23.6 x 17.7 in
Paul Stolper in association with RS&A Ltd is pleased to announce a new exhibition of work by Gavin Turk. Included in the show will be a recent RS&A commission, ‘The Mechanical Turk’, a 14 minute film, as well as new works on paper, canvas, and mirror.
For his RS&A commission, Turk investigates the fascinating historical story of the ‘Mechanical Turk’ – a life-sized mechanical man that was dressed in Eastern costume and could somehow play chess. This famous automaton created by Wolfgang von Kempelen in the 18th Century astounded audiences across Europe and America and is said to have outwitted Napoleon and baffled grand masters. The film consists of Gavin Turk dressed as ‘the Turk’ in the identical setting and pose as the illustrations made in the 18th Century of the ‘Mechanical Turk’. The film is 14 minutes long and shows Gavin, dressed in Turkish costume complete with Turban, executing the Knight’s Tour with one hand in a mechanical fashion. This complex move consists of moving the Knight in a sequence across the board until it has landed on every square.
