Spike Island presents an engaging new exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Danielle Dean, whose work traverses video, painting, installation, social practice, and performance.
At the heart of the show is Hemel, a new 16mm film blending personal essay and documentary to explore Hemel Hempstead, the planned post-war community where Dean grew up. Intertwining archival footage, contemporary imagery, and references to the 1957 sci-fi horror film Quartermass II, Dean creates a layered narrative examining the town’s colonial undertones and shifting race, class, and labour dynamics in a post-Brexit Britain.
At the heart of the show is Hemel, a new 16mm film blending personal essay and documentary to explore Hemel Hempstead, the planned post-war community where Dean grew up. Intertwining archival footage, contemporary imagery, and references to the 1957 sci-fi horror film Quartermass II, Dean creates a layered narrative examining the town’s colonial undertones and shifting race, class, and labour dynamics in a post-Brexit Britain.
Dean herself plays a composite role, merging her identity with that of a fictional detective, constructing a world that blurs the lines between reality and imagination.
