SATURDAY 27 JUNE 2013
2 – 5pm – Exhibition with Family Activities
6 – 8pm – Evening Drinks Reception
OVADA is pleased to present a Pop-Up exhibition of work made by TocTok – a small group of Oxfordshire-based artists who frequently work in the City. They work dynamically with community groups to facilitate and create new, exciting, imaginative artwork for projects and festivals. Having successfully secured funding from the C R E A T E #1 event, the TocTok artists collaboratively used their skills to create the only large-scale, temporary kinetic sculpture using reclaimed materials at the Cowley Road Carnival in July 2013.For this project, TocTok artists offered workshops to various groups at Cheney School to enable young people not only to make their own costumes but also to become equipped to build their own large artwork; the Isis puppet. To compliment the 2013 carnival theme, ‘Wheels of Change’, TocTok chose to look at the changing of the river Thames, or Isis as it is known in Oxford. Inspiration was taken from the goddess Isis, patroness of nature and magic, friend of artisans and the downtrodden. The Isis puppet towered above the people in the procession at Cowley Road Carnival on 7 July and the ‘Steampunk’ style costumes were worked individually using reclaimed materials such as willow, tape, tinsel, card and plastic. In this Pop-Up exhibition, OVADA is proud to show the Isis puppet alongside the unique costumes created by the pupils of Cheney School. There will also be fun free activities for young people (and big kids alike!) with an opportunity to meet the wonderful TocTok artists.This project was made possible with support from Oxford City Council Culture, Cheney School and Cowley Road Works.