Love Me or Leave Me Alone

The first retrospective monograph on one of Britain’s most progressive and socially conscious artist duos working internationally today.

Artists Heather and Ivan Morison and their studio have established an ambitious collaborative practice that transcends traditional divisions between art, architecture, theatre and activism. Their work is often performance-based and site-specific, existing as one-off events, social projects or large-scale installations and buildings in public spaces. In particular, they are known for their architectural structures that relate to ideas of escape, play, shelter and refuge, the transformation of the modern city, and the function of civic communities. Their central preoccupation has always been how we navigate catastrophe and the violence of change. More recent works have moved from a wider collective view to how individuals deal with moments of personal calamity. Frequently working with governments, business and community groups, the Morisons see their role as making art that enables others to see the world and themselves afresh, to lift themselves out of the everyday, and to transform the places in which they live.

Love Me or Leave Me Alone presents a journey through the past decade of Studio Morison’s practice, with an emphasis on their pavilions, escape vehicles and public art works. It shows how the artists engage with materials, histories, sites and processes, as well as other areas of creativity, thought and commerce, to directly address the major societal questions of our time. Texts by curators Claire Doherty and Gavin Wade, detailed project descriptions, and contributions by some of the commissioners, architects, sci-fi writers and others with whom the Morisons have collaborated are accompanied by the duo’s own reflections on each work. Beautiful and inspiring, this stunning and timely volume shows some of the ways that artists can be active agents of change, bringing meaning, beauty and purpose to everyday life and creating a blueprint for happiness.

About the Authors

Claire Doherty is the director of Arnolfini in Bristol, UK.

Gavin Wade is director of artist-run gallery space Eastside Projects in Birmingham, UK.