Updates
Street Art Dealer takes to the streets this July
Street Art Dealer kicks off its contribution to Bristol’s art scene with a city wide exhibition showcasing QR code technology in the arts. C6 and Steal From Work invite you to the Bristol launch on 9th July.
Launch night: Thursday 9th July, 6:00–9:30pm Venue: 74 – 76 The Horsefair, Broadmead, Bristol Exhibition dates: 9th – 30th July 2009
Link to official invite - http://tinyurl.com/streetartdealerinvite
C6 and Steal From Work launch an assault on the art market middle man, taking street art out of the galleries and on to the streets with new innovative QR code technology. Street Art Dealer is one of six commissions by Media Sandbox which aims to bring a new dynamic into public art, and with the help of renowned artists will bypass galleries and allow a new type of mobile interaction.
This innovative use of QR code technology in the arts will be showcased during an exhibition on the streets of Bristol which launches on July 9th, where works from artists including Takahashi, Powderley, Sebastian Lowsley-Williams and Zeus will be on display for all to see. The exhibition will have an information hub in a disused shop in the heart of Broadmead, Bristol where people will be shown the QR code system and be able to access information on various pieces of art before being let loose on the streets to discover what Bristol’s street art scene has to offer. The six artists involved are particularly interested in Broadmeads diversion and notions of the area diminishing during the rise of capitalism. The installations will include arresting pieces and interventions which will not only challenge the area but the disenchanted public it engages.
On the launch night the hub will also host a shop front installation featuring the eagerly anticipated project BEAM, by up and coming artists Joseph Watts and Haywood Slucutt, who will be giving away free prints to the first people using the QR codes to access information on works. The launch will also see a demonstration of GRL's (Graffiti Research Laboratory) Radical Fanatical cards, as part of the private view evening’s fun.
Art on the street has hit the headlines with works by well-known artists commanding large figures at auction. This demand has given birth to an industry in resale and as a result dealers and galleries have become increasingly interested in the profits to be made. Resulting in large percentages and rises in prices - excluding an interested public from buying the art they see everyday and in some cases being unable to see the art at all.
To address this issue Street Art Dealer is taking the original concept of ‘street art’ and combining it with the innovative QR code technology to create a tool which allows an increasingly tech savvy public to use their mobile phones to own, interact and locate art in their community. The project aims to promote engagement with the meaning of street art in the context of the environment alongside creating a dialogue and interaction between artists and their local communities - bridging the gap between both parties.
To find out more about Media Sandbox, visit: www.mediasandbox.co.uk