All artists in the room will know that nothing sounds more exciting than an open brief. That’s how the lovely comms team at Watershed approached me to commission an artwork for their forthcoming House Party celebrating the end of their home theme: a year of making, experiencing and sharing ideas of home. Through an eclectic programme of films, immersive art, talks and workshops, Watershed has explored many different ways in which people find, make, imagine, long for and escape home. As a resident of the Pervasive Media Studio myself, I was very grateful to attend a number of fascinating workshops, clubs and conversations.
I approached the brief by drawing a collection of abstract shapes, with the aim to move away as far as possible from literal (and western-centric) visual representations of the concept of home.
Looking for a palette…
I then built a library of characters interacting with these shapes, attempting to convey the feeling of playfulness whilst acknowledging that home can mean different things to different people - nostalgia, comfort, safety, burden…
Inspired by The Everyworld exhibition currently on at the Undershed gallery, I then extended the metaphor to a variety of objects and displayed this peculiar collection within a layout conceptualised as a curiosity cabinet.
The illustration is now featured across the Watershed’s channels to invite their audience to the House Party, from their cinema screens to their social media.
Café-restaurant
Box office
House Party is taking place at Watershed on the 28th March from 3 pm. See you there!