ALIVE IN LOCKDOWN

- May 8th - June 4th 2020 -

One year on from ALIVE in the UNIVERSE at the Venice Biennale, Caroline Wiseman and David Baldry are in conversation, via zoom, with the artists who participated.

The 58th Venice Biennale Curator Ralph Rugoff’s title last year was ‘May You Live In Interesting Times’. What prophetic words! A world changed forever by the Covid-19 pandemic and now the terrible events in the United States of America.

As Caroline Wiseman and I reflect on ‘Alive in Lockdown’, one year on from the groundbreaking exhibition ‘ALIVE in the UNIVERSE’ at the Palazzo Pesaro Papafava, we were keen to talk to all of our artists and our partners Venice Art Factory, to discover what they have been doing and how the experience of Venice has effected them along with the current changes to our lives.

It has been fascinating to hear how they feel a year later. Discussing their thoughts about the works they made and presented in Venice, how their practice has moved forward and how they have been using their creativity during lockdown.

Every one of the 28 artists we selected did something way beyond our expectations and given the work was only to be exhibited for a single day was incredibly generous. The breadth and inventiveness of practice exhibited in Venice was incredible and many explored ideas outside their usual comfort zone and made unexpected works. One of the recurrent themes from our ‘Lockdown’ conversations has been a sense of a renewed confidence and an openness to explore new concepts and it has been interesting now to find out how artists have adapted to new and different working circumstances.

We are indebted to all our partners for their help and encouragement and to all the ‘Big Bang’ artists for their engagement and willingness to participate so freely with this project. We would also like to thank the hundreds of One Minute film makers whose involvement contributed to the exhibitions success and to all of you who have taken the time to watch so many hours of YouTube

David Baldry, Co-curator

*Caroline Wiseman and David Baldry, Photo Credit Lol Sargent*

DAY 28 - 04/06/2020 - Maggi Hambling in conversation with David Baldry

DAY 28 - 04/06/2020 - Sophie Molins in conversation with Caroline Wiseman

DAY 27 - 03/06/2020 - David Baldry in conversation with Caroline Wiseman

DAY 26 - 02/06/2020 - Shaun Caton in conversation with Caroline Wiseman

DAY 25 - 01/06/2020 - Jane Watt in conversation with David Baldry

DAY 24 - 31/05/20 - Clare Burnett in conversation with David Baldry

DAY 23 - 30/05/2020 - Caroline Wiseman in conversation with Susan Brinkhurst

DAY 22 - 29/05/2020 - Ermias Kifleyesus shares his thoughts and Caroline Wiseman in conversation with with Adrian Fisher, Luna Montenegro and Ginés Olivares from mmmmm collective

DAY 21 - 28/05/2020 - Caroline Wiseman in conversation with Eileen Haring Woods

DAY 20 - 27/05/2020 - Caroline Wiseman is in conversation with Regine Bartsch.

DAY 19 - 26/05/2020 - Caroline Wiseman in conversation with Theronda Hoffman

DAY 18 - 25/05/2020 - David Baldry is in conversation with Kate Davis and David Moore

DAY 17 - 24/05/2020 - David Baldry is in conversation with Adam Riches

DAY 16 - 23/05/2020 - David Baldry is in conversation with Kate Bright.

DAY 15 - 22/05/2020 - Caroline Wiseman is in conversation with Caroline Wright

DAY 14 - 21/05/2020 - Caroline Wiseman and David Baldry are in conversation with Luca Berta and Francesca Giubilei, Directors of the Venice Art Factory.

DAY 13 - 20/05/2020 - David Baldry is in conversation with Lol Sargent

DAY 12 - 19/05/2020 - David Baldry is in conversation with Bill Jackson.

DAY 11 - 18/05/2020 - Andrew Hewish explores the beginning and the end of time through his film Omphalos.

DAY 11 - 18/05/2020 - We are sharing the film “Time” featuring Professor Berman and Caroline Wiseman, filmed on 18th May 2019 by Eileen Haring Woods

DAY 10 - 17/05/2020 - Audio file from Maria Isakova Bennett

DAY 10 - 17/05/2020 - Caroline Wiseman is in conversation with Caroline Gay Way

DAY 9 16/05/2020 - Caroline Wiseman is in conversation with Jeremy Kidd

DAY 9 - 16/05/2020 - Caroline Wiseman is in conversation with the artist duo Ruth Philo and Stuart Bowditch.

DAY 8 - 15/05/2020 - David Baldry is in conversation with Sharon Kivland

DAY 7 - 14/05/20 - Steven Fogel, co-producer of Raki’a in conversation with David Baldry

DAY 6 - 13/05/20 - Andrei Costache in conversation with David Baldry.

DAY 5 - 12/05/20 - Caroline Wiseman reveals, in just over two minutes, the thoughts and ideas behind ALIVE in the UNIVERSE.

CLICK HERE for Matthew Darbyshire’s thoughts on then and now which he texts to David Baldry from lockdown in the deepest countryside without wifi.

DAY 4 - 11/05/20 - Co-curators Caroline Wiseman and David Baldry in conversation with Steven Fogel. Steven and Judy Goldhill presented their film, Raki’a as part of Alive in the Universe at the Venice Biennale.

DAY 3 - 10/05/20 - FLORA GATHORNE HARDY and MICHE Fabre Lewin in conversation with Caroline Wiseman

DAY 2 - 09/05/20 - CHARLOTTE JARVIS in conversation with David Baldry

DAY 1 - 08/05/21 - ISSAM KOURBAJ in conversation with Caroline Wiseman