Cultivate 2 – A Gift for Somerset 2012

Cultivate 2 – A Gift for Somerset

28 April – 7 June 2012
The Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre
Coal Orchard, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 1JL
A Reveal Somerset project

From pin badges or artisan cheese to pandas, gifts often represent something unique and emblematic about their place of origin.  They are offered as a way of saying ‘I was here’, ‘This is what we are about’, or ‘we want you to share in the identity of this place’.

Artists from around the world have been invited to send gifts to Somerset, representing some aspect of their own locality.  They may be bought, found, made, or conceptual gifts – including ideas or policies – which will accumulate in and around The Brewhouse throughout the exhibition.  Later, each giver will receive a gift back to exhibit in their community, creating a ‘global exhibition’ spread across time and space.  Little pieces of local identity will be transposed from one cultural context to another in an analogue network, and documented to reveal how their meanings and interpretations evolve.

An open call was sent out globally for artists to ‘gift’ instructions for works to be made or enacted by transitional artists group OSR Projects at the Brewhouse.

This project is led by artist Simon Lee Dicker (OSR Projects) and independent curator Karen MacDonald with support from Tim Martin and the Brewhouse team.