Lore
The Mint House, Pevensey
September- October 2026
group exhibition
 

Three works icy Matt Hale in Lore
 

Time Machine 2026

Go-Cart, 2 buckets, blue glass circle, acrylic sheet, engine grease, lights.

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Kick the bucket uphill [muddy] 2026

2:54 min video performance filmed with the assistance of artist Nick Cash.

Freedom Walking Sticks x40, 2026
 

Text for the exhibition by Matt Hale on the above works

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Go-carts are usually constructed using scraps of wood and old pram wheels and they can’t be purchased from a shop. They are made by children with help from a guardian or with friends. This tradition or custom could be viewed as a form of folklore- a ‘do it yourself’ approach being passed on. An encouragement for adventure, freedom and an ability to improvise with what’s available. The method of making is shown and remembered and not written down.

 

I made my first go-cart with my Dad in 1966 in our suburban garage, North London. I tested it first in the garden pushed by him and then, when my confidence grew, I rode it down the fairly steep hill in the local park on my own. I acquired regular large grazes from crashing on the tight bend at the bottom. I wore these with pride as I pulled my cart home. So much about this remains with me still and I made the cart for Time Machine with these memories in mind. For me this work is about time passing, remembering and it has an inevitable dose of nostalgia as well as being a celebration of this DIY form.

 

The dented old bucket placed at the front of the go-cart is the same bucket used in the video Kick the bucket uphill [muddy]. The bucket inside the sealed box on the cart is an ‘ideal’ bucket. It is new, unused and containing an ‘unreal’ perfect blue liquid exuding a bright light seen through a mist of engine grease.

 

Euphemisms are a way of indirectly referring to something without stating them literally. Euphemisms are deeply rooted in folklore. Historically peopled used them to avoid saying the names of feared creatures, dangerous animals, or sacred entities, believing that words held the power to summon them. There are surprisingly many Euphemisms for death and dying and "To kick the bucket" is one of many.

 

The video performance work Kick the bucket uphill [muddy] is a euphemism expanded and performed by me. To enact the phrase and to attempt this absurd endeavour uphill in mud is hopefully humorous and also a comment on the struggle to stay alive despite the inevitability of eventual death.

 

© Matt Hale 2026