For Haze Helen took 5 delicate Turner paintings as inspiration and strung them together to create a fictional journey of a man in a boat at sea sailing through turbulent seas around the east coast, declared by Turner to have 'the loveliest skies in Europe'. Capturing the colours and light she saw in the paintings to inspire mood, atmosphere, and instrumentation, Haze premiered at the opening of the JMW Turner: Adventures in Colour exhibition 2016 at Turner Contemporary Gallery, Margate - itself built on the site of the 19th century boarding house Turner frequented.
Following the premiere, Caddick was invited by SkyArts to talk about Haze and its creation on their Tate Britain's Great British Walks series. Haze received a further performance as part of the 2019 Turner prize wider events accompanied by a new film by Phil Miller, commissioned by Caddick to capture the modern day settings of the 5 Turner paintings which inspired her work.
Audience Response
To Haze
You have miraculously captured so much of the feel of the Thanet coast, and of Turner’s response to it. - Ian Warrell Curator of JMW Turner: Adventures in Colour exhibition at Turner Contemporary October 2016 - January 2017
HAZE is an amazing achievement. I have been listening to Haze in my car today as I journeyed across a rather dank Kent, recalling the images in the film and the narrative that drew the paintings together and continually uncovering new colours in the music. - Jo Tonkin January 2017
In response to Haze at the Gulbenkian accompanied by film by Phil Miller:
I am not terribly well informed about music generally and I have seen Turner's paintings but never felt terribly excited by them. I feel completely blown away by the event at the Gulbenkian. The documentary explaining Helen's process was fascinating and inciteful. As an Artist I could relate to her way of gathering quotes and melodies. Her responses and observation of Turner's paintings brought them alive for me and I loved the symbolic representation of colours to sounds from different instruments. The whole evening made a contemporary composition totally accessible. I thought I might not know enough to get it and I did have a wonderful uplifting enriching experience. When one experiences really good art, life is not the same afterwards. - Tracie Peisley.
The music created a connection between the viewer and the painting. It was a strange experience because the music is what I expected the artwork to sound like. It made me feel nostalgic and emotional. The score heightened the experience of viewing the artwork. – anonymous audience member
News
November 2019
In November 2019, as part of the wider Turner prize related events hosted at Margate’s Turner Contemporary, Helen’s work Haze was further performed at the Gulbenkian theatre accompanied by a new film created by Phil Miller, inspired by the delicate Turner paintings which inspired Haze.
Talking to Dominic King 23/10/19
Catch up on BBCiplayer to hear Helen talk to Dominic King about her work Haze inspired by JMW Turner and the premiere of a beautiful new film by Phil Miller which weaves images of the Turner paintings which inspired Helen's work with sublime imagery of the Kent coast, seen as it is today. Generously supported by Arts Council England Haze was performed by CantiaQuorum at the Gulbenkian theatre, Canterbury on Friday 1st November 2019, to coincide with the hosting of the prestigious Turner prize at Turner Contemporary, Margate. Seen as 'the greatest of the age' by art critic John Ruskin and by many to be the first 'modern' painter, Caddick’s Haze reacts to the sumptuous colours and use of light employed by Turner in five delicate paintings, pieced together to form a fictional narrative - one that endures to this day - of a man and boat at sea, at the mercy of the elements. Haze aims to add a further dimension to the audience, as if they themselves had stepped forward into the artworks.
May 2017
On Tuesday 16th May 2017, the new Tate Britain's Great British Walks series was broadcast on Sky Arts, featuring work by JMW Turner. Within this episode, we heard examples of Helen's work as she spoke about her work Haze and of how Turner's work inspired it.
October 2016
On 7th October 2016, Helen's work Haze, generously supported by Arts Council England, was premiered by CantiaQuorum at Turner Contemporary, Margate to coincide with the opening of the JMW Turner: Adventures in Colour exhibition. Selecting 5 artworks by Turner, taken from the exhibition, to piece together a fictional journey taken by sailing boat around the east coast, declared by Turner to have 'the loveliest skies in Europe', Caddick used the colours and light incorporated in the paintings to inspire mood, atmosphere and instrumentation. To partner Haze, a film by Phil Miller documenting Caddick's process from initial thoughts to performance and subsequent recording, was screened throughout the exhibition. Haze was released on 1st November 2016 and can be purchased at https://helencaddick.bandcamp.com