48SHEET
Advertising Art.
48SHEET will transform the city of Birmingham into an urban gallery by utilising up to 100 billboards exhibiting regional, national and international artists work from the 2nd to the 29th April 2012.
48SHEET artists will create work in response to the projects overarching theme of ‘cultural curiosity‘. The project will challenge the repetitive rhythm of a traditional advertising campaign by creating a network of unique and distinctive responses that will raise levels of consciousness and arouse cultural curiosity.
MadeIn Company (Shaghai) and Raqs Media Collective (India) have been commissioned to produce new work for 60 billboards and will be co-curated by Jonathan Watkins, Director of the Ikon Gallery and Dr Jiang Jiehong, Director of Centre for Chinese Visual Arts, Birmingham Institute of Art & Design (BCU).
Dr Jiang Jiehong and Jonathan Watkins are co curators of the Fourth Guangzhou Triennial, as a result of this 48SHEET will be the first international project included within this longstanding exciting and established Triennial. EC-Arts were very grateful to recently be awarded a grant by the British Council to visit China, as part of our trip we were privileged to visit Guangdong Museum of Art. For more information please visit back of the envelope, a blogsite by the British Council.
Below image: Guangdong Museum of Art
Following a regional, national and international call for submissions in 2011, 48SHEET received over than 300 enquiries from artists responding to the ‘cultural curiosity’ brief. 103 artists were shortlisted by the selection panel with a final shortlist of 26 artists. Please click here for the full list of artist commissions.
The name 48SHEET refers to the size of a traditional billboard. Billboards serve to expose brands and advertising messages across the world; bastions of a globalised consumer culture with their steel feet firmly planted in the midst of infinitely diverse and complex human life. 293 million people in 3,400 of the world‘s largest cities see JCDecaux‘s advertising structures every day. Such highly visible images are designed to evoke reaction; 48SHEET will redefine the reach of art by utlising such prominent public advertising platforms in this unique way.
PROJECT MAP: 48SHEET billboards have been identified for this project to create clusters of large-scale exhibitions across Birmingham. Members of the public will be encouraged to visit this unique city gallery throughout the month of April 2012 by walking, cycling or utilising public transport to access exhibition routes with the guidance of an online map produced for the project detailing the sites.
PROJECT SPACE: A project space will open in The Mailbox in March and run through until the end of April 2012. The Mailbox have sponsored the project by allowing EC-Arts to transform a high profile retail unit into a platform for creative expression. The project space will hold an array of creative happenings; host an exhibition of the billboard images, and artist in residence Tidal Grace (Toronto, Canada) will create work within the space to accompany his outdoor billboard commissions.
48SHEET ADVISORY BOARD & SELECTION PANEL: Glenn Howells – Glenn Howells Architects, Jonathan Watkins – Ikon Gallery, Professor Chris O‘Neil – Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, Dr Jiang Jiehong – Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, Nigel Edmondson – Birmingham City Council, Beverley Nielsen – Idea Birmingham, Sophia Tarr – Freelance Artistic Consultant, Claire Farrell – EC-Arts.
ENGAGING PEOPLE: Young people, students and community groups will participate within programmed artistic and skills enhancement workshops during 48SHEET. In partnership with numerous cross city partnerships; Fairbridge West Midlands (part of the Princes Trust), YouthSpace part of Birmingham Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust, Access to Music, Bournville College, South Birmingham College, The Drum and Handsworth & Lozells CommUNITY Team.
Bournville College international exchange project kickstarted the engagement process with 16 Italian students EC-Arts placement in September 2011. The students helped to transform ‘UNITB’ by the Bullring into a project space for 48SHEET artists and to run three events in November 2011 to profile three artists commissioned for the project; Elizabeth Rowe, Helen Sweeting and Baptist Coehlo.
The Italian students at EC-Arts request started to question members of the public ‘what is public art and what impact does it have on a city’? Please see below short film created by the students with audio visual artist Mathew Beckett.
This work will continue from the end of February until April with participating students from Access to Music College, Heath Mill Lane, Digbeth. Access to Music and EC-Arts have collaborated to test a pilot project within the engagement process of the 48SHEET project. With Access to Music track record, experience and expertise coupled with EC-Arts desire to engage people within the creative process we believe this is an exciting opportunity to create a new model for learning and participation.
Other events involving 48SHEET artists are planned to start from March 17th as part of Flatpack Festival and continuing into a 48SHEET April programme to coincide with transforming the city into a gallery by utilizing billboards. More information to follow.
Above image: UNITB Helen Sweeting November 2011 exhibition
48SHEET has been created by EC-Arts and has been sponsored by the Arts Council England and JCDecaux.
48SHEET is supported by the following project partners:
Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, Ikon Gallery, Glenn Howells Architects, Idea Birmingham, Marketing Birmingham, BIG CITY PLAN - Birmingham City Council.
Please keep checking the news section on EC-Arts website for updated project information.
[...] Company (contemporary Chinese artist Xu Zhen) about their involvement with her current project ’48SHEET’. Opening in April 2012, ’48SHEET’ is a National and [...]