Much of Roman Signer's work exists only as the trace of an action. An object sinking into water, for example, or the splash that registers a fall. His materials - most notably water and sand - are ordinary, yet in the context of his performances they take on a life of their own, flowing and forming patterns in response to gravity.


At Munster in 1997 he created a Chaplinesque installation using only a water hose and a hollow walking stick. The stick hung from a wire over the lake and a jet of water was forced through its stem. The cane whipped about, creating arcs and spirals, as though wielded by an energetic phantom in a display of cinematic burlesque. Then again, it could simply have been a pragmatic fire safety demonstration, illustrating the importance of holding on to the end of the hose. The simplicity and charm of this piece is typical of Signer's work.


At Bluecoat Art Centre, Signer has made an outdoor installation, while inside there is a video showing some of his earlier performances. Just inside the entrance to the courtyard he has parked a large black London Taxi. With the help of a narrow pipe fixed to the taxi's roof, the artist has poured dry sand into the vehicle, creating a perfect cone reminiscent of the sand in an hourglass. With its deadpan humour the work is both puzzling and hilarious: the bizarre trace of an inexplicable act.

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Much of Roman Signer's work exists only as the trace of an action. An object sinking into water, for example, or the splash that registers a fall. His materials - most notably water and sand - are ordinary, yet in the context of his performances they take on a life of their own, flowing and forming patterns in response to gravity.


At Munster in 1997 he created a Chaplinesque installation using only a water hose and a hollow walking stick. The stick hung from a wire over the lake and a jet of water was forced through its stem. The cane whipped about, creating arcs and spirals, as though wielded by an energetic phantom in a display of cinematic burlesque. Then again, it could simply have been a pragmatic fire safety demonstration, illustrating the importance of holding on to the end of the hose. The simplicity and charm of this piece is typical of Signer's work.


At Bluecoat Art Centre, Signer has made an outdoor installation, while inside there is a video showing some of his earlier performances. Just inside the entrance to the courtyard he has parked a large black London Taxi. With the help of a narrow pipe fixed to the taxi's roof, the artist has poured dry sand into the vehicle, creating a perfect cone reminiscent of the sand in an hourglass. With its deadpan humour the work is both puzzling and hilarious: the bizarre trace of an inexplicable act.