Monthly Archives: January 2014

Up the Creek / Under the Cloud Exhibition, University of Sunderland

UP THE CREEK / UNDER THE CLOUD was a participatory exhibition that showcased two new artworks by Victoria Bradbury and Alexia Mellor.  The show was produced by Into Practice member Victoria Bradbury on the 20th and 21st of January at the University of Sunderland Shaun Project Space and Showcase Space.  Bradbury showed her new work, Data Raft, while Newcastle-based artist Alexia Mellor presented Quilting Code, a new work in progress.   Each of these emerging pieces explored ideas of data and code through hand and automated embroidery.  Attendees were invited to contribute to a code-quilt or print custom sails based on their personal and public data.

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Bradbury’s Data Raft explored concepts of data privacy and code performativity through individually constructed stick rafts.  Each raft was paired with a custom sail designed from participant-volunteered metadata, then floated on one of the in-gallery ponds.

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Mellor’s Quilting Code explored cloud data and top search results through the design of embroidered custom codes.  The piece searches for ways to represent and preserve relevant data through an intertwining of the traditional medium of the quilting bee and the Internet. Mellor is a visual artist and Director of Participatory Programming at NewBridge Project Space, Newcastle.
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The artists spoke about their projects and previous works at an artist presentation on Monday the 20th.  The talk was attended by Sunderland students as well as artists and curators based in Newcastle and Sunderland. Students from both Sunderland Uni and Newcastle Uni volunteered as artist assistants during the exhibition period.