Using the notion of folds as a point of departure, this project seeks to bring together the public, artists and academics to speculate on the aesthetic, conceptual, ethical, and sociopolitical implications of folds.

Folds are pleats of fabric, wrinkles in the skin or carefully folded strands of DNA in each of our cells. Folds are earthly or watery, creases in a landscape or ripples at the surface of the ocean. Folds bend straight lines, they provide texture to the smooth surface of appearance. Folds follow the curves of time, they testify to its passing and its opening to endless possibilities. We are inside and outside, always experiencing, learning, folding, unfolding and refolding. Growing. Folds tend to make matter “flow out of its frame,” it can be a way of organising thinking and acting without binaries, absolutes or hierarchies.

Using the notion of folds as a point of departure, this project seeks to bring together the public, artists and academics to speculate on the aesthetic, conceptual, ethical, and sociopolitical implications of folds. We invite submissions to this theme in various forms: writing, visual art, sound art, A/V, photography, installation and performance. We believe in an expanded creative practice which disrupts dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, and thus seek to invite people of diverse backgrounds to participate in this project.

This project will consist of both an exhibition and a series of events, including screenings and poetry readings. These will be exhibited and presented in a gallery space and in various public venues around Deptford, September 2019. We welcome submissions from groups/collectives, and if you would like to host a workshop please send us a proposal in the additional requirements section.

This exhibition is a collaborative effort to bring people together to consider the implications of folds. We invite you to submit your work but we also value your insight to make this exhibition work for all of us, including the local community who we will engage with through the venues we hire and the organisations we collaborate with.

Submission deadline: June 10th 2019  

Some guidelines for submitting your work:

• Exhibition formats include: writing, mixed media visual art, installation, audiovisual works, performance, sound.  
• Submission formats: Up to 5 still images, 1 short video clip (5 minutes max. duration) or 500 words max. extract of written piece
• Please provide dimensions of your work and a short paragraph describing the work and how it relates to the theme (400 words max.)  

Shortlisted candidates will be notified by early July and will be invited for a video call interview.