‘The Ghost of Who I Used to Be’ - Art Installation by David Tovey
We are delighted to be a home for David Tovey’s new installation, ‘The Ghost of Who I Used to Be’, will be exhibited in our foyer until the end of May.
Visit: all ODAC open hours.
David is the Founding Director of the One Festival of Homeless Arts; the launch of which historically takes place at Old Diorama Arts Centre, where David was an early Artist in Residence.
David Tovey is a formerly homeless artist, educator and activist who works across a range of media. He is a photographer and painter, as well as an installation artist and performance-maker. At the heart of David's practice is his ability to raise awareness and tackle social issues in a way that is both hard-hitting and beautiful.
David has exhibited internationally in locations such as the Atsa Festival, Montreal; Kunsthall Stavern, Norway; Tate Modern; and Tate Liverpool. He is also the founder of the UK’s first One Festival of Homeless Arts, exhibiting the work of artists with ongoing and former experience of homlessness. He speaks regularly at housing and homelessness events, and teaches art to people experiencing homelessness at Passage House. His ‘Man on Bench’ performances earned him significant acclaim, taking place on the pavements of London's Southbank; The Mayfield Depot, Manchester; and the halls of Tate Exchange.
David has exhibited internationally in locations such as the Atsa Festival, Montreal; Kunsthall Stavern, Norway; Tate Modern; and Tate Liverpool. He is also the founder of the UK’s first One Festival of Homeless Arts, exhibiting the work of artists with ongoing and former experience of homlessness. He speaks regularly at housing and homelessness events, and teaches art to people experiencing homelessness at Passage House. His ‘Man on Bench’ performances earned him significant acclaim, taking place on the pavements of London's Southbank; The Mayfield Depot, Manchester; and the halls of Tate Exchange.
David is a Senior Producer at Arts & Homelessness International; Patron of The Gem Programme; Trustee at Unlimited; Big Issue Change maker (2019); Core group member of the Museum of Homelessness; and a steering group member for What Next?
David designed then installation to be viewed alongside audio accompaniment, which can be found below:
David wrote the following to accompany the installation:
do you ever wonder why you turn left instead of right
or walk instead of run
get drunk instead of an early night
or
why you get frustrated and angry
for no reason at all
why do we make these choices
why do we get so much wrong
why do we listen to stigma and judgement from others
why do we always listen to those dark thoughts
instead of the good
we judge ourselves far worse
why do we hate who we are
are we guided?
or misguided?
how about having some closure from those ghosts
stand
scream
cry
love
let them go.
David designed then installation to be viewed alongside audio accompaniment, which can be accessed by scanning the QR code orby clicking here.
Thank you for sharing your work with us and with our visitors, David.
