As part of the Fierce! festival and to celebrate the launch of the new Eastside exhibition space and exciting summer programme, Ikon presented Wake Up and Hide by British artist Gary Stevens.

Wake Up and Hide is a playful video installation that responds to sounds made by the audience. Comprising two videos in a dual screen projection, each piece shows footage featuring a group of actors in the same interior, a space reminiscent of a drawing room in a stately home. On one screen, the performers can be seen furtively entering the frame from beneath tables and behind curtains, only to scurry away quickly back into hiding when the viewer makes a sound. On the other screen, the performers are stationary to begin with and if uninterrupted for long enough, they slump to the point of wilting completely. If a member of the audience breaks the silence, this relaxation ends and the actors return to their original positions, bolt upright.

Sound: Graeme Miller, interactive design and technology: Nic Sandiland, art direction: Georgina Carless, lighting and camera: David Gopsill. Performed by: Heather Ackroyd, Ian Bourn, Helena Bryant, Frog Morris, Fiona Templeton, Gareth Brierley, Antonia Doggett, Michelle Griffiths, Kate Meynell, Gary Stevens.

Wake Up and Hide was commissioned by Matt’s Gallery, in association with Artsadmin and is funded by Fierce! Arts Council England and the Henry Moore Foundation.