LAF Limehouse Arts Foundation London art arts artists exhibitions workshops towcester road pinocchio mimoid slow life charity studios LAF was incorporated on 2 June 1994, as a company limited by guarantee, and was registered as a charity on 27 July 1994. The main objects of LAF are "to promote, maintain, improve and advance public education in the arts and in particular the visual arts". Within this framework, the Trustees are committed to the development of the ex-Poplar Technical College as an international space for Contemporary Art, which sets a standard of quality and innovation for similar projects and makes a substantial contribution to public education in the arts, including the development of artists. The Trustees' long-term objectives are that the scope of LAF's activities should include: * a programme of especially tailored educational events, including open studios, workshops and training projects involving the local community * a programme of exhibitions of Contemporary Art * one-off events that create a dialogue between the fine arts and a broader spectrum of artistic media, whether they be performance arts, cinema, photography, literature or otherwise * participation in a pan-European network of institutions which promotes a programme of touring exhibitions of Contemporary Art and related events * participation in an exchange project for artists from throughout Europe, including Central and Eastern Europe. Through the conjunction of the two elements - temporary exhibition and visual arts workshop space and working studios - and the promotion of innovative and high quality activities, the Trustees believe that LAF can create an important new space for exhibitions and training in the Contemporary Arts. From August 1994 LAF has occupied the ex-Poplar Technical College, a building of warehouse design in the heart of Bow in East London, half an hour from the city centre. The building comprises 30,000 sq. ft. over four floors. The interior enjoys magnificent natural light. The building is held on a 21 year lease from 1994. The top three floors and half of the ground floor have been converted into over 25,000 sq. ft. of high quality studio space and workshops, divided into 36 units. The studios are licensed to a vibrant community of over 50 artists engaged in producing innovative work, including fine artists, film makers and digital media artists. Half of the Ground Floor, measuring 3,750 sq. ft., has been set aside as a space for changing exhibitions of Contemporary Art, seminars, one-off performances, workshops and other events. Improvements have been made to the building and its surrounds over the years. Heating and a new roof have been installed with the benefit of funding from The Foundation For Sport & The Arts. LAF has also completed a number of projects supported by grants through Leaside Regeneration Ltd: in particular, to make it easier and safer for LAF artists and the general public to get to the building, by clearing and lighting the pathway which joins the main public street to LAF; and the gallery space has been renovated by installing a disabled toilet, gallery lighting and an office. We have worked with Newham Probation Service through the implementation of a Community Service Order programme which involves one group of six who have to serve a community service order working at LAF one day a week to improve the interior décor and exterior grounds at LAF. Activities The main focus of LAF activities during 2005/06 was the launch of the renovated exhibition space on the ground floor of the LAF building. The first exhibition called The Tower of Babel opened in November 2005. The premise of the exhibition was to reflect the diversity of practise and content current in contemporary art, a project that was incidentally mirrored by the EAST International open competition in Norwich that year. Participating artists included Richard Clegg, Daniel Coombs, Robin Dixon, Alexis Harding, Mark Jackson and Charlotte Webb, David Leeson, Sarah MacKillop, Tamsin Morse, Sophie Newell, Linda Persson, Nicola Tassie, Marcus Vergette, Christian Ward, Russell Webb, and the exhibition was curated by Peter Jones. This exhibition marked the beginning of a curatorial led programme of exhibitions aimed at developing the curatorial abilities of the artists the gallery works with. The second exhibition called Mimoid involved a series of research meetings that explored Stanislav Lem's 1961 science fiction book Solaris, and which developed into the exhibition Mimoid. Participating artists included Daniel Coombs, Ian Dawson, George Doneo, Peter Lamb, Danny Rolph, and the exhibition was curated by Ian Dawson and George Doneo (an LAF resident artist). The third exhibition called World Gone Mad was a touring exhibition which