Black Dogs – MK2Morrow: One Small Step for Milton Keynes
Massive Tiny Space Colony installation. Image © Andy Abbott
Massive Tiny Space Colony installation. Image © VW Selburn
Visitors contributing to The MK2 Survival Kit.
Visitors contributing to The MK2 Survival Kit.
Image © VW Selburn
Visitors enjoying a drink in The Pub at the End of The Universe.
Exhibitions
10 December 2010 - 2 January 2011
In November 2009, Lost & Found curated an exhibition at MK Gallery with artists Graham Hudson & The Centre of Attention, encouraging the public to take an active part in the artists’ installations and studio practice. MK Gallery’s Director, Anthony Spira, has invited Lost & Found to curate a second exhibition this December.
At Lost & Found’s invitation, Leeds-based artist collective Black Dogs have conceived an exhibition that invites gallery visitors and local residents to imagine a future Milton Keynes.
In late September 2010, astronomers discovered Gliese 581 g,‘the exoplanet or extrasolar planet closest in size to Earth, with the greatest recognised potential for harbouring life. This exhibition proposes that residents of Milton Keynes are best qualified as pioneers of this new world and uses the artworks as a starting point for discussion.
The exhibition comprises three parts: The Pub at the End of The Universe, The MK2 Survival Kit and Massive Tiny Space Colony.
The Pub at the End of The Universe is a replica of a twenty-first century ‘theme pub’. What better environment could there be to share stories, anecdotes, facts and fiction relating to Milton Keynes? Postcards are provided to offer visitors a chance to re-envisage Milton Keynes while effectively rewriting its history.
The MK2 Survival Kit gathers local skills and knowledge that will be passed on to future inhabitants of the planet Gliese 581 g. ‘How To’ cards have been contributed through a public call for submissions so that the kit becomes a growing collection of DIY knowledge.
Finally, you are invited to play as architect and city-planner via the audience-generated Massive Tiny Space Colony installation; a scale model of what the MK2 Space Colony might look like and the values it will uphold.
Will looking into the past and projecting into the future achieve a deeper engagement with the present? Will the MK2 Colony help build the capacity for affecting change in Milton Keynes?
