivotal relationship between object or subject, encouraging the audience to question themselves in relation to the work and playing with notions of surveillance and spectatorship."
After visiting the exhibition I was lucky enough to talk to Capaldi herself, who happened to be passing through the gallery. When I watched her installation it was extremely unclear what was going on, however was intriguing and captivating nonetheless. Afterwards she explained that she met this man who performed rebirths on horses, and the incredible process which is entailed. It is a procedure that once starts cannot be stopped and must be seem through, and entails full trust and stamina. As such this perseverance is paralleled and reflecting onto human behaviour as there is a live performer (as shown below) holding different positions highlighting their limbs, in order for the viewer to feel a greater connection.
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