Open exhibition at our home in Balsall Heath. The event featured performances by David Sherry (Painting Object and The History of Wrinkles in Art), a BAZ polytunnel bar in the back garden, the Biennale Balti served in the kitchen, henna tattoo’s (by ‘Tatty Chris’) and prizes awarded by a number of distinguished judges: Gavin Wade (Director of Eastside Projects), Sarah Shalgosky (Curator, Mead Gallery), Zoe Lippett (Curator, The New Art Gallery Walsall), Cheryl Jones (Director of Grand Union).
[For us, the highlight of the night was a piece of work by local pensioner Brian Cleaver. He had spent four years building an enormous scale model of his sheltered housing complex from Bells whiskey box cardboard. We came across Brian during the biennale consultation, via our local councillor, and we went to great lengths to move his model from his sheltered housing complex into our house for the night. Brian won one of the four awards on offer – Zoe Lippett, curator at The New Art Gallery Walsall, awarding him The Zoe Lippett Award for Technical Tenacity]
