Gerrard Lindley - Urban Cowboy

Gerrard Lindley's door on The Globe Theatre

With an ever increasing number of our artworks to cram in before Christmas Eve this will be our last solo entry. Tomorrow we will start releasing two a day but before then we are opening door number 18 on the wall of a national treasure. The Globe Theatre has already had two lives but our modern reconstruction was born in 1997 and as you might have guess showcases the work of one William Shakespeare.

Door 18 is opened

We have an all singing, all dancing artist in our midst today. Gerrard Lindley has been exhibiting with us since the Lightbite exhibition in 2011, and has been a regular over the years. Under his moniker the 'Cowboy of Soul' he roams the graphic design plains, plying his trade as a gun for hire. Gerrard is also an accomplished blues harmonica player, with countless gigs under his belt, and presently works with two Devonian rhythm and blues bands. He cites Sonny Terry, Little Walter, Hammie Nixon and Al Wilson as his main musical influences.

Gerrard Lindley

His work for the Cardboard City exhibition is a multi-layered creation. Found images and colourful textures fight with physical representations of Gerrard's beloved music. Between the smears there are a few scrawls and notes, is this an idle mind or the start of a protest? The 3 lines read...

Alf was here.
happiness isn't all its cracked up to be.
BIG SOCIETY MY ARSE.

I do not know the motivations behind Gerrard's work but there is unmistakeably a flavour of discontent. A passion from the artist that has got this artwork from his North Devon studio and out onto the streets of London.
I will leave the final word to a better writer than I..

"Who is a man that is not angry?"
William Shakespeare,
Timon of Athens (3.5.59), Alcibiades to the senators

AL.

Alban Low - Community Minded

Alban Low -
a bridge too far…?

Here we are again and having had my first piece written up by artist and co-curator, Alban Low its time to repay the favour. That's right, the man himself is up and running, literally down the Southbank with his first offering to Cardboard City and Social Advent no. 17…….
It seems fitting that the creator of the whole Modern Miniature Magnet Artwork movement finds his first release with a backdrop of the great Tate - its huge tower magnificently emphasising the contrast in scale of 'exclusive' and 'inclusive' exhibitions. You're probably wondering which is which right now…but make no mistake the small but perfectly formed format of Alban Low's interventions are no accident. They reflect his idealism that art is for the people and should always be inclusive - a philosophy he shares with his fellow collect connect compadres.

Onedon - by Alban Low

With this in mind Alban shares with us his first offering: 'Onedon'. This is what he has to say about his distorted art piece:
"I am not one of Society's beautiful people. I often feel like an individual who has been cut adrift. Despite its creeping mass there are still survival pockets in England's capital for an artist but it has been the warm embrace from the wider creative community that gives me a sense of belonging."

Opening the Door on 'Onedon' and
artist Alban Low

It is Albans sense of community that has inspired him to create such imaginative collaborations throughout the country, like 'Freedbook' and 'Freezechester' and leading each initiative with a tenacious verve that has always impressed me he sets a benchmark that's certainly worth reaching for.
With so much to write about this wily artist curator it's a good job there's a second chance to wax on, wax off about our fridge magnet friend.

Until tomorrow's release - keep 'em peeled!

SJS

Stuart Simler - The Storm Within

Door #16 with Bankside Pier and
Cannon St Station in background.

The whole Cardboard City project has been a wonderful opportunity to regularly get off my sofa and out into London's swirling masses. I've been able to get to know the current work of new artists and old friends alike. Today is a chance to take stock of the artist who has devised and executed this intervention. The idea has been gestating since our first official CollectConnect show in September 2012 but has really come to life in the past 3 months under the cavalier direction of Stuart Simler.
 
As well as being one of CollectConnect's long suffering guardians, Stuart is also a high profile Arts facilitator working on diverse projects for clients like The British Council and the Kew Botanical Gardens. Over a cup of coffee in the Royal Festival Hall he told me a little about what is behind door number 16,


The 16th Door - Cardboard City Exhibition

'Horizon' is a response to the maelstrom we often find ourselves living in - sure, there are the times when all feels peaceful but more and more it seems that someone is trying to push us into a corner of social conformity. Something that is quantifiable is more easy to manage and put a statistic behind when really everything is changing daily, the weather, the skyline, the economy and more importantly our perception of all the above and more. This ever shifting landscape can often seem daunting and offer little in the way of support or security.



Stuart Simler - Horizon

Stuart is one of only a handful of abstract artists who works on these type of projects with us. It is a brave choice when the public (and I admit to being one) expects information to be cut up into bite size pieces with an easily digestible message to bounce on the palate.

Who knows what is on the horizon for our society tomorrow but I would bet my life on an another Cardboard City door opening.

I was able to meet up with CollectConnect's Dean Reddick yesterday on the Southbank, who informed me that his Books of Nets will be coming out in March or April 2014 with contributions invited from artists. More information to follow here on the CollectConnect blog.

AL.

