Working with Moosey art I had the opportunity to go down to Shoreditch in London to help out with master stone carver Dan David's first solo show. Norwich based stone carver Dan David is inspired by the diverse culture that was the 90s rave scene and all its associated paraphanalia, his most famous works being his large limestone ecstasy tablets. Before arriving, all I knew about the exhibition was that they planned to recreate a rave within a gallery environment which would act as a visual jump back in time to the raves of the era. I knew that my role would just be helping out with anything that the team might need and distributing leaflets around Shoreditch and the brick lane area. As I know one of the leading members of the Moosey team, I was able to get funding for my travel and my accommodation whilst down there.
The building for the show was an old car dealership which had white walls, low concrete ceilings and exposed wiring. It had the main room where the main 'rave' would be and a smaller side room, which would be the main gallery space. All of these features reflected the the guerrilla nature of illegal events and helped to emphasise the rave aesthetic. Upon arrival my first job was helping tape up black fabric and neon rave posters on all the walls of the larger space (posters by @fauxflyers). The black fabric alongside the neon was a stark contrast from the white walls of the gallery space. The authentic appearance of the event was enhanced by a DJ blasting out acid house, crushed water bottles and conspicuous baggies littering the floor and a neon lazer spelling out 'What you on?' on the opposite wall. There was even a van parked in the corner looking like it had just pulled up. This authentic appearance increased during the night as the audience came and went, leaving their water bottles and empty cans and bottles in piles around the pillars and around the edge of the room - which is just how it happens at real raves. Not only were the audience grouped in conversation in and around the main gallery space, people broke off to become unified with the rig and have a proper dance.
In the gallery space, the main attraction of the event was the stack of 300 stone pills in the centre of the room. These were the most affordable artworks in the collection at £100 each, and the audience were encouraged to sift through the pills to find the right one. This hands on approach in a gallery environment was refreshing, and was one of the most dynamic parts of the exhibition as it broke down the barriers between audience and artwork, showing that artworks dont always have to be sacred and untouchable. Everyone staffing the show was given a 'What you on?' t-shirt produced by streetwear Weekend Offender, which made them easy to spot should visitors have an enquiry about an artwork. One of my jobs was getting people's pills from the centre packaged and then pointing them in the direction of Frazer, who was in charge of the event, for payment. Because of the unconventional nature of the exhibit (the centre pills), it required at least 3 team members to be on hand at all times to supervise. The variety of the designs meant that audience members often chose multiple pills to purchase, often coming back several times to pick out new designs for their own collections. I didn't expect to have such an important role during the private view of the exhibition, but I feel I managed to successfully answer questions and enquiry's with confidence because of a briefing beforehand. Coupled with the dynamic rave room, this piece kept the audiences entertained throughout the evening, and the spaces ultimately became more lively as the night went on.
Working with Moosey to help install and run a real, professional exhibition that incorporated something that I have reasearched and love (90s rave culture) was an invaluable experience and allowed me to network not just within the Norwich street art scene but also within the London scene too. Frazer has already said that he would be willing for me to help out with future exhibitions also. The show also inspired my own practice - if it is possible to create a rave environment without actually having a rave, is it possible to recreate a festival environment without actually having a festival?
Working with Moosey to help install and run a real, professional exhibition that incorporated something that I have reasearched and love (90s rave culture) was an invaluable experience and allowed me to network not just within the Norwich street art scene but also within the London scene too. Frazer has already said that he would be willing for me to help out with future exhibitions also. The show also inspired my own practice - if it is possible to create a rave environment without actually having a rave, is it possible to recreate a festival environment without actually having a festival?
London street art was also inspiring for my drawings....
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