Hasta La Ideas

Annabel Other will be bringing The Bristol Art Library to Art Flea

This year’s Site Festival in Stroud, Gloucestershire will stage the inaugural Art Flea this weekend – a bizarre bazaar that puts an experimental spin on the humble flea market…

Organised by Jo Fry and Julie Howe, Art Flea will feature a range of artist-run stalls and events, live performances and screenings over the weekend of May 18-19.

According to Art Flea, Saturday’s events will feature Andrew Bailey’s Architectural Hairdressing supported by the Monastry Of Sound, artist and illustrator Nick White and his “hand-drawn tattoo parlour”, and Mik Artistik “telling tales of his adventures through the mediums of biro and paper bag”.

In association with Meantime Project-Space, the latest in a series of ‘maximalist’ projects by artist John Walter will also be unveiled and “a unique hybrid of painting, hospitality, performance and collaboration,” is promised. Even the lovely John Hegley will be in attendance.

The Illustration Gallery will be curating a pop-up show space on the Saturday, while local artist-run gallery INDEX and Bristol-based Antlers, will showcase editions, multiples and original art, the latter in a collaborative space created with artist, Mr Mead.

One project of particular interest to bibliophiles of an artistic persuasion is the scheduled appearance of The Bristol Art Library – artist and bookbinder Annabel Other’s portable collection of 170 artist books, housed in a suitcase-sized cabinet (shown, top of post).

In another itinerant project, Camper Obscura (above) will turn an 1980s VW camper van into a giant fully-functioning camera. And for further van-based filmic adventures, Negative Space will be showing a series of short films, which are to be viewed while both drinking, and wearing, shorts. Work by directors John Smith, Guy Maddin and Nick Abrahams will feature.

Art Flea is at the Brunel Goods Shed in Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK. May 18-19. More details at artflea.wordpress.com. Saturday 18 – 10am to 4pm (Johnny Quiz performance from 8pm til late). Sunday 19 – car boot sale from 8.30am to 11am, followed by Kid Carpet’s Noisy Animals event at 12pm and Animat’s Dark Star screening at 8pm.