The manifestation.

The Manifestation by Tania Koswycz and Richard Layzell is the name for a series of installations/exhibitions; a unique collaboration founded on their global dialogues over the past five years. This carefully crafted way of working, or means of production, has led to a series of interventions across four continents, a set of unfolding concepts including The Stumbling Block, White on White, Black on Black, The Radiant Curve, The Table, The Word and Falling Phoebe, and a recently published, impeccably produced book Cream Pages (see link below).The central research concern of this major project is the conception of the potential to physically realise or manifest the dialogues of Richard Layzell and Tania Koswycz. In addition, each exhibition has at its core a new dialogue, which forms part of the exhibition and traces the working process of the development of the installation the audience is currently exploring. Thus, the audience's relationship to the work is complex and multi-layered. They are uncovering the recurrent themes within The Manifestation, understanding the relationship to dialogue, forming a relationship to a fictitious artist (Tania Koswycz) and experiencing it as a spatial work of art.

It was reworked in 2009 as “The Manifestation/Falling Phoebe”, and presented at St Martins Church, West Stockwell Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 in collaboration with Colchester Arts Centre and Firstsite. This version is a solo exhibition involving the complete reworking of material from Cafe Gallery Projects and the inclusion of new material and local research connected to the autobiographical and socio-historical theme 'Falling Phoebe'. Alongside the research for 'Suit the Action to the Word' (see link below) into the history of Layzell's ancestor Phoebe Layzell and the development of the video/performance DVD entitled 'Falling Phoebe' extensive research was completed in the location in Colchester of 'Phoebe's fall' in St Botolph's Street, a few hundred metres away from St Martin's Church, the site for this installation. The heightened focus of this aspect of The Manifestation had extreme resonance as the research was so locally sourced. This was also contained int the site specific Dialogue (between Layzell and Tania Koswycz) which was here displayed on a series of music stands, referencing how deconsecrated churches are often used for concerts.