What's afoot down the old boot factory?

Submitted by Esther Lafferty on Fri, 04/05/2012 - 8:52am
The Natural Course of Things

As Artweeks opens for its 30th year, there’s an opportunity for regular visitors to reflect upon the changes in fine art practice during the last generation and the growing place of new media and cross-disciplinary work. Today an artist might invite you to join them inside their virtual paintings; different art forms increasingly share a platform and audience, and conceptual art installations pop up in contemporary community spaces.

In Hanwell, near Banbury, the screen based Octagon by artist Claire Reika Wright, presents an immersive experience that is designed to engage viewers in the process of enjoying and understanding the sometimes alien aspects of abstract artwork (venue 20, 5-11 May).

In Oxford city AUDIOSCOPE (who raise money for Shelter, a charity set up to support the homeless and vulnerable housed) and Launch Collaborative (an Oxford-based artist and curatorial collective set up to showcase art in unusual exhibition spaces) are bringing together their creative energies, to enable several contemporary artists to explore the psychology of space through their practice. In The Natural Course of Things (12th to 20th May,) at The Old Boot Factory, a pop-up, temporary community arts venue in East Oxford, three installations have been created by three very different artists, collaborating for the first time (venue 190, 12-20 May).

Sarah Mayhew’s immersive installation explores the decision-making process and invites the viewer to navigate unknown waters, exploring the psychology of space through subconscious languages and landmarks. Her work is accompanied by an interactive visual experience in which viewers will find themselves navigating an ever-changing projection of live Twitter feeds on the subject of journeys and space created by Jon Barker, a lighting designer for international rock and roll bands, while ‘Chimney’ an imposing monolithic concrete structure by Joseph Fairweather-Hole, a scenographer, illustrator and artist, marks and commands physical space, whilst the movement of light within it depicts the passage of time.

The exhibition forms part of the country’s biggest open-studio event, Oxfordshire Artweeks, and Phil Marston of Launch Collaborative comments,
"Oxfordshire Artweeks presents an incredible oppportunity for artists to gain public exposure, and with the abundance of fresh, young talent in the county, we’re pleased to be co-promoting The Natural Course of Things and hope to go some way towards broadening the artistic genres represented in Oxfordshire Artweeks."

Annual Oxford music festival AUDIOSCOPE has teamed up with Launch Collaborative to present a ‘quiet’ show in The Old Boot Factory on Saturday 19th May (7.30 - 10.30pm) as part of The Natural Course of Things. All proceeds from the show will go directly to national homelessness and bad housing charity Shelter. The line up includes The Scholars, Rome Pays Off, Richard Walters and Phil McMinn. Tickets for £5 are available from www.wegottickets.com/audioscope.

The Old Boot Factory, 102-104 St Mary's Road, Oxford, OX4 1QD
For more information speak to Sarah Mayhew
m. 07940 287 967 t. 01865 433 038 e. miss_s_f_mayhew@yahoo.com