CoExist Galleries & Studios @ TAP The Old Water Works North Road, Southend on Sea, Essex, SS0 7AB

Over Christmas one of our studio artists Laura Keeble revealed her latest work - an installation of carousel horses outside the Bank of England. 

"Twelve carousel horses have taken centre stage at the heart of London’s financial district of Bank, commenting on the controversial issue of large annual bonuses awarded to prosperous earners in the city, many responsible for the economic meltdown. In the wake of Alistair Darling’s introduction of the 50% “super-tax”, it reflects the views of the city as a financial playground.

Southend-based artist Laura Keeble has installed this new site-specific artwork outside London’s Bank of England. Decorated with issues of The Financial Times, lights and garlands made from replicated international bank notes, the bucking and galloping horses sit upon their golden poles, circling the area. Reflecting the ups and downs of the world’s stock market, Keeble’s fairground horses mock the volatility of the financial climate and how many city investors have benefited from these turbulent times."

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/carousel-horses-at-bank-of-england-feature-3583.html

Southend's bid to become the first UK City of Culture 2013 is gathering pace as the numbers of accepted challengers were announced this week, reduced from a previous 26 to now only 14 regions.  National Arts and Culture website Culture24 discusses the bids HERE, and we're thrilled that TAP has been mentioned and pictured...

Come to CoExist Gallery @ TAP TONIGHT between 7-9pm to see the preview of two new shows there:

1) MAIN GALLERY & WINCH ROOM: EXPOSURE

Exposure WEBSITE.

2) THE SMALL GALLERY: FRAN WILDE - ‘Handed’: Videos from a visit to India

Fran Wilde has a long standing fascination with landscape and constructed spaces and more recently she has been interested in stories that arise when people enter the scene. These six short films represent experiments by Fran in editing footage, photographs and sound that she recorded with a compact digital camera on a trip to India in February 2009. Fran’s interest in India comes from contact with grass-roots development NGOs there.

- ‘STEPS’ was filmed in a rare stepped well in Gujarat where people walk down to the ground water level.

- ‘CAROUSEL’ is a marriage of traffic filmed from an auto taxi in Baroda and the mechanical music of a fairground roundabout at Bushy Park, Surrey.

- ‘NIGHT CALLS’ is edited call-and-response by two singers heard early morning from a Sikh temple in Delhi.

- ‘IN DEO SPERAMUS: IN GOD WE TRUST’ Ganesh, the God of New Beginnings, is prepared by music students at the Madras Music Academy.

- ‘HANDED’ considers the hands-on nature of life in India. People have an everyday dexterity not seen in the UK and hand posture is symbolically significant for Gods and dancers.

- ‘COUCHED’ uses photos taken on an overnight train. The drawing is based on a traditional style of textile art called Kalumkari (pen work), also seen in ‘Handed’.

COEXIST GALLERY @ TAP, North Rd, Southend, www.coexist.org.uk

We are having a Christmas Open Studios and Arts & Crafts fair this Sunday - all welcome, come and join us for a glass of mulled wine and a chance to see the studios and artists at work - we have lots of stalls so a chance to purchase a few gifts too!  Admission is FREE (although we are taking donations for HARP).