jottaContemporary and The Elephant Rooms pair up to present Together, At the Junction, to create artist engagement in a temporary space.
Together, At The Junction explores the relationship between collaborative art practice, community and public space. The Elephant Rooms invites jottaContemporary to facilitate artist engagement with a space in transition through live performances and site-specific works. The group exhibition will occupy The Elephant Rooms, a new roving art space in the Elephant and Castle Shopping centre founded and supported by Corsica Studios. The 1960’s architectural structure will be the stage for a series of performances, live sound pieces and art works, in both the exhibition space and in the communal foyer space within the centre.
British collaborative duo (formerly PaulMart) Paul Teigh and Martin Russell develop a high level of orientation around their relentless exploration of Art Nouveau. In parallel Leah Elsey and Sonia Uddin respond to the centre from their residency in Parramatta, Sydney Australia, through their research-based approach to unraveling religious slogans, forming relationships with how pedestrians negotiate meaning. Matt&Ross collaborating with Grizedale Arts acknowledge their positions within differing landscapes. Through these two spaces they create a migratory interchange between the rural environment of Lawson’s Park, home to Grizedale Arts, and the modernist brutality/optimism of Elephant & Castle shopping centre. The history of both spaces combine to create an installation that embraces the natural contradictions found within landscapes and the people and objects that reside within them.
Various live performances will take place throughout the duration of the exhibition in an attempt to renegotiate the space and the occupants of the centre. a r a r sound experiments will engage the gallery space with a live performance at the private view, then venture into the shopping centre’s communal space on Saturday the 1st of August at 2pm. What They Could do, They Did will stage a ritualistic performance, Chaplin Vs. Keaton, which acknowledges Charlie Chaplin who had his first performance in Elephant and Castle area. They will continue to perform ritualized performances throughout the four-day exhibition, transforming the space into studio set up. Investigation Three will interact with the space, conducting amplified walks around the area, mapping locations that are proposed regeneration sites. The collective will hold their main event at 2.30pm on Saturday the 1st of August.
jottaCONTEMPORARY identifies young and emerging artists who utilise varying discourses and disciplines. By creating an online profile of artwork on jotta.com artists are given a platform for their work to be viewed, discussed and interacted with; encouraging artists to explore diverse projects and new approaches to exhibiting. jottaContemporary selects artists from within the jotta community, as well as showcasing artists who are still studying, recently graduated and working with young collectives all over London.
THE ELEPHANT ROOMS is a new transient art space which will pop-up at different locations throughout the Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre bringing art into vacant shops made available by St. Modwen, regeneration specialist and owners of the iconic building. Having built their reputation by establishing creative platforms in areas of regeneration, these days, Corsica Studios, is more likely to be known for hosting some of the most cutting edge live music in London. The Elephant Rooms will herald a return to their artistic origins providing a dedicated space in the heart of the community for arts and performance. South London has always been home to some of the most vibrant underground tendencies in both art and music. It has produced a succession of noteworthy art collectives and artists who, in the best traditions of DIY, have taken their fate into their own hands and set about finding less styled spaces in which exhibit their work. The Elephant Rooms will create a highly visible everyday context and provide the environment for these groups to converge and engage with new and different audiences.
Private View: Wed 29 July 2009, 6 -9 pm
Exhibition: 30 July – 02 August 2009 | 12 - 6 pm
Entrance: The Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, Unit 316 Lower Ground Floor
Contact: Ellie at ellie@jotta.com I 078 7203 979 I www.jotta.com I www.corsicastudios.com
