Launching Design week in September 2008, ‘Nothing Works,’ inspired by the work of the same name by Gordon Matta-Clark, was held at Shoreditch Town Hall, where cross-discipline visual artists harnessed the architectural space of the building’s maze like basement as a blank canvas for their individual installations. The bleakness of the surroundings were enriched with pieces that where to respond to exactly that. In a playful and provocative approach, Delphine’s happy slogans were given new form and attached to striking red balloons that not only filled the space, but created a sense of hope and freedom from the obvious architectural confines. In contrast to the balloons, striking and memorable billboard posters greeted visitors at the entrance of the exhibition, where each were encouraged to divulge their own personal take on the origins of modern social decay in pen. ‘Nothing works because…’ (an extrapolation of Matta-Clark’s work to drive engagement on the topic), provided a forum to speak out, whist the twist on a childhood floating favourite, took the role of uplifting spirits perhaps brought down by the companion piece.
Curators: Michael Czerwinski, Amanprit Sandhu
