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Artists explore ‘The Great Purpose’ of landscape art in major Mile End exhibition

Thursday 2 October 2008

Established and emerging artists, including award-winning sculptor Richard Wilson and acclaimed photographer and screen-printer Faisal Abdu’Allah, are set to contribute to a major exhibition questioning the role of landscape art in our sense of identity and belonging, to be held at the Arts Pavillion in Mile End Park from 16–31 October.

‘The Great Purpose’ exhibition will feature work by a wide range of artists, architects, writers and designers, who have all been invited to respond to the idea that 'the great purpose of landscape art is to make us at home in our own country'.

Sian Harris, originally from Canada but now living in Bow, is curating the exhibition as part of her MA degree in Fine Art at the University of East London's (UEL) highly-rated School of Architecture and the Visual Arts. Sian explained: “The quote that inspired this show is actually an ‘algomaxim’ created by The Group of Seven, a collection of Canadian painters drawn together during the 1920s by their similar styles and interest in painting the Canadian landscape.

“They remain iconic figures of Canadian painting and heavily influence many artists working today. This new exhibition aims to present a wide interpretation of ‘the great purpose’, with work ranging from paintings of architectural representation to designs aimed at enhancing and improving landscapes for the people who actually inhabit them."

‘The Great Purpose’ exhibition will include Richard Wilson’s plans for impossible architectural interventions; Faisal Abdu’Allah’s triptych of a post-Katrina New Orleans; and Emma Bell’s depiction of the beauty of the Thames Estuary through painting.

Canadian writer Pasha Malla will describe how to familiarise oneself with a new landscape by taking to two wheels, while UEL graduate Ann Haycock draws London to Cornwall through the threads of second-hand jumpers.

Other artists involved include Lucy Bainbridge, Emma Bolland, Jason Bomers, Elisabeth Bond, Daryl Brown, Chris Butler, Co-Lab Projects, Pete Cobb, Frank Creber, Gemma Cumming, Leo Du Feu, Rosie Emerson, Michael Goodey, Linda Gordon, Kaori Homma, Sheilagh Jevons, Bridget Kennedy, Paul Manners, Anthony McCorry, David O’Malley, Amelia Power, Sophie Rees, Cally Trench, David Yates and Sian Harris herself.

The Great Purpose exhibition will be open to the public at the Arts Pavillion in Mile End Park from Thursday 16 October to Friday 31 October 2008. On Thursday 23 October, all UEL students and graduates are invited to an Alumni Creative Industries Networking Event, held as part of the exhibition. For further information, visit www.greatpurpose.co.uk.

For further details and photos contact Hana Esselink, Press Officer, University of East London, 020 8223 2194 / 07595 056 245

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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