brought LAF into partnership with two other regional galleries and was supported by Kent Institute of Art and Design and the Arts Council of England and included and fully illustrated catalogue. Participating artists included Liz Arnold, Guy Bar-Amotz, Sam Basu, Varda Caivano, Jack Duplock, Neil Gall, Mark Harris, Ansel Krut, David Leapman, Bob Matthews, David Rayson, James Rielly, Adam Ross, John Stezaker, Gary Webb, and the exhibition was curated by Bob Matthews. The exhibition also received one exhibition review. The fourth exhibition called Slow Life, another touring exhibition with catalogue, developed in partnership with the John Hansard Gallery in Southampton will take place in January 2007. LAF's education programme works on several layers, and is also central to the exhibition programme through curatorial development. LAF provides in-house training to LAF artists and artists working with and at LAF, and a team of volunteer arts graduates in: arts management, art technician work, artist development, curatorial development and professional practice. LAF has also extended its educational work to the interpretation, presentation and understanding of contemporary art through formal and informal talks and lectures. LAF has also developed and supported artists from LAF working with disadvantaged people in the area. We aim to: increase access to the arts and education; improve the quality of life for adults and young people living in the local community. My story is the following: While looking for a studio for my own use an agent brought me to this huge abandoned building where most of the windows were broken with gun shots and the floors were ankle deep in pigeon shit. I had no intention of assuming this burden but as it was obviously an ideal studio building I tried to interest the studio organizations in London - Space, Acme and the one in West London whose name I forget. I think this was in 1991. They were all scared to take on a building of this size in that area in the middle of a property crash. So after about 6 months of deliberation I decided this building had to be a studio building and took it on myself; found 3 people willing to be trustees and started to fix it up bit by bit. The rest of the story is pretty much that of failure - failing to create a real exhibition space, failing to create a coherent organization and failing to create decent management. 2007 SLOW LIFE curated by YUU TEKEHISA artists: WILFRID ALMENDRA / DALE BERNING / MARK KARASICK / RYOTA KUWAKUBO / TOMOYASU MURATA / BELTRAN OBREGON / WOLFGANG STAEHLE studio more 2006 WORLD GONE MAD - Exhibitions LAF 2006 WORLD GONE MAD curated by BOB MATTHEWS artists: LIZ ARNOLD / GUY BAR-AMOTZ / SAM BASU / VARDA CAIVANO / JACK DUPLOCK / NEIL GALL / MARK HARRIS / ANSEL KRUT / DAVID LEAPMAN / BOB MATTHEWS / DAVID RAYSON / JAMES RIELLY / ADAM ROSS / JOHN STEZAKER / GARY WEBB more 2006 MIMOID curated by GEORGE DONEO AND IAN DAWSON artists: DANIEL COOMBS / IAN DAWSON / GEORGE DONEO / PETER LAMB / DANNY ROLPH more 2005 THE TOWER OF BABEL curated by PETER JONES artists: RICHARD CLEGG / DANIEL COOMBS / ROBIN DIXON / ALEXIS HARDING / MARK JACKSON AND CHARLOTTE WEBB / DAVID LEESON / SARAH MACKILLOP / TAMSIN MORSE / SOPHIE NEWELL / LINDA PERSSON / NICOLA TASSIE / MARCUS VERGETTE / CHRISTIAN WARD / RUSSELL WEBB DEIRDRE KING JASON WALLIS-JOHNSON GERAINT EVANS KAMINI VELLODI ROGER EVANS HELEN ALBION BERNARDETTE MOLONEY ALICE WELLBELOVED GEORGE DONEO MARK PEARSON / 3.11 GABO ELIZABETH MANCHESTER GILL ORD MICHELLE AVISON + YUMI SHIMADA JUAN FONTANIVE + ULRIKA STROMBACK KATIE PRATT DAVID LILLEY LIZ DE MONCHAUX + NEIL IRONS + S.H. KAY + NEIL PATERSON NICK FOX A TAMSIN MORSE B JUILE FOUNTAIN TIM COPPARD + STEPHEN ECKERSLEY JACQUIE THOMPSON + FRED CRAICK ANDY COHEN CHRISTINA MARIGNOLI RICARDO DAVILLA PARM RAI + MICHAEL LISLE-TAYLOR HANNAH MAYBANK + CARTIN HUBER ROSE FINN-KELSEY ADAM CLITHEROE RAY YAP + SIMON TUPPER + ABBATE JO BRUTON ANDY EKINS DAVID LEESON ALEX LEFEVRE 2007 IL NOSTRO PINOCCHIO curated by Ruzica Babic (GALLERIA DELL'ARCO), Mario Mattioda (LIMEHOUSE ARTS FOUNDATION) The challenge of il Nostro Pinocchio is therefore to go back to Collodi's original moral tale, making us re-live the myth of transgression and the consequent cry for help. Pinocchio is too extreme a character to establish immediate empathy with the reader, its interpretation requires an effort to understand its original logic and imagination. Pinocchio is not just about educational indoctrination, but it is about the representation of someone who is misunderstood, who is demanding freedom and protection from an adult world that is deaf to his cries and determined in subjugating the essence of childhood and any departure from the iron clad, violent and standardised rules of social behaviour.