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COBALT STUDIOS’ EVERYDAY ART FOR EXTRAORDINARY TIMES COBALT STUDIOS’ KATE HODGKINSON TALKS ABOUT THEIR EVERYDAY ART FOR EXTRAORDINARY TIMES PROJECT, AND THE WORK WHICH DOCUMENTED A POIGNANT VISUAL MEMORY OF A HISTORICAL MOMENT IN TIME The idea behind Everyday Art for Extraordinary Times was to create an archive of everybody’s everyday art during lockdown. We wanted to capture the breadth of the creative work that everybody was using their extra time to produce, in many ways it felt like the whole world had a moment for pause and for many people creativity seemed to be a very human instinct to fill the time and find a way to express important stuff. It gave a real window into the world of many people’s different experiences of lockdown and created visual memory of a very specific historical moment in time. It also gave people a chance to feel connected to a project and for their creative endeavour to have a platform whatever their background – if it mattered to somebody enough for them to create it then it mattered to us too. The response was incredibly broad, ranging from technical animation explorations to a kitchen ballet and somebody who made a kind of floor plan piece of art of his flat and lots of people who documented daily walks. It was real mix of people, some making a living from art, some hobbyists, a lad doing his GCSEs, and in some cases it felt as though submitting visual art to a project might be an entirely new experience. I loved the dancer who did a sequence of dances around a chair in her small backyard, and the single mum at home with two small kids who was still finding time to make photographic images. We are making a limited edition book, as a thank you to all contributors and there will be some spare. As for Cobalt, our creation of a co-working space continues, and we are also creating additional studios and a small outdoor venue area (subject to planning and licensing) – as Covid continues, these plans are strategic in terms of sustainability and survival. There will be music, arts learning and lots of other creative interactive stuff in some shape or form. We’ve got to keep believing that somehow or some way there will be dancing at some point not too far away! www.cobaltstudios.co.uk
SQUARMS: VARIOUS
There’s a couple of artists who’ve left big impressions on us during 2020, one being John Dole. The amount of absolute gold he has hidden on hard drives away from ears is genuinely mind-blowing and we feel super excited for him to share some of it during the coming year. His latest releases Rolling and Moving showcase his soulful skills of production and songwriting. Another we have to mention is Psydove, who we did a lockdown gig with, the band bring some incredible song writing and visceral psychedelic pop vibes with crazy keyboard solos and melodies that will stick in your head for decades. Last but definitely not least, we recently we did a livestream with Me Lost Me which left us melting in some kind of ancestral dream-space due to Jayne’s haunting and blissful lyrics and unique, experimental electronic production; the pure expression of an artist who knows their roots. Go check. www.squarms.co.uk / www.soundcloud. com/johndole / www.facebook.com/ psydovelove / www.melostme.com
AKO – HOLY BRAILLE
I’ve been lucky enough to hear the stuff they’ve got in the pipeline and it’s absolutely RAD! I’m just a big fan of what they do in general and I really vibe what Elliot does with synths (not to mention Steph’s amazing vocals). Plus they’re quite unique on the local scene, there’s no one quite like them, especially live. www.facebook.com/akonewcastle / www. holybraille.bandcamp.com
NEL UNLIT: CEILING DEMONS
We are obsessed with Ceiling Demons. From the first time we saw them a few years ago at Stockton Calling, we were hooked. Art rap with live instrumentation, power in their words and passion in their performance (not to mention sampling A Silver Mt Zion). They have managed to flip traumatic experiences into a positive message and they live by their words! We were lucky enough to work with them this year on a single and we can not wait for their second album next year! www.nelunlit.wordpress.com / www. ceilingdemons.bandcamp.com
PAVE THE JUNGLE: ONLOOKER
One local band we discovered in 2020 as a result of them blowing our heads off just before lockdown #1 is Onlooker. They came from Teesside and dished out their frantic, garage-y post-punk to a sold out Little Buildings (for the Fast Blood EP launch). It was heavy duty! It was our happy place. 10/10 would recommend. www.pavethejungle.com / www. onlookertheband.bandcamp.com
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