2ND INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS AIRSHOW
Sat 30 June 2007
Gunpowder Park, Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey, Essex
Three years after the first Artists Airshow, a day of art and flying in and around Europe's largest wind tunnel at Farnborough, the 2nd International Artists Airshow took place at Gunpowder Park.
Projects selected for 2nd International Artists Airshow reflected both the explosive and ephemeral nature of Gunpowder Park and investigate further the artists' almost impossible dream of flight. Is it possible for the artist to go practically beyond the fantasies of Panamarenko, using engineering and technical expertise to realise dreams of flight while retaining the risk and the fascination of impossibility?
Further details and images of artists' projects >>>
Ben Blakesbrough, Ruth Maclennan, Sonia Khurana, Hehe, Anne Bean, Mark Anderson, Nick Sales, Rachel Chapman
Due to heavy rain, a new commission by Tomas Saraceno, Poetic Cosmos of the Breath, was postponed until 22 September 2007, when it was successfully launched at dawn at Gunpowder Park with an audience of over 40 people.
Symposium
These projects inspired a symposium entitled the 'Aesthetics of Impossibility' and as well as Tomas Saraceno and Ben Blakeborough, UK artists Simon Faithfull, Janette Parris, Usman Haque and Indian artist Sonia Khurana discussed the question of the fulfilment of the artists’ dream of flight and whether it undermines the impulse of art. This was followed by a round table of all the artists chaired by Artists Airshow curator, Rob La Frenais. Gavin Pretor-Pinney, the founder of The Cloud Appreciation Society, a global organisation set up to fight ‘blue-sky thinking’ and co-founder of The Idler magazine, also shared his passion for clouds through a presentation based on his book The Cloudspotter’s Guide.
CLICK HERE to see the video full-size on blip.tv
The 2nd International Artists Airshow was a collaboration between The Arts Catalyst and Gunpowder Park.
Funded by a Grant for the Arts from Arts Council England, the Henry Moore
Foundation, and ANAT.
