Sidmouth’s One Day Museum saw people aged from 6 to 69 years old participating to create a new artwork: The One Day Museum, led by artist David Bellingham.
With thanks from local businesses including Potburys of Sidmouth, Kennaway House and Combe Garden Centre, a new collection was created, curated and exhibited for one day only, following a series of workshops where participants were invited to bring along items to reimagine.
Artist David Bellingham led the workshop activities, which included creating imaginary maps of Sidmouth, creating street rubbings from the pavements through Sidmouth and creating artworks from the items brought in from participants. Recycled materials and inventive ways to reuse cardboard boxes was enabled with the support of Potbury’s of Sidmouth Removals and Storage, who donated 80 second hand packing boxes.
Sidmouth School of Art were delighted that so many were curious and came along to experience the exhibition, which was an artwork itself. The space at Kennaway House was perfect and enhanced by plants kindly loaned from Combe Garden Centre, bringing the outside in and connecting everyday things with the natural world.
David also created two new visual and audio installations by recording the voices of participants and capturing their handwriting to create collaborative artworks, Ring Ring and Beep Beep. These traditional ringing and engaged tones were remembered and mimicked through local voices. Both these are currently on display in the Museum of Contemporary Art and Museum of Antiquities in Sidmouth’s red phone boxes in the Market Square.
Sidmouth School of Art’s latest billboard artwork, Sidmouth Beauty Spots, is also by David Bellingham and is currently being exhibited at the Sidmouth Wall Space public art gallery, which overlooks the Ham East carpark.
If you missed the One Day Museum, you can relive it through Sarah Hall Photography’s pictures of the collection and by watching a short film created by Seb Fitzhenry.
Louise Cole from Sidmouth School of Art, said: “Part of Sidmouth School of Art’s aims are to reach out to a wide audience to take part in the creation of new artworks to engage with and view them. To create that access we also invite everyone to experience the project through our film by Seb Fitzhenry, which can be viewed here.”