Yvonne Mullock, Fabric Sale, 2015. Film still. Image courtesy of the artist
A “charrette” is often utilized in design processes as a format to collaboratively workshop solutions, generated by a group of creatives: artists, architects, designers. In this new AGA exhibition series, the format of the “charrette” will be used as a strategy to invert the traditional exhibition process, transforming the gallery into a place of idea formation and generation, a place for the visualization of design questions, rather than for the presentation of finalized products.
Charrette Roulette: Exposed Collaborative Design Practices consists of three thematically related parts presented consecutively in one gallery space from May 19, 2015 to April 2016. This space functions as a workshop and creation site, to expose the processes of design thinking and problem-solving and the evolution of ideas over time. The space will be hosted and activated by guest artists and designers.
Each version of the Charrette Roulette leaves materials and content behind, which can then be incorporated, modified, rejected or assimilated into the next Charrette Roulette project. This process of resource assessment and potential re-use, reflects the reality of contemporary designers, who are given a set of parameters and often work with what is available at hand. Over time, the exhibition space is inhabited by the cumulative traces of these intensified, collaborative design processes.
FABRIC is the theme of the third Charrette Roulette. Lead artist Yvonne Mullock with local designer Teng Teng Chong, will present HOMEWORKS.
Using the Bloomsbury Group’s Omega Workshop and rural retreat Charleston House as a starting point, the textile themed culmination of Charrette Roulette: FABRIC will transform the gallery into a functioning textile workshop. During the HOMEWORKS exhibition, Yvonne Mullock and Teng Teng Chong will hand-make printed textiles within the space and transform them into materials to make the gallery a place of comfort with items put-to-use.
Using simple print and decorative techniques, each design will be collaboratively negotiated and produced in the space. Textiles designed by Mullock and Chong will be sewn and made into items to offer comfort to those who visit the exhibition, slowly transforming the gallery into an environment whereby visitors can utilize the artwork: walk upon, sit on and drink from the produced objects. These designs will carry quotidian references personal to Mullock and Chong, transforming familiar scenes and narratives into a spectacular vocabulary of repeat patterns.
Yvonne Mullock is currently based in Calgary. Graduating from the painting department at Glasgow School of Art, Yvonne Mullock’s practice spans diverse interests in nature and craft and incorporates drawing, sculpture, ceramics, video and textiles for both gallery and site-specific installations. Mullock has participated in artist-in-residence programmes and exhibitions in the UK, Canada and the USA. Recent projects and exhibitions include Future Station: 2015 Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art, Calgary’s 2015 Biennial Atlas Sighed, HIT & MISS at the Esker Foundation Contemporary Art Gallery, Beaver Fever at Glasgow’s Project Room and a four-year community quilt art project with Fogo Island Arts and Shorefast in Newfoundland.
Teng Teng Chong is a small-scale craft designer and maker with a background in graphic and industrial design. She holds a Masters in Design from the Istituto Europeo di Design along with a Bachelor of Design from the University of Alberta. Chong's work is inspired by travel and everyday life. The focus of her craft is on the beauty of simplicity and processes of the hand. Chong has exhibited works and participated in residencies in Canada, Spain, and Indonesia. Recent works include Scratchware, a collaboration with Kandura Keramik, Indonesia and Colour Alley, a transitory public art project commissioned by the Edmonton Arts Council.
