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subscribe with RSSLast year London’s Brixton village market had 20 vacant shops sitting empty. Artinavan//, a collective of predominately Camberwell College of Art second year students, obtained one of these through spacemakers.org in December, and have since been busy bringing new life and community to the gorgeous 1930’s indoor market through weekly rotating installations.
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The mutating collective also includes students from Central Saint Martins, Goldsmiths, Kings College, and London College of Communication, working with painting; photography; illustration; graphics; creative writing; sculpture; film and video; performance; music, and collectively they look to produce works with a strong element of cross-disciplines.
The ethos of both Artinvan// and spacemakers (an organisation looking to revitalise empty spaces/units), is to help regenerate an unused area that was struggling. "We consciously realised that we had an opportunity to explore the ideas around a space to produce and display art in relation to its situation." Says Artinavan's Sean Millington, "The market and local area already has a rich history and tradition that we instantly engage with."
The space, which they've called 72//4th ave., has already seen some inspired installations. Camera Obscura captured the moving market through a pin hole that was projected onto a screen inside the unit, while the public were invited inside to view the projected image and experience the vast darkness of the installation itself.
The second installation was made up of handmade graphic sculptural signs which indicated experiences, places and feelings about the Brixton market and local area. People were invited to come and create their own signs from their personal relations to the market and area.
With two names, 'Fingered' and 'Sign language', this installation became far more than the construction of the signs, but more about the process in which the signs came to be.
"We were forced to go into the other shops in the market, like the fish mongers, the butchers, the green grocers, the Colombian cafe, and speak to these people who already have an established relationship with the market," Explains Sean, "Originally we were simply asking them if we could build a sign pointing to their shop, once they found out we were doing it for free they got involved in making signs of their personal experiences, and our signs suddenly became 'too small' or 'not at the front'. Our relationship grew with the individuals of the market and the market itself. Once the installation had been taken down people from the market have been asking for the sign for their shop, and also a new cafe that has opened in the market have asked us to customise a sign for her shop."
Make sure you get along to one of the many shows coming up at 72//4th ave.;
Tuesday 2nd - Sat 6th Feb (11-5pm) - 'H&S' (installation) opening night tuesday 6-9pm
Tues 9th - Sat 13th Feb (11-5pm) - small publication week.
Tues 16th - Sat 20th Feb (11-5pm) - poetry week
Tues 23rd - Sat 27th Feb (11 - 5pm) - performance week
Tuesday 2nd - Sat 6th March (11 - 5pm) - cinema week.
www.artinavan.co.uk
John C. commented on Thursday, 04 February