Skip to content

Art & Design alumni help take BACKLIT Gallery programme to Tate Modern

As a recently recognised Tate Exchange Associate, BACKLIT will take a new installation to Tate Modern this February

    Participants in the D.I.Y. Machine installation
    Participants in the D.I.Y. Machine installation this month

    Alumni from various courses in the School of Art & Design at Nottingham Trent University, particularly the BA (Hons) Fine Art course, have contributed to an exciting new BACKLIT Gallery installation which will take residence at Tate Modern on London's Bankside this February.

    D.I.Y. Machine, a newly devised installation exploring themes of production, engagement and interaction, will run as part of Tate Exchange from Tuesday 20 to Thursday 22 February, following on from a successful condensed version of the installation at the first Uniqlo Tate Late event of 2018 back in January.

    Taking place in Tate Modern's recently extended Blavatnik Building, the Tate Exchange programme exists as an ambitious ‘open experiment’, aiming to facilitate the involvement of other arts organisations and members of the public in Tate’s creative process.

    D.I.Y.Machine takes the form of a roulette wheel, actively inviting participants to randomly select an experience through spinning the wheel. The experiences range from photography and ceramics workshops, to performance and sculpture sessions. The installation ultimately aims to reconstruct the ways in which audiences engage, interact and communicate about art, through transferring the power away from the creators and institution, back to the audiences themselves.

    Participants in the D.I.Y. Machine installation
    D.I.Y. Machine at Uniqlo Tate Late, January 2018. Image courtesy BACKLIT Gallery.

    Alumni involved in devising this project include BACKLIT founder and Director Matthew Chesney, Project Coordinator Gina Mollett, and Daniel Evans-Pughe, Martin Rayment and Maureen Scott.

    Matthew Chesney explained: “Tate Exchange presents a cross collaborative and experimental platform for BACKLIT on an international scale. It is a testing ground for D.I.Y. Machine, and we will return the project to Nottingham to be shared and explored with local communities.”

    He added: “This showcase at Tate presents an opportunity to celebrate the wealth of creative talent local to Nottingham, to develop new connections and share practice, putting Nottingham firmly on the arts and culture map.”

    BACKLIT is an independent art gallery housing the studios of 50 young and emerging artists in Nottingham city centre. It has recently been awarded Tate Exchange Associate status, meaning regular participation in Tate Exchange programmes in London.

    Published on 20 February 2018
    • Category: NTU Arts; School of Art & Design