FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Art College presents PARK 07
Summer 2007
WIMBLEDON College of Art hosted PARK 07 from 12-15 May with a new array of specially chosen work. The opening event was on Friday 11 May.
Although the annual exhibition has progressed in recent years from monumental sculptures to more varied forms of art including performance-based and temporary artworks, those shown here were among the more lasting exhibits. The selectors looked for a wide range of works that responded directly to the Cannizaro Park environment and its form as a public natural space.
Matthew
Ager's "Giraffe" in polystyrene expanding foam (above right) was among those
from
students of Camberwell College of Art with which Wimbledon has been affiliated
since joining the University of the Arts London last year. Yes, it was supposed
to be lying down, said Matthew.
Top left is Michael Whitby's "Live Free or Die" in mixed media. The title came from a badge on the figure's shoulder. Where better to live free than Cannizaro?
Above centre is Paul Allcock's "Monosyllabic Underachiever", constructed of brass, mahogany, steel and fake grass. A telling piece for the Italian Garden?
Shown left is Dexter Dymoke's "Suburban Short-haul", a gigantic catapult made from foam tubing, flexible ply, aluminium, foam and vinyl - not to mention the extraordinary black pine tree above Cannizaro's Mediterranean garden. Beware of giants roaming the park.
"Y" by Alice Wong (left) really made its mark. Perhaps it was washing day for the mysterious catapult user. Cotton underpants draped over the balustrade of the Italian Garden must have said something about the juxtaposition of constructive art and nature in the park.
Other participants included Natasha Vicars whose dressing-up box performance was well received last year. This time she created two performances, using her interest in “appropriateness”, treating the park as a domestic setting where manners and social rules could be examined through a series of one to one encounters with the public.
Shyama Persaud used five singers who burst into song as they walked through the grounds, eventually crossing paths and harmonising, only to disperse again and undo their crescendo. He explained beforehand: "I’m excited by the prospect of seeing how other people perform a piece I have written and how it will be transformed in the live context of the open air space. It should be light, mischievous and subversive.”
Wimbledon College of Art saw PARK 07 as an exceptional opportunity to encourage wider participation in the arts. It worked with pupils from Raynes Park High School and Merton College. The exhibition was supported by Wimbledon Books and Music and the London Borough of Merton.
For further information contact Hayley Skipper, Project Coordinator, The Engine Room, Wimbledon College of Art, Merton Hall Road, London SW19 3QA. E-mail: hskipper@wimbledon.arts.ac.uk or telephone 020 7514 9704.