I’m co-curating part of this upcoming exhibition in Manchester. Submit your work!
Turnstile – Single Use
Deadline for Submissions is Monday 25th June 2007 at 6pm
Interval is looking for new media art works that respond or relate to the concept of ‘Single Use’.
Turnstile is a new concept in art tourism – an innovative exhibition format developed around the idea that most people only visit an exhibition once. Turnstile utilises this observation as an approach and redesigns the approach to an exhibition, mimicking an audience’s actions and flow.
Turnstile will consist of a series of 4 single-day exhibitions. Each day will see 5 artists install, exhibit and remove their work from the venue. This style of event is new and innovative, responsive to tight schedules and busy lifestyles. The space will be open for preview each evening from 5-9 pm, after which the work will be removed ready for the next 5 artists to install. Each day is sub themed, aiming to explore different contextual approaches around the notion of Single Use. The exhibition will take place in a large empty retail space in central Manchester at the end of July.
Time is throwaway, a disposable and low-valued commodity. Many contemporary objects and experiences are designed for single use, nurturing a short term, disposable society, a culture of quick consumption and fickle fashions. Art and media are often viewed in a similar way. Many people only visit exhibitions once, absorbing as much of the experience as possible, lingering if it interests them. Interval is interested in work with this ‘one off’ culture in mind; this may be representative in the materials used, the critical approach, or even the consideration of a ‘one off’ as something precious and cherishable.
Turnstile responds to the hidden positives in the above demise, providing 4 intensive and concentrated time slots for artists to show their work. This shortens the window in which an audience gets to see a piece of work, and for the artists places more emphasis on creativity and experimentation instead of semi-permanent, installed, polished work. Overall, this aims to create an ongoing flow of ideas and topics for discussion in the space instead of static content.
Interval is looking for media based artworks exploring the field of Single Use, and responsive to one or more of the sub themes listed below. It is important that the artist considers the pace of the event, and gives careful thought to how their work can be satisfactorily installed and presented given the time conditions of the show.
Turnstile is conceived and directed by Karen Gaskill.
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The Themes:
DAY 1 – Successful Failure
Though we rely on it to get us through tasks both quotidian and extraordinary, our technology is constantly failing us. However, failures can teach us important lessons and are an essential component of a developed research process. Decay, malfunctions, errors, and other indicators of failure can be purposefully engineered into a creative work as part of a statement on how our reliance on technology is often founded on untenable hopes that today’s cutting edge tools will last the test of time. For day 1 of Turnstile, Interval is looking for artworks that address issues of failure, errors, and malfunctions.
Curated by Karen Gaskill and Michelle Kasprzak
DAY 2 – Everything Must Go
Everything Must Go explores the change in value of leftover products, and how they come to mean very different things after their ‘desire-cycle’ has ended. This shift is not just positive or negative, such as coveted vintage articles or bargain basement sale multiples. Our current remix culture provides everything with a reuse/recontextualisation value. Cultural remixability extends from design remixes of commodities such as clothing and furniture to the ways people cite and recycle ideas online. Day 2 of Turnstile is looking for original twists on a remix theme; such as hand-me-downs and non-media object mash-ups.
Curated by Karen Gaskill and Paul Sermon
DAY 3 – Outside of Parallel
Day 3 of Turnstile invites works that explore strangeness. Experiences such as déjà vu reveal perceived ephemera that seem to occur out of parallel with the everyday. These one-off occurrences create unease within the familiar and routine, bringing about a slightly altered state of perception and the manifestation of eeriness or strangeness. How do artists make strange their work? What action brings this about? Is this variation apparent in the work itself or just in the artists understanding of it?
Curated by Karen Gaskill
DAY 4 – Portable Rest
Is rest portable? Has it become a commodity that you can take to the park and experience? How can artworks represent rest, relaxation and passiveness? Day 4 of Turnstile is looking for artworks that aim to induce, create or represent relaxation and/or sleep in an informal resting space. How can we be proactive in being inactive? The exhibition space will be made suitable for visitors to rest, sleep and spend time, and audience members will be asked to bring suitable relaxation accessories.
Curated by Karen Gaskill and Steve Swindells
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How to submit:
Please visit www.interval.org.uk to download a submission form and for all the details on what you will need to submit.
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Please note:
Interval is able to offer support in the following areas: venue, technical support, equipment (subject to availability) and publicity material. A fee of 50 GBP is available for each participating artist (subject to funding).
Submitted material will be reviewed by the selection panel. Works will be selected based on their quality and relevance. The Selection Panel will base its decision upon submitted material only
Selected work will be fully acknowledged on all publicity material and on Interval’s website.
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About Interval
Interval is an independent artist led platform with a focus on new media practice. Established in 2005, it acts as a critical springboard, offering collaborative exhibition opportunities to both emergent and established practitioners using technology as a key component within their work.