Panta's Art

Come & Gone: Design for Change

A community art project by Thai artist, Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch and local communities from the Old Snow Hill Canal area

Exhibition at UCE Birmingham Margaret Street Building, Birmingham on1-9 September 2007 – FREE ADMISSION

Private View on 31 August 2007 at 6-9 – FREE ADMISSION

'Come & Gone: Design for Change' is an exhibition that records therecent dialogues and discussions on creating a sense of community. The project centres on urban intervention using public art to explore future visions and a realisation of being a community along Old Snow Hill canal area between St. Paul's Square and Snow Hill Queensway.

Thai artist, Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch (b. 1971, Ratchaburi) created an artwork for a new commission in the form of an installation and graphic design using visual information that relates to the community. Even though, Supanichvoraparch is both an artist and a ceramic designer, he has a similar intention to use art for social improvement in both disciplines. It is a challenge for him to work with the community using diverse media, apart from ceramic.

The project examines how the environment could be improved so as to encourage more people to use the public spaces, for example the towpaths. In order to benefit the public space and encourage people to realise who they are and where they are living at the time the artworks amplifies people's voices as to explore what social problems need to be solved in the future.

During the summer local people have been asked to contribute a personal object – something that for them represents their experiences of living in this very unique but changing geographical area of
Birmingham. All the peoples' objects are collected into "Boxes of Memories" which represents each person's identity. At the same time, all found objects, which signify the identity of the local community, are gathered and recorded. More over, what remains in the community as a link between the people and the site through the changing time are displayed as a visual presentation of texts and numbers.

Manipa Jayawan, the project curator said "Even if it is just a beginning, what we are doing now is to encourage people in the community to take part in improving their own community or even people from different places. And we have planned to extend this intention all around the world".

Notes to the Editor:
1. The exhibition will be held from 1 September - 9 September 2007 in [at] the seminar room, Margaret Street Building, UCE Birmingham. Admission is free and there is full disabled access. Private View: Friday 31 August: 6-9 pm. Exhibition 1-9September: 10am – 5pm weekdays, 10am – 4pm weekends.
2. 'Come & Gone: Design for Change' has been organised by Thai curator, Manipa Jayawan. This is her final project of study for the MA Contemporary Curatorial Practice course at UCE Birmingham. She is interested in organising innovative public art projects that use creative design strategies.
3. For more information contact Manipa Jayawan: manifah@hotmail.com, +44(0)78094-72507