A Gift, 2018 13:20 min. HDV 16:9 Stereo Looped.
A Gift (Jorge’s Workshop), 2018 04:48min. HDV 16:9 Stereo Looped.
A Gift (Jorge’s Outfits), 2018 01:55min. HDV 16:9 Stereo Looped.
A Gift (Shop Conversations), 2018 07:23, sound, stereo, looped.
During the Spring and Summer of 2018 Artist Albert Potrony worked with the volunteers at the Mencap Charity Shop in St Leonards on Sea. They shared stories around the importance of charity shops to the local community, their value in the current economic climate, experiences of volunteering and their love of a bargain.
Alongside the conversations, the volunteers selected donated objects that they found intriguing, inspiring or that made them laugh. Clairvoyants Michelle Hawcroft and Carol Robb were then invited to use their particular gift to read the past lives behind the objects.
The result of these shared moments is an installation of video and sound fragments that were scattered and tucked away within the shop. The work is a subtle homage to the individuals that help make charity shops a viable alternative to commercial retail and to the lives of people whose discarded objects find a temporary home in the space.
A GIFT has been commissioned by Quiet Down There for the Shopkeepers of the World project. The installation was part of the Coastal Currents Festival 2018.
Links:
Shopkeepers of the World
www.quietdownthere.co.uk/shopkeepers
www.quietdownthere.co.uk/blogs