Small World Futures
What might the world look like in hundreds or even thousands of years’ time? Will humanity have adapted to changing conditions, become no longer relevant, or have evolved into something else entirely?
I’ve been considering some of these ideas, as I was invited to write some poems by Alban Low (no relation!) in response to artworks from a new group exhibition in London.
I say ‘exhibition’, but really, it’s quite unlike most art exhibitions, in that it has no fixed address, no fixed hours, and all of the artworks are free to take away! Small World Futures will be shown at the #unsettledgallery near London Bridge throughout February. The artworks, from 18 artists (including the lovely and talented Mel Ezra, who first recommended I got involved with this), each represent a tiny imagined world of the future. They will be exhibited in niches, on ledges, railing and flowerbeds - some for minutes, others perhaps for more than a day. All artworks featured in the show can be picked up by the public for free so they really could end up anywhere.
Each one will be photographed in situ and will appear daily on the Collect Connect blog http://collectconnect.blogspot.co.uk/ accompanied by written works inspired by them. I shall be responding to three of them in various forms - verse, flash fiction or prose, whatever takes my fancy.
The challenge of writing about these imagined worlds appealed to me on many levels. First, I love the idea of art being ephemeral and available to all. I like the idea that anybody can pick these artworks up, examine them, perhaps use them to create stories of their own. Also, their smallness and uniqueness appeals to me. Much love and craft has gone into realising these tiny visions, which are a world away from the mass-produced world of commerce and capitalism. Finally, I love making up stories (of course!). I do it all the time - walking down the road, on the bus, in cafes. (If you see me in a café looking at you strangely, I am probably making up a story about you. It’s nothing personal, it’s just what I do.)
I hope you like the results, and if you are in London, near London Bridge, in February, keep a look out for hidden artworks. You never know what treasures you may find!