New exhibition aims to engage with folk
THE opening of ‘Sleeper, Giant’ - an exhibition and book about public sculpture curated and hosted by Modern Painters, New Decorators - takes place this weekend.
The exhibition in Carillon Court, Loughborough, is free to enter, and open to all. Children are welcome to join in with the free family activities, aimed at five years and over, with materials included. The project is accompanied by a season of workshops, sculpture trails, talks and events.
The opening event takes place on Saturday, August 11, from 11am2pm and the exhibition itself will run until October 6, open from Wednesday to Saturday from 11am5pm.
A spokesperson said: “When you think of public sculpture, where does your mind go?
“This strange meeting point between a private mind and a public space. History, identity, community made physical.
“So often when we come across public sculpture we feel indifferent. This exhibition and book were brought together to build new relations with the artwork around us. The sculptures that stands alone in our town centres, which mark and frame our motorway landscapes. Art that belongs to us the public.
“The project started with an invitation from Modern Painters, New Decorators to artists from across the UK to write texts that created new emotional, intellectual or physical connections to pieces of public sculpture.
“In return we received poems, essays and short stories as diverse as the monuments that litter our land. But they are united by this common goal. To engage.
“Using these texts as a starting point the Modern Painters, New Decorators team, which is made up of artists, curators, illustrators and craftspeople, has made prints, sculptures, fabrics and installations that combine together to respond to and present the texts.”
A 78-page soft back bound colour book will be exclusively for sale across the course of the exhibition in limited supplies. It features texts by George Chinnery, Coco Crampton, Claire Davies, Mateus Domingos, Adham Faramawy, Colette Griffin, Ian Jackson, Aoife Mullan, John Plowman, Sarah Roberts, Ariane Schick, Tom Sewell and original prints by David John Scarborough.
A range of events are also taking place as part of the exhibition, including:
• Curators Tour with David John Scarborough, August 11, 10.30am, £2 per person
• Make Your Own Sock Man Sculpture Workshop at Loughborough By The Sea, August 15, 10am4pm
• Family Craft Workshops with Meg Bonser, August 17, 23 and 31, 9.30am-10:30am
• Show and Tell Talk Night, September 6, 8pm-10pm
• Campus Sculpture Trail with Loughborough University Arts, September 8
• Town Centre Public Art Trail with Charnwood Arts, September 22.
Modern Painters, New Decorators is a contemporary publicly engaged arts organisation that runs a gallery in Unit 33 in the shopping centre in Loughborough programming exhibitions, events, markets and workshops.
Please email mpndprojects@gmail.com for more information or if you would like to donate to the project.