Woolworths Exhibition: Pick N Mix

The iconic British store Woolworths shut down last year leaving large vacant department stores all over the country. A group of artists got together and staged an art exhibition (of which I am part) in one in Leytonstone, London to coincide with the Leytonstone Arts Festival. The problem was not that we didn't have lights. We did. We didn't have air conditioning. It was so sweltering outside that a few hours after the opening everyone was on the streets enjoying the warm summer air (and gasping for oxygen). The view from across the street. This was probably my favourite piece in the exhibition. Proposals to take part had to somehow relate to the environment. Here an artist takes old red buckets, lines a shelf with them, and lights them internally. Very effective! The bar and DJ were behind the old check out till. The line up for drinks is pictured above. My piece (small square paintings of candy) slotted perfectly into the old candy bar racks. Click on the following links for publicity: London Evening Standard - Woolies Pops up Again as Art Gallery Time Out - Pick 'n' mix art: Woolworths returns as pop-up gallery The Guardian - LEYTONSTONE: Former Woolworths building to become art gallery Artists and Makers - Empty Woolworths Becomes Art Gallery The Independant - Observations: Plenty of treats in store as empty Woolworths gets an arts make-over Flavor Pill London - Pick 'n' Mix BBC News - Art Goes 'Pop' During Recession