Outi Remes

At Play 2012

20 April 2012 to 05 August 2012
New Ashgate Gallery; OVADA; South Hill Park
Farnham; Oxford; Bracknell, South East

link to Google map

View At Play 2012: vimeo.com/41624102

At Play 2012 is the finale of the At Play series (2009-12), taking place in three partner venues in South East:

South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell, 20 April–17 June 2012

Leszek Blyszczynski, Andi Chapple, James R Ford, Flora Gare, Nick Kennedy, Philip Lee, Dan Lovelace, Sousan Luqman, Nyeema Morgan, Martina O’Shea, Katherina Radeva, Guy Tarrant, Cally Trench, Kim Walker and Mary Yacoob.

New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham, 8 June–14 July 2012

AM Bruno, Linda Francis, Flora Gare, Este MacLeod, Kirsty E Smith and Cally Trench.

OVADA, Oxford, 29 June–5 August 2012

Leszek Blyszczynski, James R Ford, Linda Francis, Flora Gare, Rebecca Glover, Nick Kennedy, Philip Lee, Dan Lovelace, Sousan Luqman, Nyeema Morgan, Martina O’Shea, Ann Rapstoff, Guy Tarrant, Cally Trench and Mary Yacoob.

At Play is an invitation to the spectator to play. It re-creates a sense of what it is like to be a child at play. As a participatory exhibition, it encourages viewers to gaze, remember, touch, explore, trust, think, laugh, peer, concentrate, join in, bend down, take a chance... and play. At Play also supports artists in making participatory, engaging and interactive work in a variety of art forms: the way that play can be free and spontaneous or it can be bound by rules and conventions – as with board games and sport. The exhibition explores ideas about rules or the lack of them, and the spirit of the Olympics in the year that the summer Olympics come to Britain.

At Play 2012 is a project in partnership with the New Ashgate Gallery, Surrey, South Hill Park, Berkshire, and OVADA, Oxfordshire, exploring concepts of play and participation. It is a collaboration, produced and curated by Dr Outi Remes and Cally Trench.

At Play is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Catalogue: www.lulu.com/shop/outi-remes-and-cally-trench/at-play-2012/paperback/product-20071293.html

Exhibition images: http://www.callytrench.co.uk/atplay2012.html

Review: www.a-n.co.uk/interface/reviews/single/2219285 by Laura James.

AT PLAY EVENTS: 

South Hill Park:

Private view with live events, Friday 20 April 6.30-8.30pm:

• Katherina Radeva, Kitty has no pity - the art of not giving up, durational, Watts Room
• Philip Lee, Slip and Sponge, throughout the private view
• Andi Chapple, Andi Chapple and Musicians, throughout the private view

At Play Artist Talk: Guy Tarrant, 20 April,

Guy Tarrant’s artwork challenge the formal processes of art. Guy’s first concerns dealt with questioning the very nature of artistic authorship and professional practice. As things progressed Guy became more involved in teaching he shifted his attention to addressing the education process itself. He has become increasingly concerned with focusing on the role and responses of participants’ behaviour.

New Ashgate Gallery:

Researching Playfulness, Monday 25 June, 6.30-8.30pm

• At Play: Curatorial notes about playfulness,a research paper by Cally Trench and Dr Outi Remes.
• Kirsty E Smith discusses participation and responses that came as a result of her questionnaire into participation.
• Este MacLeod discusses her journey of discovery through playing with disconnected and obsolete objects that once belonged, or had a purpose. Este also explored the stories of three South Africa Olympic athletes who participated in the Olympics between 1948 and 1960.

Crafts At Play with Jane Tadrist, Sandy Hill Bungalow, Farnham, Thursday 7 June 
Artist Jane Tadrist will be working with a community group to explore the ancient Olympics as a starting point for artwork that will be displayed as part of the At Play exhibition in the New Ashgate Gallery. Supported by Farnham Town Council and Opportunities.

At Play Family Activity Box: interactive workshops with artist and educator Gemma Cumming, Saturday 23 June, 10:30am-12noon and 2-3:30pm.

Exploring Board Games with Cally Trench
Monday 9 July, 4.30-7pm, £5, bookings: gallery@newashgate.org.uk 
Learn about the social history, design and conventions of board games, try out some old favourites and unfamiliar games, and devise and design a board game of your own. Workshop for adults and older children (minimum age 10). Booking essential as places are limited.

OVADA:

Private view with live events, Friday 29th June, 6-8pm:

• Philip Lee, Oxford Slip, 7.30-8pm
• Dan Lovelace, The Alcatraz Button Toss
• Ann Rapstoff, Margins of Play, throughout the private view.

Exhibiting artists will deliver hands-on workshops for local youth groups that explore and challenge the idea of 'play'. Follow the progress of these collaborations at www.ovada.org.uk. Bookings: info@ovada.org.uk

Experimental ideas sharing session, Artists will explore the theme of ‘play’ by presenting a short performance, idea, interaction, game, talk or other participatory event to a live audience. Each slot will last ten minutes followed by five minutes for response and questions. All welcome. If you would like to be a member of the audience, please RSVP to: info@ovada.org.uk

VENUE DETAILS:

South Hill Park Ringmead, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 7PA, 01344 484123.Open: Thu to Sat 1–8pm, and Sun 1–5pm, www.southhillpark.org.uk

New Ashgate Gallery, Waggon Yard, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7EH, 01252 713208, gallery@newashgate.org.uk, Open: Tue to Sat 10am–5pm, www.newashgate.org.uk

OVADA, 14A Osney Lane, Oxford, OX1 1NJ, 07875 722050, info@ovada.org.uk, www.ovada.org.uk

Associated Axis artists

Cally Trench