Matt Stokes : In Absence of the Smoky God

27 Sep-8 Nov 2014

Overview

In Absence of the Smoky God is a major new commission by Matt Stokes. Taking the form of a two-screen video and audio installation, the work is inspired by hidden Sheffield locations, sci-fi literature and Barry Hines’ 1984 BBC TV production Threads, which portrayed a fictional cold-war nuclear attack on Britain. Filmed on location in Sheffield, Threads chronicled the before, during and after effects of atomic detonations on the city’s citizens. 30 years after its original broadcast, Stokes envisions a more fantastical post-apocalyptic tale by imagining the impact of such an event on the human body, and its social and cultural consequences.