It was easy at Southbank last week to get whipped up in a frenzy about all the fantastic performances taking place – but there was a huge amount of visual arts throughout the festival too, including work by PUSH ME artists Bobby Baker, Caroline Bowditch, Rachel Gadsden, Simon Mckeown and Sue Austin.
In fact there were 14 artists represented visually throughout the Southbank – and luckily Shape ran regular tours to help people locate the work. I was on a tour led by Chief Executive of Shape, Tony Heaton, who was able to put each piece into context and give just enough information to entice you to come back and explore at your own pace.
Sue Austin – who’s image ‘Portal’ dominated the Southbank on posters, programmes and publicity – had the most visible ‘spot’ – the whole back wall of the Clore Ballroom at the back of the Royal Festival Hall.
Her film installation ‘Creating the Spectacle!’ drew the gaze the moment you entered the building. It was beautiful to watch groups of people – families, couples, people on their own – just sit to take some time to watch. The work has been reviewed and gained huge media attention over the week – and global aquarium’s are queuing up to show the work too – result!
A selection from Rachel Gadsden’s exhibition Unlimited Global Alchemy was displayed at the back – and she too took to the Clore Ballroom at one stage – to deliver a body mapping workshop with members of the Bambinani Group from South Africa.
This provided a chance for people to create their own body maps – outlines of themselves filled with deeply personal information about their hopes, dreams, ambitions and insights about themselves.
It was an amazingly accessible activity – equally open to the families who attended, the couples drawn by Unlimited Global Alchemy’s connection to HIV/Aids, and those just passing through who couldn’t resist the opportunity to get involved.
Simon Mckeown’s work was impossible to miss – a 10.5 metre high inflatable which was first sited at Jubilee Gardens and then on the Festival Terrace outside the Royal Festival Hall itself. He also had work on screen within the Southbank itself, showing his animated sequences created for Motion Disabled Unlimited and an app for smart phones that provides more information on all elements of his commission.
It was a delight to see the Southbank buzzing so much last week – and in particular to see the attention that the visual arts elements of Unlimited drew. Beautiful work in a beautiful context. Well done all!