ladies of science

So exciting! We had to stand absolutely still for the longest time, that is why we look a bit uncomfortable. Nevertheless, we were really pleased with the result as it was presented and decided to use the Photograph as our shop sign.
In the mean time, we are going full steam ahead towards opening our shop-cum-laboratory to the public. Our ‘presentation’ as it were, will take place the end of October. Of course, we will have to see if by then our experiments have matured enough. Dea volente, all will go according to plan and we will be able to offer guided tours. Please be patient, dear customers!

After much Experimentation, Miss Liza has been able to conjoin a Rhinoceros with a Hippopottamus. It has turned out to be quite naughty though. Look what it brought in the other day! An Indian shawl, Goddess knows where he got that from.
Miss Liza has now confined it to the window display, where it just amuses the passers-by.

Unfortunately, Tallulah and I have been very busy of late, as you have noticed. We realise that many of you dear friends have found a closed door. Pray excuse us. Tallulah was much occupied with her work, where the Mexican Flue goes round (very interesting indeed! we are hoping to catch some Bacteriae for our laboratory). Liza was visiting our enchanting great Aunt Martha who lives in the beautiful city of Sevilla, where she collects oranges.

However, we can now announce that we will be working in the shop this week. Liza is planning to compose a Rhina-Pottamus, from specimens of a Rhinoceros and a Hippopotamus. Tallulah is concerned how her Crawlers are doing, see picture. I am sure they will be fine, there’s lots to eat for them in the shop.

Two weeks ago we had visitors in our laboratory that were, to be honest, more interested in the space than our exhibits. They went on and signed a rental agreement. So we had to move out. We are really most content with this situation. It just goes to show that shopspaces that are used, look brighter and more cheerful, and therefore will be easier to rent out. On top of that, we love to be in between the fancy dress shop and the jewellers (thanks for the discount on my new earrings ;-). As you understand, we are quite happy in this location and will continue our experiments!

Dearest Tallulah,

What an exiting, I should say, exhiliarating moment it was, seeing our tapestry coming to life! Remember the gentleman from Argos dropping off his refuse so we could do our experiments…. I was in the Argos shop today and flabbergasted the servant at the till with our images of our tapestry made out of their wrappings. As you said, Dear Papa would have been proud of us. So I will put the image on here, for all to enjoy, and for us to savour our companiable working together,

Finally! We managed to master the transscriber! After three long hours of hard labour by the light of candles (we ran out of pennies for our new gaslamps), we succeeded in uploading a picture of one of Liza’s FlowerFlyers, a succesful amalgamation of a Bird and a Flower.

We sincerely hope to meet you here again. We must now drink our cocoa (Tallulah) and warm milk (Liza) and take our laudanum, so we are reconstituted for a new day of Experimentations.

honourably yours,

No more living in a ghost town

When the specials wrote their song ‘ghost town’ Coventry was a city in recessional decline, industry failing, shops boarded up and a general air of hopelessness. This time round with the credit crunch upon us and once again hitting recession, Coventry Art space and Coventry city council are trying hard to ensure that boarded up shops will not be a feature this time.
“No more Ghost town” say Shiam Wilcox and Frieda Van de Poll, two Artists currently working in one of the empty shop spaces given over to them to develop their current project which will later lead to an exhibition of their work.
Frieda and Shiam’s work, a mixture of ceramics, knitting and recycled materials, sits in contrast to the rest of the shop displays in the city arcade but also reflects the diversity of the shopping area. The project ‘Ladies of science’ feature Shiam and Frieda acting out the parts of two Victorian women scientists. The work produced is a strange chimera of fauna and flora with sinister undertones. An experimental laboratory of unusual specimens. The project is based around the fact that it was very much frowned upon for women to be any other form of scientist than Botanists, this was considered the feminine science and Frieda and Shiam have taken this to the extreme. They play on notions such as vitalism (bringing the dead to life through electricity), taxidermy and anatomical creations. Anything in fact about the Victorian scientific underground..
“This space has been a fantastic opportunity to enable us to develop work in partnership” Said Shiam. “We are also able to engage feely with the public, who often stop to look through he window and come in to ask us questions about the work”. “It is a great way to see what reaction to the project there is as we produce work and start filling the shop space. As soon as we finish a sculpture we put it straight on show. People often watch to see how a sculpture is coming along and how they develop” Said Frieda.
So far reactions have been positive not only to the work but also to the shop scheme itself. Shop keepers would rather have Artists next to them than empty boarded up shop units.
Coventry Arts space and Coventry city council have several shop spaces available. These can be applied for through an online application. “Frieda and Shiam were the successful applicants for our first round of Art space bursary awards, so it seemed the appropriate idea to offer them a shop space to develop their ideas” said Laura Arts coordinator of Coventry Art space.