- Venue
- Ashburton Arts Centre
- Starts
- Friday, May 18, 2018
- Ends
- Sunday, May 20, 2018
- Address
- Ashburton, Devon, TQ13 7DL
- Location
- South West England
- Organiser
- N-E-W
A former Methodist Church in Ashburton is being transformed into a contemporary art venue for a weekend of cutting edge artworks and installations, inspired by the building and its history.
The church was recently bought by the community under the umbrella of Ashburton Arts, a local community organization, which has renamed it Ashburton Arts Centre. They have ambitious plans to regenerate it into a multi-purpose arts centre.
N-E-Wis an established artists’ collective formed by five Ashburton-based artists with a track record of bringing great art festivals and ideas to the town. They have assembled a group of 11 artists. They include an Arts Professor, Researchers, Senior Lecturers and independent artists who all live in Ashburton.
N-E-W are working in partnership with Ashburton Arts to draw attention to the potential of this wonderful space and to the contemporary arts scene in the Town.
There will be ghostly figures in the pews,sound recordings of past memories, fragile presences of past visitors, and paper prayers ‘floating’ overhead. A plinth project using old pews and discarded tin cans masquerading as saints. One of the organ pipes will be made into a giant pencil, two Last Suppers will be recreated for the 21stcentury, and an abstract mural in one of the stairwells to reflect the unusual architectural properties of the building.
Robert Manners, a member of N-E-W,and curator of this weekend says:
“the project is a response to the recent purchase of the Methodist Chapel by a local community group. We have the opportunity to use the building and to organise an exciting array of interventions in the space. As a contemporary arts collective we want to draw attention to the incredible depth of creative talent that is part of our community – that’s what we do.”
Andy Williamson, a key figure in the Ashburton Arts Organization, commented:
“It’s wonderful that the town’s community of contemporary artists have been able to curate this weekend of visual art and installations which will really bring the building to life, and make people see its familiar rooms, spaces and furniture in a new light”.
The weekend is open to everyone. It’ll kick off on Friday 18thMay from 6pm with music from folk legend Jim Causley, with a special performance of Pride of the Moor: A Song to Dartmoor’s Tinfollowed by more live music from The Blowup. There will be a ‘Colour Theory Cocktail Bar’, bar, food & DJ.
N-E-W are:
Robert Manners, Mark Jessett , Karen Pearson, Greg Newman & Alex Murdin.
