Don't Waste Spaces, Light Them!
Wasted Spaces is a London-based non-profit art organization that transforms vacant shop fronts and unused properties into exciting art experiences. This attracts new audiences and gives them the opportunity to view, discuss and interact with art at street level. The principles of the team are Michael Sharp, Remo Carbone and Frederieke Janssen. They set up Wasted Spaces to provide a platform for up and coming artists that engage with communities through site specific installations. By creating art that is both accessible and of high quality these projects provide a gateway for people who have traditionally felt suspicious or excluded from modern art. By using empty properties that form an increasing problem in many cities, the art experiences can have a positive impact on local high streets and communities.
Recently, Wasted Spaces created a 50-meter high outdoor video installation on Wembley High Road, London. After showcasing international and home-grown artists like Rafael Rozendaal, David Szakaly and Robert Hodgin, currently Wasted Spaces commissioned Hellicar & Lewis to develop The Hello Wall. Hellicar & Lewis are a London-based duo that has embraced the open source revolution by creating art that is both accessible and interactive. The Hello Wall uses Twitter to let the public interact with the huge wall projection which is on Wembley High Road. The artists explain the artwork in more detail as follows:
“In visual terms, The Hello Wall will be a simple single colour background, with a foreground of simple shapes, in a physically realistic two dimensional simulation. Imagine a series of red circles on an orange background, bouncing off each other in zero gravity. The installation is designed to empower people, to allow them to have a creative input into the architectural space that they find themselves in – often without any sense of control or ownership.”
The basic goal of getting art to the streets and transforming marginal spaces into exciting places is beautiful. It also shows that marginal spaces are important fertile ground for new experiments. May you be as fortunate to live in or visit London then you have the opportunity to get involved by Tweeting commands such as triangles, squares, more, yellow or just hello to @thehellowall. Hurry though, it will only last until Sunday March 21.
