Don't miss the Deptford Machine by Ben Parry, at Utrophia Project Space – the jerky video above shows only one side of the sculpture but there is plenty more to see in this jangling kinetic wonder made of second hand market junk and treasures and poundshop specials. The machine gains more momentum as you walk its length but at its peak there's a contrastingly slow snail race and movement is imperceptable.
Deptford X continues this weekend, with early evening openings as part of "Last Fridays"....there are special events at Lewisham Art House and The Old Police Station, among others. As well as the galleries, open studios continue (Art Hub, Cor Blimey Arts, Creekside Artists, Hatch Space, Lewisham Art House and the Old Police Station) and the weekend ends with an art quiz at the Dog and Bell with Fred Aylward. Meanwhile The Bird's Nest pub now boasts a new sign by Adam Vass....
...and we hope Ashton & Mollett have baked a few more ship's biscuits. These 'ornately embossed edible artworks' – which were available last weekend at various locations while stocks lasted – depict the fate of the Golden Hinde. They are staging a Making & Baking performance at Creekside Discovery Centre on Saturday 1 October from 1pm–3pm.
There are three walking tours over the weekend: one starts at 1.45pm on Saturday at Creekside Discovery Centre (free), the other two are pay-what-you-can run by South London Art Map. At 5pm on Saturday there's performance art at Unit D in Crossfield Street by Amy Lord (apparently it contains nudity) and more on Sunday possibly anywhere in Deptford between 10 and 5 by Laura Cooper.
If you're wearing a Deptford X badge you can get discounts at Arch Materials, The Big Red Pizzeria, Creekside Cafe and Deptford Project Cafe. And public voting is taking place online for the Fringe Award – winners will be announced at the Deptford X pub quiz at the Dog & Bell on Sunday evening. It appears that Deptford In A Shell (at the train carriage) has captured people's hearts most so far. There are also other small works by Crossfields resident Chrissie Stewart and ex-Crossfields resident Janet Currier in this space – not part of the main or fringe festival, but worth a look.
We liked Surrender To The Pleasure by Ar-se (yes, arse) at APT Project Space in Creekside and were struck by the poignancy of the shanty town construction built in the shadow of so much new development, recalling the fate of the Chinese street dwellers 'disappeared' by the Bejing Olympics.
There is much to see outside of the selected main programme and fringe, and we recommend the show at St Paul's House in the high street by five of the artists who have been temporarily based there whilst the building awaits redevelopment.
Across the newly laid square was another team painting a wall. This one was from Goldsmiths, the project of two design students, "aiming to commemorate the dying industry of hand rendered sign writing, presently drowning amongst corporate messaging..."
Part of London Design Festival, Talking Walls "employ human hands to speak to the people". "Inspired by the charm of traditional advertisements, now fading but visible to the curious eye"...
Here's one they did earlier in the Deptford Project yard – possibly very short lived since that wall will probably be removed when redevelopment begins.
Talking of murals, we are reminded of Gary Drostle's Love Over Gold mural in Creekside. We reported in August that the mural was under threat by Cockpit Arts who wanted to remove the doors to make way for a Deptford X installation and replace them with metal security doors. The Chair of Crossfields TRA was going to write to them and tell them this was unacceptable – that the mural doors must be kept, pinned to the new security doors if necessary.
However, the doors are gone. Adrian Lee's piece is about CCTV cameras going feral and wild.
We hope Cockpit Arts intend to replace the mural doors when Deptford X finishes. There may be a bit of a ta-doo if not.
wow there's so much cool art stuff in Deptford.
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