Alex Clarke - The Collector

Leaving our artists Wayne Sleeth and of course the inimitable Peter S Smith behind with the Bankside Gallery Alban and I make our way along the Southbank route - easy on the feet, easy on the eye, largely due to the innumerable number of familiar landmarks adorning our immediate backdrop.

Social Advent no.15 - sitting pretty on a lifebelt along the
Southbank

During today's stroll we find the perfect opportunity to introduce new artist, Alex Clarke, releasing his artwork; The Collector, with a well positioned lifebelt offering itself up as a community plinth!

Alex has already carved out a diverse career within the art world, travelling to California with his family at the age of 17 and discovering a talent for sculpture and product design. Upon his return to the UK he continued his training on the BA course at Buckingham College as a furniture designer and maker, putting these much desired skills to good use in some of London's bespoke and prodigious galleries as point man for exhibition installs.

The Collector by Alex Clarke

With so many skills and creative responses at his disposal Alex shares with us an image of a homeless man digging around in the trash - a photo taken in the subways of New York City. These tile based symbols have become instantly recognisable to New Yorkers and ironically seem to have become quite acceptable - is this type of acceptance 'acceptable'? Is it enough just to become aware of the issues that affect many homeless in our cities or are we just accepting of their existence in the same way that buildings pop up around us and we take them in briefly before they fade into familiarity?

Art certainly has a way of addressing some of these social debates and empowers us to make statements even if we haven't yet been asked our opinion!

Opening the Doors on Alex Clarke's offering

Today's artwork has been a welcomed response to Cardboard City from Alex Clarke, who, despite leading a busy lifestyle working around the world installing exhibitions has submitted a profound image for us to ponder and in the process collaborated with one of his oldest friends - welcome to the club Alex.

SJS                                                                                                           

The defiant Wayne Sleeth

Cardboard City #14

Whilst shoppers jockey themselves in and out of the retail outlets of London we're creating a little oasis of calm and reflection this morning. We are outside one of the Southbank's artistic nuggets, the Bankside Gallery. Not only do we have one of our artist's exhibiting in front of its doors but another who's made it inside too. Although Peter S Smith is a regular contributor to our street-art interventions he's taking a break from our high jinx to exhibit at the Bankside's Mini Picture Show until 26th January. This however isn't the artist we're focussing on today....

Wayne Sleeth and Brussels Sprouts

Wayne Sleeth is the Grimsby born artist who has travelled to France to pursue a life of raw beauty and abstract painting. Even with La Manche between us it hasn't dampened his enthusiasm for our books and exhibitions at CollectConnect and he remains a loyal and enthusiastic contributor. He explains a little about his practice

" ...the physical act of painting is a way of orientating myself, covering and recovering ‘ground’ until l arrive at a conclusion of senses. I never know exactly where a canvas will lead me (l rarely work from sketches or photographs) but there is a clear moment for me when the work is ’finished’...."

Wayne Sleeth - Recession No.3

For the Cardboard City exhibition Wayne Sleeth has contributed an image from his 'Recession' series. The Barcode is one of the First World's most iconic motifs and here we find Sleeth's punctuation mark slapped right in the middle. The shopping trolley which is cast adrift in canal or river has been both a blot on the landscape and a sign of defiance for as long as I can remember. Although our economy limps along like a trolley with a dodgy wheel it has been far worse on the Continent and I wouldn't blame the European youth for casting their metallic detritus in the rivers of Capitalism.

AL.

Stella Tripp - Box Set

Passing underneath the Blackfriars Bridge on this cold and damp Friday morning reminds me just how atmospheric this part of London can be as it changes its covers from being a hotspot for tourists and theatre goers to a mysterious and isolated part of the river walk during those in between times of the day and night……eerie and then back to being a part of the commuter stretch into and out of work mode.

Social Advent no.13 - near Blackfriars station 

Here we find our next Cardboard City artist; Stella Tripp just a coin roll from Blackfrairs station suspended in mid air thanks to the intuitively minded Alban Low. 

Stella shares with us her piece; 'Box Set', which sounds like a suitable gift for any occasion or is this just a play on words? 

Born in Somerset, Stella trained locally before attending Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts where she went on to lecture part-time. At the

Stella Tripp - Box Set

beginning of the eighties Stella travelled to America, Illinois where she developed much of her over arching themes and work practices, such as the decision to stop using rectangular stretched canvases and instead building makeshift constructions to paint on. These better reflected her situation and state of mind. She wrote a thesis exploring the nature of art by comparing art from different cultures and was excited by the possibilities that surface when exploring the nature of art in the light of cultural and societal conditioning: "things don’t have to be as they are; anything goes; anything is possible".

Opening the Door on Stella Tripp

This kind of open minded belief is something that was very close to the heart of our Social Advent call out and is one of the qualities underpinning our inclusive ethos. It's also a great way to share a gift with the wider community - perhaps offering an alternative to getting caught up in the maelstrom of wrapping whilst sharing our best wishes with loved ones…..

SJS

Siobhan Tarr - Perfect Imperfection

Door #12 - Top Left

As we inch our way along the south bank of The Thames, Stuart and I have been aware of the changing architecture, there seems to be a never ending carousel of buildings sites where voids are miraculously filled by taller and taller creations. Amongst them are those landmarks that have been here for centuries, yet are unashamedly taken for granted. Blackfriars Bridge for instance was built in 1869 and was opened by none other than Queen Victoria. Today this is where we find artist Siobhan Tarr's entry behind door number 12 and it has been opened by someone who is just a little less famous than her majesty.

Siobhan Tarr, door #12 is open

Siobhan Tarr is a well travelled bundle of creativity. Born in England, she lived many years in Australia before settling in Germany. It is from her base in Bad Oldesloe that she commands her mosaic empire, sending her reconstructed creations out into the world. She has been exhibiting with us since Lightbite, the magnetic street art exhibition in Nottingham (2011). I have been a great admirer of her work ever since but it is her desire to break the rules as well as the tiles that keeps me captivated.

Siobhan Tarr - Cocoon

Once again Siobhan Tarr stretches the boundaries with her submission, "Cocoon". A mosaic that is released from its normal flat confines but still speaks to us of containment. The form is unmistakably sarcophagus, its digit shape representing death itself. There is a serenity  in the face that peeks out, she is at peace even though she is wrapped in her broken dreams, or perhaps a shattered life.

I feel a kinship with Siobhan Tarr's image, although I do not publicise my insecurities and shortcomings I do not hide them either. They are part of an exoskeleton that is broken and pitted but hopefully has a fascination too.

AL.

Rose Davies - Palace Corner Advent

Opening the door on Social Advent no.11

Winding our way along the Southbank ever closer to Blackfriars Bridge and the renowned Tate M we find ourselves on the jetty outside the more modest OXO Gallery.

On the 11th day of Christmas we are saying hello to artist Rose Davies and on this chilly morning she shares with us her piece; 'Palace Corner Advent' - a fitting title for a Cardboard City themed brief.
Rose is a seasoned blogger herself, going by the name of Rosie Scribblah she responds with on site drawings and then writes up her experiences on her blog: http://scribblah.wordpress.com

Here's an excerpt from a recent blog moment:
I had an early start today and walked across the city to do some shopping to make cakes for the

Rose Davies - Palace Corner Advent

exhibition opening tomorrow and on my way back I spotted these two men asleep on the pavement down a side street. It was about 9.15 am and I was quite shocked. There’s one regular street person who tucks himself down every evening; he’s been doing it for decades and refuses offers of housing, preferring to live on the streets. But I’ve never seen anyone else out in the open like this. There are all sorts of reasons why people might be in this situation, but really, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it isn’t right. Why haven’t we cracked this problem yet?


Graduating from Art College at the end of the 70’s, Rose refers
 to this period of her life as; 'surviving punk, post-modernism and the rise of Thatcherism with a belief in traditional art values,

Social Advent - on the jetty near the
OXO Tower

particularly drawing, intact'. Like many other struggling young artists at that time she developed a secondary career, working with the homeless and drug dependent people. Her work with the excluded influenced her and reflects her admiration for the beauty and resilience of the human body, which seems able to withstand the harsh conditions of the modern city. 

With todays artist bringing such a strong connection to our themes of Social Advent & Cardboard City what will tomorrows artist bring to the table?

SJS

The Mysterious Malc Dow

It isn't quite peasouper density but the London fog has now cleared and reveals Social Advent Door No.10.

Cardboard City #10

The hazy and atmospheric conditions are certainly in keeping with today's artist, Malc Dow who remains one of the mystery men in our band of Creatives.

Once again we find ourselves at the foot of the Oxo Tower, as tourists start to unhitch their vast telephoto snatchers and the London commuters suck in their collective breaths for another day at the office.



Malc Dow's open door

Malc Dow has been exhibiting with us since the Brighton Open in 2011 when we placed his 'Naked Ape' magnets along the seafront of the popular arty town. Since then he has been a regular contributor to both exhibitions and our publications, including FreedBook and Patternotion. Despite regular contact he still remains an enigma, his art graces the cover of a Fernando Poo record and he leaves snippets of his life in my inbox which lay tiny thought-bombs in my mind. Dow is an artists who is passionate about communications, non coercive learning, freedom of speech. So our philosophies here at Collectconnect have comfortably rubbed shoulders with his.

Malc Dow's submission to the Cardboard City exhibition, Minimal Living, is just as mysterious as the man himself. The image represents anything but minimal living, here is a luxurious wood panelled room with canopied bed and an exotic vista through the window. I assume it is a dig at our modern consciences, where we salivate over glossy magazines, feather our own nests and covet they neighbour's Scandinavian ceramics. We give our post chintz movement the clean and classy title of Minimal but what truly represents that word is to have nothing. A sparseness that could be the result of unfortunate circumstance rather than design and choice.

AL.