During the regular and inevitable gaps between gallery exhibitions, the space is inaccessible to visitors physically. However, the space continues to exist. For the exhibition period of July Maria Stenfors is delighted to present two solo projects by Philip Newcombe and Lilah Fowler. Both artists explore the vacuum created when a key element is deliberately removed: the ability to visually experience the art work.

The works will run consecutively: Newcombe 1-14 July, and Fowler 15-29 July 2015. Both artists will in turn explore the altered perception when space is removed and material changed and limited; Philip Newcombe in a work that is audible at the gallery doors, as well as viewable via documentation on the gallery website, and Lilah Fowler online on the gallery website, in a work exploring the infinite dimensions of the internet.

1 July – 14 July 2015: Philip Newcombe | ɪntəәˌluːd,

Behind the closed doors, a solitary speaker is placed on a wall, relaying a sound loop, turning the gallery into an active space; one in a constant state of flux. With its precise 35 second loop, this repetitive muzak frustrates any linear sense of time. Sourced from 'YouTube', this is a form of digital ready-made. When experienced, with its precise short loop, it kickstarts a slightly altered reaction each time. This familiar sound often used in elevators or spaces where people inhabit, or telephone systems (while the caller is on hold), becomes a provocateur within the empty space; an interlude or an interruption within the gallery's programme. A pause.

Newcombe's often dry outlook allows us to imagine spaces or objects through suggestion. ɪntəәˌluːd, (with its deliberate phonetic title), will run 24 hours a day between the 01st and 14th July. Although the gallery is closed during this time, it may be viewed from the outside corridor or from inside your head during shopping trips.

Philip Newcombe (b. 1970) lives and works in London. Recent selected exhibitions include: 'The Whole Wide World', The International 3, Salford (2015), Dolph Projects, London (2014), 'Morphisisation', APT, London (2014), 'Quiz', Ensemble Poirel, Nancy, France (2014), 'démocratie', Tripode, Reze, France (2014), 'COMPANY', Maria Stenfors, London (solo) (2014), Pollen, CAPC Musée d'art Contemporain, Bordeaux (solo) (2013).

15 July – 29 July 2015: Lilah Fowler | Which pixel am I standing on?

“In computing, traceroute is a computer network computer diagnostic tool for displaying the route (path) and measuring transit delays of packets across an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The history of the route is recorded as the round-trip times of the packets received from each successive host (remote node) in the route (path); the sum of the mean times in each hop indicates the total time spent to establish the connection. Traceroute proceeds unless all (three) sent packets are lost more than twice, then the connection is lost and the route cannot be evaluated.” [source Wikipedia]

Lilah Fowler’s work goes live on the website at 11 am on 15th of July and is up until 6pm on the 29th July This work is based on the traceroute path of Internet Protocol packets, initiated from inside the gallery and tracing the locations of the route to the remote server of the gallery website. The image of this performed traceroute will be the link to an external website that, in turn connects the viewer via their journey within this online work.

Standing still and yet in a number of places at once, the work brings the together the absence and presence of these peripheral locations. In parallel to the format of the early stages of data modeling, the boundaries of an entity are taken as shifting and arbitrary, as are the distinctions between their attributes and relationships. Which Pixel am I standing on? addresses some of the timeless questions on how we perceive and process information about the world we operate in.

Lilah Fowler (b. 1981) lives and works in London. Exhibitions include ‘Passage and Pair’ at Maria Stenfors, London (2013); ‘Intro’ at Clement & Schneider, Germany (2015); ‘AIR’, Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, China (2014); JTAG, Joshua Tree, California, USA (2013), 'Circles, props and edges' at Siobhan Davies Studios, London (2013), 'Band' at Space in Between, London (2011).