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In
just a few days, the shop and offices at 4 St Owen Street, formerly
occupied by the Council鈥檚 planning office will become "a shared
environment fuelled by creativity and contemporary culture", showcasing
the work of over a dozen local artists and designers.
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| Artwork
by Ben Wakley |
This
new use of empty city centre space was made possible by local property
agent Roger Stokes who arranged the lease of the property on terms
that the artists, could actually afford.
"Many
people still don鈥檛 visit established art galleries because they
feel intimidated by them," said Mel Arms, LAMP鈥檚 Event Co-ordinator.
"We
want to expose local talent in a more inviting and accessible way,
on the high street. Our aim is to get people as excited and stimulated
by visual arts as we are ourselves and create a buzz in Hereford
that is more usually found in large cities."
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| Artwork
by Tilly Parker |
The
group鈥檚 radical exhibition will include graffiti art, installations,
video art, sculpture, photography, prints and ceramics. There will
also be a UV room where artists will play with ultra-violet light
effects.
Artists
involved include Alison Blant, Ellie Bristow, Lorraine Henderson,
Richard Merrick, Tilly Parker, Hilary Smallwood, Ben Smith, Ben
Wakeley and Chris White.
They
range from experienced artists to recent and current students of
Herefordshire College of Art and Design.
LAMP
was formed by a group of artists who felt frustrated about the lack
of gallery space in Hereford and decided to do something about it
by using empty city centre premises for temporary art events.
The
group has held three exhibitions so far but this is the first in
a vacant city centre property as they originally intended.
The
group is lobbying the Council to enable them to use empty commercial
premises in future, not for just exhibitions but also for workshops,
demonstrations and more hands-on experiences, with the ultimate
ambition, says Mel Arms, of obtaining a community based arts building
for everyone.
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