A Glasgow-based artist is doing his bit to dispel the myth of health and safety as a hindrance with a three-month residence at a well-known Scottish arts centre.
David Sherry’s ‘Health and Safety Effect’ programme at Devoren Arts, in Huntly, includes paintings, drawings and performances by the Northern-Ireland born artist, all inspired by health and safety information, signs, and the experiences of people he has spoken to.
Sherry, 35, told SHP: “Before doing this, I didn’t know anything about health and safety, or come into contact with it much. What I did know was that lots of people are against it but I would actually say it’s about 50/50. Many people realise that we interact with risk all the time, and that it’s an important part of life. If it’s a dangerous business, then people do get it.”
The artist said he finds health and safety “fascinating” and he even took a risk-assessment course to be able to carry out his own appraisals. He explained: “It was a day’s course – elementary health and safety, in Elgin, with a private training company. It was a fantastic day and I really enjoyed it.” He was particularly taken with legislation, and health and safety diagrams – the Heinrich accident triangle is just one of several well-known models to have ended up in a painting for the show.
To find out more about the issues and attitudes surrounding health and safety, Sherry spoke to a variety of people from all walks of life and has used their stories to inform his work. He said: “I met a lot of people and, often, I didn’t expect them to do what they do.” He told a story about an oil-worker from Aberdeen, who really opened the artist’s eyes to the hazards of life on a platform out in the middle of the North Sea, leaving Sherry to conclude: “If it [health and safety] saves one life, then it’s worth it.”
On 19 and 20 March, Sherry and fellow artist on the project, Anthony Schrag, will be hosting the ‘Ill-fated fête’ – two days of exhibitions, discussions, lectures and performances exploring the facts and myths of our risk-conscious society.
Explained Sherry: “It will be based on all the information I’ve got, which I’ve tried to gather from as broad a spectrum as possible. I’ll be performing it – reading things out – with some quirky parts and some serious. The event will even feature a risk-assessed ceilidh!”
In the meantime, the second meeting of the Out-of-Date Society will take place on 1 March. The idea is to discuss the effects of health and safety on society, and people’s attitude to risk, while eating out-of-date food. Sherry said: “The dates on food are just there as a guideline. We had our first meeting as an online group on 1 February – though we mainly ate just stale bread rolls! – but the next meeting will be held at Devoren Arts, with comedian Phil Kay.”
To find out more about ‘The Health and Safety Effect’, visit http://www.deveron-arts.com/wb/pages/artists/sherry.php
