Tate Exchange Residency, funded by Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership, and in partnership with Gasworks, Beaconsfield Gallery Vauxhall and Pump House Gallery.
October 2016 – March 2017
In the fall of 2016, as recent graduates from the Royal College of Art, Collective Matter was commissioned by Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership to develop a six-month residency programme with Tate Exchange. Their project titled Material Action produced in conjunction with the Tate Modern and three south London galleries (Pump House Gallery, Beaconsfield Gallery Vauxhall and Gasworks) revolved around the changing narrative of the Lambeth and Wandsworth areas. Through a series of creative workshops which included practical clay activities, storytelling, guided walks and discussion groups, Collective Matter collaborated with local young people (14-25 year olds), to share stories and experiences of their local environment.
The focus was on clay as a facilitator of exchange and creativity; its immediacy and tactility. Clay's transitional nature was the perfect metaphor for the evolving heritage of the area. CM learned it was also an integral part of South London’s past and future. Vauxhall was once home to Royal Doulton and clay (brick) is the main building block of both the area’s transformation and the existing buildings. It is the ground that we walk on and a material that constantly changes state, from raw to fired, from mud to cherished heirloom.
Material Action for Tate Exchange held workshops in each of the partnering South London galleries and culminated in a final exhibition at the Tate Modern in March 2017.
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