An intriguing and diverse display of over 700 artworks from 28 countries framed within cast-off CD cases.
The Within the Limitations exhibition was held in Tesco’s UK supermarket chain in Willesborough, Kent, from 8 to 10 March. The general public and art world members attended. I set out to learn more about how and why the exhibition came about It is quite an unusual concept, how did the idea first come to mind?
It arose from a conversation with Greg Daines, another Ashford Visual Artists. He had been working on a new line of miniature papercuts while I was on a roll, doing outdoor installations that used thousands of secondhand CDs, and left my garage full of CD cases, as I did not want to add to the landfill. Greg’s prototypes were 12 x 12cm, the exact dimensions of a CD case. It just clicked: a free commodity to function as an artistic frame and a simple format to upload images onto Instagram. We soon realized we could offer artists, communities, and us the opportunity to play, promote, network and be part of an exciting project at no cost! The only outlay for the artists was the postage to mail their work in if they wanted to be at the exhibition. And the artists did, it was amazing. Why did you call it Within the Limitations? It came about while improvising with the group on how we could express to anyone that the submissions had to be constrained to 12 x 12 x 0.5cm to fit within the CD case. How did you find all the CD s? From local charity shops in Ashford and Hythe and through Facebook groups. Everyone donated them, and my collection must now be in the region of 6,000 and counting. How did you find the venue? Tesco’s in Willesborough seemed the obvious choice. We already held our AVA meetings and workshops in their free community space. But we also chose it because it reflected the essence of the exhibition. Anyone visiting had to walk through the entire store before seeing the work. This blurred the line between consumerism, art, and the value of waste. How did you manage all the entries, and did you have to limit the number of submissions? We placed the open call on art-related platforms and through our international contacts. Anyone submitting needed to provide four JPEG images, an accompanying statement, and their media handles. This information was formatted to create the PDF catalogue, which you can download via https://www.ashfordvisualartists.com/withinthelimitations.html The artists upload their accepted artwork on Instagram, following and crediting @ashfordvisualartists and @withinthelimitations, then mail their work to us. It was clear in the open call that we would not accept any product placement, branding or offensive material that might provoke hate or violence, and we received none. What has been the feedback? It was fantastic, especially from the artists, who appreciated this opportunity. Due to more cuts in art funding and available venues to show their work, openings have been getting fewer and fewer, and they were more than aware of the colossal amount of time and effort given freely by us to deliver this exhibition. Tesco were also delighted to offer AVA the chance to do more public engagement projects in this space. What happens to the artwork and CDs now? I received an invitation at the exhibition to display the work again in an eminent free space this August. Information will be available via http://www.lorrainmailer.com/about.html After this, we seek sponsorship to create clear Perspex towers to encase the CD cases so these amazing artworks will be permanent. If you are interested in donating, please email: [email protected] What would you do differently, and would you do it again? It has been a huge learning curve, a test ground for future projects. The hardest decision has been when to limit the rollover of exhibitions and the destination of the donated artwork, which is still in question. Then, there was the enormous amount of time taken without pay, with the added cost of materials, printing, and petrol. On this basis, AVA is launching The Beat, Instagram @2024beat from 29 April—29 September 2024 in conjunction with Echo’s Studio in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Submissions will now include sculpture, with all work limited to 12 x 12 x 12cm. On acceptance, a small fee will cover administration. It will be a fantastic opportunity to exhibit twice on two continents. Again, artwork will not be returned; everything will be donated to the University of the Creative Arts, Canterbury, for exhibit and auction in March 2025 to raise funds for their fine art graduation show. This will give every artist a third exhibition, plus a link to upload the live stream and receive their buyer’s details. Yes, it will be much work, but I hope to have others helping me this time. Why not check out what AVA can do and what we can do for you? As an art collective, we act with organisations and groups to deliver events that engage and work with communities creatively. https://www.ashfordvisualartists.com/workwithava.html |
Ashford Visual Artists take privacy of its members and individuals seriously. We do not share anyone's information with a third party and only make contact in regards to AVA events and information. All Artwork © 2022 Ashford Visual Artists. Protected by The Copyright Act and the provisions thereunder. |