Inviting The Neighbours Around To Paint is about bringing people together through drawing, mark making and painting.
The drawing board acts as a free and neutral space for people to simply BE in – a sounding board for ideas, shapes, colour, discussion, and most importantly- expression. It is a way of framing all this in a simple and bold way. It focuses on the communicative power of Art and Creativity.
It brings art practise to street level and into the everyday consciousness.
The initial project ran for a week in Project Space, an empty shop on the high street in Newport. The aim was to transform the space through the gradual accumulation of drawings and paintings by visitors to the space. Each day was hosted by a different local artist and by the end of the day, the walls were covered in different art work to that of the previous day.
The door was always OPEN to people passing by, and the space was open to any groups, individuals or organisations that wanted to use it.
The neutral room quickly became a space which people could occupy, share a process, conversation, get involved in an activity. It was became an organic and natural collaboration without anyone mentioning the word ‘collaboration’.
Because of the success of this project, we have now constructed a mobile wall so we can Invite The Neighbours Around To Paint in any location.
This project is inspired by the artist Paweł Althamer – “An explorer of the Social and communicative powers of Art”
