TACTILEBOSCH: UNDERTHECOUNTERCULTURE
It’s safe to say that anything coming from Cardiff-based arts collective tactileBOSCH is not going to be your mum or dad’s art exhibition. Their latest project UnderTheCounterCulture, curated in partnership with Creative Village and Blue Honey, follows on from several successful exhibitions and a stint of research in Berlin to bring Cardiff something entirely different: an art project which explores the “social contexts of night-culture”. In other words, everything that happens in town when the sun goes down, which is a fitting theme to explore in the collective’s tendency for provocative live performances and sprawling art installations.
The event will launch on Fri 1 Nov, with confirmed venues at press time including Shift in the Capitol Shopping Centre on Cardiff’s Queen Street, as well as other parts of the centre and The Vicarage on Cathedral Road. tactileBOSCH promises to reclaim other abandoned buildings throughout Cardiff to transform them into communal spaces in which to foster “connection, collaboration and participation” with visitors.
Part of tactileBOSCH’s appeal is their unpredictability, meaning the only thing to be said with any certainty about UnderTheCounterCulture is, whatever you do, don’t expect tradition. This ambitious multi-media exhibition has been designed with younger generations in mind (but welcomes all ages!) who might find conventional art museums and galleries too stuffy to enjoy. Vibrancy, colour and energy will define UnderTheCounterCulture as it hopes to engage all of the senses, so its visitors feel truly immersed in the spirit of night culture in all of its subversive glory.
Visitors can also expect participatory activities such as film screenings, live performances and discussion groups, as well as the mindbending art installations which tactileBOSCH are renowned for. What’s more, attendance is completely free as part of the collective’s aim to break down the elitist perception of art and inspire a wider, more diverse audience to give everyone the opportunity to join in an inclusive conversation. Unable to make it? Keep an eye out for online broadcasts and podcasts from the project which will ensure that it really is accessible for everyone. If you go in with an open mind, it promises to be an exciting, thought-provoking experience to remember.
words ELIN EVANS
Various venues, Cardiff, Fri 1-Sun 17 Nov. Admission: free (some events may be ticketed). Info: www.tactilebosch.co.uk
