This interesting and original project is from recent University of Brighton graduate, Matt Lyver. It’s an intriguing concept, engaging his surroundings and questioning the environments we live in.
It seems to have also been quite an undertaking but definitely presented well, having not only a collection of miniature installations around town but also a screen printed, embossed book documenting the project and a larger installation within the walls of the degree show. He tells us more.
I love ideas. The final outcomes of my projects tend to be driven as much by ideas and concepts as aesthetics. Much of my recent work has focused on reusing objects, materials and spaces in ways that give them new life or meaning, allowing them to serve new purposes. I also enjoy physical, tangible objects and being hands on and making things, which is why I think a lot of my work recently has taken a three dimensional form.
This project looks at how today space is at a premium, especially in towns and cities, and with available land steadily disappearing to development, free space is becoming increasingly hard to come by. With this project I aimed to seek out dead spaces, unused spaces, spaces with no visible purpose; spaces that may usually go unnoticed unless brought to your attention, and offer them up for rent as a tongue in cheek comment on ‘free space’.
I found a variety of these spaces in different shapes and sizes around Brighton, settling on 12 to use for my final selection. I then recorded all their measurements and constructed a Perspex fascia to sit in each space. The dimensions, details, prices etc. are all screen printed onto the Perspex and are specific to each individual space.
After installing and photographing all the ‘free spaces’, I collated them into a 26 page estate agents style catalogue with their dimensions, details and prices. The cover is screen printed, embossed and debossed, with screen printed end papers and yellow page details.
Photo of Brighton in the lego model village, from a club excursion to Legoland.
© Matt Lyver, 2011.
