Advertising bombards our everyday lives, our data isn’t safe anymore, we can’t escape consumerism and it all seems a bit bleak, doesn’t it? What if we could take that advert for the jasmine scented extra-frothy body wash that we can't seem to avoid and replace it with art? Replace the ordinary with something extraordinary. If your peepers have been extra focused, you may have noticed that across the East Midlands, that is exactly what’s happening...
Ten billboards, ten artists.
For six weeks, ten artists have taken over billboards across the city to give us a break from advertising, and display their art to those who perhaps wouldn’t go into a gallery to see it.
Art is so often thought to be reserved to those who ‘get it’ - the select few who like to sit around chain smoking, wearing berets and talking about Picasso or summat. But that’s changing. And sit tight LeftLioners, because I’m talking to your lot. You don’t have to feel like a fish out of water to appreciate art. In fact, it’s all around you.
You don’t have to feel like a fish out of water to appreciate art. In fact, it’s all around you
The first billboard on display in Nottingham is right smack at the end of Hockley en route to Sneinton, outside of the Ice Arena. It’s the work of BACKLIT’s own up and coming artist, Ryan Heath. He says his inspiration for the billboard comes from the commute, using his billboard as a sort of map to demonstrate the cyclical nature and footprint of a daily journey. He says the gaudy style encourages those to see it in a playful way.
Nottingham’s other billboard is done by Charlie Birtles. Charlie drew inspiration from Nottingham’s history within lace production and brought it into the modern day by creating a lace design out of fruit plastic wrapping. Her billboard can be found by the big intersection where the trams cross in Hyson Green- hoping the connection will be understood by the link between the billboards position and the markets and grocers.
Both billboards are part of a larger series that cover the whole of the East Midlands, promoting art in the most unexpected of places.
In Another Place is running in various locations across the East Midlands until Sunday 1 July 2018.
In Another Place website
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