Eleanor Bedlow - Container Dwell

Container by Eleanor Bedlow

Welcome to the Dwell exhibition and book. For a whole month we will be taking each artist's page and transforming it into a 3 dimensional dwelling. Each one of these small sculptures will be exhibited in public on the London streets.

Eleanor Bedlow at work

We keep up our theme today for all things East London, from Dean Reddick in Walthamstow to Eleanor Bedlow in nearby Leytonstone. Both are active and well known artists in their respective communities but Bedlow's journey didn't start in the capital city. She grew up in Kagawa Japan before moving to London at the age of 11. She gained a degree in Fine Art from Falmouth College of Arts in 2005 before studying observational drawing at the Prince’s Drawing School in 2008.

Lift - Eleanor Bedlow

She first came to our attention when she exhibited the brilliant 'The Lift' along the seafront at the Brighton Open in 2011. We welcomed her back into the fold last year for FAB Fridge in 2014 but in between she has filled her working life with many exhibitions, curating and experiencing foreign cultures. Although Eleanor Bedlow is best known for her imagined worlds it was the real world experiences that caught my eye during her 2 month teaching residency at the International Institute of Fine Arts in Modinagar, India.

Page 15 Dwell: A book of nets
Eleanor Bedlow

We were all really chuffed she chose to publish a net with us for the Dwell project because her work has a sensitivity to her surroundings and how the memories of these places stay with us. Her dwelling is unique to the book as it requires no glue or sticky tape, just good old engineering and plenty of skill. Although it looks simple it is one of only 7 nets in the book that has received a COMPLEX rating from Dean. For me it reminds me of the open wooden structures we find in gardens and public parks. It's floor is crazy paved and I imagine a miniature band striking up a tune whilst families play on scorched grass and over-excited dogs dig under rose bushes.

Don't forget to have a look at the next Collect Connect project, 'The Art of Caring' exhibition at The Rose Theatre in Kingston-upon-Thames. The theme is Caring/Care and it is FREE to enter.

To buy the Dwell Book for £6 then follow this LINK.

AL.