'going Going Gone'

Kelly Blyth, Anthony Carr, Paul Denton, Kate Parrott, Emma Wilde, Simon Wright and Clive Caswell are seven artists linked by the fact that they are all employees of Milton Keynes Gallery, where they are mainly concerned with the installation of other artists work. This is the first time that they have worked together as a group of artists in their own right.

They were recently offered the opportunity to produce an exhibition in the abandoned offices above the ICETWICE Gallery in Olney.

ICETWICE is an intriguing, innovative and entertaining contemporary commercial art gallery about 15 minutes from Central Milton Keynes in the heart of Olney. The gallery is minimalist and functional, but very welcoming. It's all very modern, white walls and ceilings, black rubber floors, dramatic tungsten halogen lighting.

ICETWICE opened in November 2005 and is already expanding into much larger spaces next door and upstairs. The upstairs space was an abandoned office and the seven artists, taking up a suggestion made by Michael Stanley, Director of MKG, investigated and utilised the spaces, the furniture, stationery equipment and all manner of other matter to create a series of fascinating and ephemeral artworks.

Used to producing paintings, sculptures, and photographs, the opportunity enabled the seven to work in a completely different and exciting way.

The series of installations, entitled 'Going Going Gone' was unveiled at a private show on Friday May 12th, and in fact BBC Three Counties Radio covered the whole event live from the gallery.

In conjunction with Freecycle.org, many of the pieces used to create the artworks were then advertised and made available for people to collect once the exhibition had ended. The redundant office furniture for a brief time became artworks, before they in turn were given new homes and a renewed sense of purpose.

The Freecycle network was started in May 2003 to promote waste reduction in
Tucson, Arizona, to help save desert landscape from being taken over by landfills, but Freecycle.org is now made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely not-for-profit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer.

Membership is free.
How does it work?
When you want to find a new home for something -- whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door -- you simply send an e-mail offering it to members of the local Freecycle group. Milton Keynes now has nearly 2,000 members!

Or, maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself. Simply respond to a member's offer, and you just might get it. After that, it's up to the giver to decide who receives the gift and to set up a pickup time for passing on the treasure.

The main rule: Everything posted must be free, legal, and appropriate for all ages.
To sign up, find your community by visiting www.freecycle.org

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