24 Arts The art of giving


On Saturday 8 December at 6pm artist Ansuman Biswas will enter Art Exchange with nothing – no food, no water, no clothing – as part of his work Present.


For one week he will make the gallery his home and rely entirely on whatever people bring him; food, clothes and water included.


Underpinning the project is a desire to investigate the shifting social definitions of poverty and luxury. Biswas said: “I was inspired by the notion of dependency and how we are all totally reliant on one another to survive.”


When he debuted the piece in Kingston’s Stanley Picker gallery, Biswas found the audience initially embarrassed or dismissive.


Someone gave him an apple core and someone else gave him a half eaten salad. But this passed as people realised their importance to the piece and began arriving with imaginative and useful gifts that transformed the space into a social environment.


He is excited about bringing the piece to Essex and says Present is a completely new project in every new context. “It is a blank canvas on which people can create anything they like.”


Art Exchange extends an invitation to all to come to the gallery during the piece and to contribute by bringing a gift. At the time of year when UK consumer culture is at its most pronounced, the gallery offers this chance to pause and reflect on the true nature of material need.


www.artexchange.org.uk Chance for playwright Children’s classic


East 15 Acting School is looking for examples of new and original writing in their search for a new play to be staged in the West End by final-year BA Acting students.


The winning play will be performed at the Tristan Bates Theatre, Covent Garden, in May 2013. The deadline for submissions is 12noon on 30 January 2013.


This year’s Christmas show by East 15 Acting School at the Loughton Campus will be The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and adapted by Alan Bennett.


The show runs from Wednesday 5 December to Saturday 15 December at 7.30pm, with matinees on Saturday at 2.30pm. There are no performances on Monday 10 December.


www.east15.ac.uk


For full information about Art Exchange visit: www.artexchange.org.uk. For the Lakeside Theatre’s programme visit: www.lakesidetheatre.org.uk. Sign up to the weekly arts mailing list for up-to-date arts news and offers. E-mail: arts@essex.ac.uk.


The Hook catches a crowd


When Lakeside Theatre launched The Hook Open Mic night in September, little did it realise the scale of the demand for the free Friday night platform. In its first six weeks the events have attracted over 700 visitors and seen more than 40 performers take to the stage. Compere Steve Goatman said: “There are so many talented performers on campus and now they have a regular gig with a big friendly crowd.” Recorded highlights can be heard on the theatre’s Red Radio programme on Tuesday lunchtimes from 1 to 2pm and The Hook itself runs every Friday at Lakeside Theatre Café or Zest Café from 9pm until late.


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