MEDIA RELEASE – For immediate release
Edward Chell
Soft Estate
An exhibition and publication
The Bluecoat, Liverpool
6 December, 2013 – 23 February, 2014 excluding 25 and 26 December, and 1 January,
2014. Open daily 10am – 6pm. Free. Soft Estate then travels to Spacex in Exeter, from
8 March – 3 May.
Exhibition opening and book launch: 5 December, 6pm
Edward Chell with invited artists Tim Bowditch & Nick Rochowski, Day Bowman, Jan
Williams & Chris Teasdale (The Caravan Gallery), John Darwell, Laura Oldfield Ford,
George Shaw, Robert Soden, Simon Woolham
Prints made using road dust and etched car parts, a film of roadside shrines, and a new
essay by nature writer Richard Mabey are just some of the highlights of a new exhibition
and accompanying publication launching at the Bluecoat.
Soft Estate, the title of which derives from the Highways Agency term used to describe the
natural habitats that have evolved along motorways and trunk roads, looks at how these
borders offer a refuge for wildlife and a modern form of wilderness in the midst of intense
urbanisation and agro-chemical farming.
Artist and academic Edward Chell investigates these contemporary motorway landscapes,
linking them to 18th century ideas of the Picturesque and exploring the interface between
history, ecology, roads and travel through a series of new works.
Launched in conjunction with the exhibition, Soft Estate the publication will feature a
number of the photographs and paintings shown in the exhibition, as well as the
aforementioned essay by writer and broadcaster Richard Mabey.
Other artists who interrogate themes of ‘edgelands’ – those familiar yet ignored spaces that
are neither city nor countryside – have been invited to exhibit alongside and in conversation
with Chell. Their works present juxtapositions commonly experienced in edgelands, such as
beauty and pollution, wilderness and human agency.
Highlights of the exhibition include:






Chell’s presentation of 60 silhouette paintings of motorway plant life and a selection
of beautiful prints made using road dust;
The inclusion of lithographic prints by George Shaw;
New photographic works by John Darwell taken whilst dog-walking along a river
marking the boundary between arable land and town in Carlisle;
Abstract paintings by Day Bowman on disused industrial urban areas;
New drawings, prints and audio work by Simon Woolham, based on stories and
memories associated with the Bluecoat, highlighting the hidden narratives, inbetween and overlooked spaces of the building, through the people who work there;
Large installation of paintings by Robert Soden spanning a 30-year period.
Chell said: “While 18th Century tourists travelled to areas such as the Lake District to
capture images of wild places, in today’s countryside, uncontrolled wilderness only springs
up in the margins of our transport networks and the semi-derelict grid plans of industrialised
corridors. These soft estates invite a new kind of tourist, new ways of looking and new
forms of visual representation.”
The Bluecoat’s Exhibitions Curator Sara-Jayne Parsons said: “When Edward approached
us with the idea for a show of his works we were really excited because we had already
been doing quite a bit of research in the area of ‘edgelands’. We saw the opportunity to
make a bigger exhibition to encompass his solo project but also to include the work of a
selection of artists working in similar territory and who we were keen to feature at the
Bluecoat. In this way Edward’s work acts as a critical centre for a wider discussion about
space, place, memory and identity in our contemporary landscape.”
Soft Estate, the hardback publication, 160 pages, 100 colour illustrations, £16, will be
published by the Bluecoat on 6 December. For more information and to request
review copies, please contact Rachael Tinniswood on 07846 406487.
Ends
For more information please contact Rachael Tinniswood on 07846 406487.
Editors’ Notes
The Bluecoat
The Bluecoat showcases and develops talent across visual art, music, dance, live art and
literature.
The most historic building in Liverpool’s city centre, the arts centre has four galleries. It is
also home to over 30 creative industries and individuals including artists, graphic designers,
arts organisations, crafts people and retailers.
Dating from the early 18th century, the building’s architectural importance is recognised by
its UNESCO world heritage and Grade One listed status.
2
It is believed to be the UK’s oldest art centre, with a rich artistic history; early exhibitions
included the first Post Impressionists show, which came to Liverpool in 1911 following an
earlier showing in London and featured works by Picasso, Cézanne, Matisse and Gauguin,
exhibiting alongside British artists for the first time.
Five years ago, the Bluecoat reopened after major redevelopment and has since inspired
tens of thousands with its mission to engage, innovate and excel.
The past few years have seen it attract internationally renowned artists such as Angie Hiesl,
John Akomfrah and Mark Leckey, while simultaneously engaging the most vulnerable, from
those with dementia to disadvantaged youths, through its community projects.
The Bluecoat is more than a contemporary arts centre in an historic building: it is an
intersection between art and our times, a cultural and social meeting point where it creates
a strong dynamic between art, the city and the culture of Liverpool, and everyday life.
Follow us on Twitter or like our fan-page on Facebook.
Edward Chell
Edward Chell is represented by Galerie Bugdahn und Kaimer, Düsseldorf and is Senior
Lecturer in Fine Art at UCA Canterbury. He recently completed an Arts & Humanities
Research Council Fellowship for which this Soft Estate publication and exhibition are
outcomes. Recent projects include Eclipse, Beaney Museum, Canterbury (2013), whose
accompanying publication, published by Stour Valley Arts, included a text by author and
historian Jenny Uglow; Viewing Stations, Tank, London (2011); Gran Tourismo, Little Chef,
Ings, supported by Grizedale Arts (2011); and permanent installations for Swedenborg
Society, London and Stour Valley Arts (2010). In 2012 he co-edited the publication In the
Company of Ghosts: The Poetics of the Motorway with Dr Andrew Taylor.
Funders & Supporters:
Thanks to the City of Liverpool for its financial support.
3