A field of barley in Gedney Drove End, just before the sea bank. I wanted to plant a 5m square in Chelsea College of Art, or maybe Burgess Park at the back of Peckham, just because it’s beautiful, but it turns out there’s a field of wheat in Hackney (after Agnes Denes’ Manhattan wheatfield in 1982) nexto a windmill and I couldn’t bear the rural idyllic eco-comparisons. However Lawrence Bogle suggests I frame it so that only the surface could be seen. Beautiful.
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and the 2009 European Capital of Culture. One of the projects for the year is Artothlon, a reality TV show for artists. It’s on for six weeks on Lithuanian TV over the summer, and I’m in it, along with 15 other artists from Lithuania and beyond.
I’m keeping a blog for the project, to develop ideas and to document work. I leave on the 10 July and I’m back on the 31 August.
I wrote this for the London art student forum Q-Art in April after Hazel Blears announced that recession-ruined empty shops on the high street could be given to artists.
The EXCELLENT Artists Newsletter has asked to re-publish it in the summer issue. I’m thrilled.