news:

Artist takes rubbish to Berlin.

Well someone got to do it, apparently they are short of rubbish in that city,or so I am told, apparently the council cleans the streets and people are fined for dropping litter. This would certainly curtail my sort of activities such as city sites where i walked across Nottingham and collected objects to make an installation, please refer to the blue print exhibition for the second rendition of this and Chaosity for the third outing for my ever growing collection of found objects.

However this is not the work that I will be taking, instead I will be showing some of my small polystyrene sculptures and maybe some small wire constructions.  both these works are made from reclaimed materials,polystyrene packaging and electric cable respectively.

I have been invited to take part in the 3rd Rest cycling Art Fair at Backfabrik Berlin. On September 4th and 5th. this will bring together artists from all corners of the globe (how a globe can have corners is a mathematical conundrum but we wont go into that just here) to demonstrate their working methods and show their work.  This will be followed the week later by an exhibition of the work made during the festival also at Backfabrik.

This trip is an opportunity to develop links between Nottingham and Berlin and I hope to research a new project based on walls. Many years ago in Nottingham the Market Square was divided by a wall ( the Corn Wall). This was to keep the French (Normans) away from the indigenous Anglo Saxons, apparently they did not get on terribly well,  but this was in 1367 or something. Some historians think it was to keep the livestock out of the fruit and vegetable market.

Anyway there was this wall that ran from the top of Angel Row to about half way down the present day  market square. I have often thought about recreating this as a temporary installation but it might bugger up the smooth running of the trams etc. and so would not meet with council approval. This aside I shall spend sometime in Berlin taking photos and walking the route of the Berlin Wall and then maybe transpose this onto the map of Nottingham, watch this space.

Also whilst in Berlin I will try to generate further contacts with galleries and artists groups with the view of promoting my work hopefully with an exhibition,but I shall also try to develop interest in an exchange scheme taking  Nottingham artists to Berlin and bringing some Berlin based artists to Nottingham; with a little organisation and a bit of funding we could develop a residency and exhibition scheme.  So with all these visits to galleries and studios walking the route of the Berlin wall, well apart of it as it ran for 163 km. and making new work in the Restcycling festival. I shall have little time for anything else and will probably need to have a holiday after.

Hopefully the Arts Council and the British Council will come up with some money  but I wont know  until I get back. The cynic might say that because they know I am going come what may that there is little reason for them to fund this trip. But that's cynics for you.

Anyway I shall post up a full report and maybe some images etc. for those of you who might be interested. I might even pick up some bits of Berlin rubbish to add to my collection and who knows there might be more of a market for my sort of work over there, there doesn't seem to be one in Nottingham

latest artwork - click here

click on the images below to see some more of Paul Matosic's work, or you can click here to see more of his work and details on the Axis website.

Paul Matosic is happy to accept commission work, specialising in the use of reclaimed materials.

click here to contact Paul Matosic