Ingleside Arts Festival

This Bank Holiday soak up some sun and get a culture fix all at once. The first Ingleside Arts Festival takes place at the charming Ingleside Cottage and Barn in Oxfordshire. We caught up with its founder, curator and artist Alexis Soul- Gray and found out why contemporary art is just as at home with cows and fields as it is in London's East End.

What inspired you to organise the Ingleside Arts Festival?
I think the inspiration came partly from attending other small festivals that encourage a wider participation by breaking down barriers that are sometimes in place in more traditional public spaces that showcase art, music, dance and literature. I went to Port Eliot Literary Festival a few years ago and the positive experience has stayed with me and I thought it would be an interesting opportunity to build a festival feel around what is essentially a group show. I don't have a huge stately home like Port Eliot or acres of land but the cottage and barn this show occupies has a special spirit that deserves equal celebration. 

Why is it the first, and also the last one?
I wish it had happened many times already and in different spaces! In the early days of preparing promotional material for the show we claimed that this would be the 'first and last'..it is certainly the first and definitely the last at 'Ingleside' as the whole site is due to be demolished. The cottage and barn are in desperate need of renovation but the village feel passionate about 'Mrs Elliots old house' (she and her husband and five children lived here for 50 years and it was the old post office for 25 years) so perhaps I shall be here a little longer than first predicted...
I would love to do the Arts festival again and particularly I would like to find other domestic spaces due for demolishment that would make for a challenging and inspiring temporary exhibition space. My own practice is concerned with ideas of 'the memorial' and questioning its worth/meaning...and in some ways the act of transforming spaces at the end of their life for just a fleeting period relates directly to the concepts that drive me..and therefore the curation of such an event could be seen as a performance piece in itself.

How did you choose the artists to participate?
I had been a London based artist up until 2009 ever since I left home at 18 to attend Central Saint Martins College in 1999. In those 11 years I have naturally met and worked with many artists and formed professional links through them. The selection of artists was made by recognising not only whose practice I believed in but also those who share a common belief in breaking through barriers and doing things independently without worrying about art fashions and trends.

What do they have in common?
Enthusiasm, talent and dedication to their practice. Although many of the artists have enjoyed significant successes including major arts award prizes, international solo shows and places at The RCA and Royal Academy schools..we are all in some way still finding our grounding with our individual practice and how we fit into the wider art world. Aesthetically and conceptually there are many co-current concerns and bringing ourselves together in this way makes us stronger and I for one am learning so much about my own practice by being close to others works.

Was it difficult to get the Festival off the ground?
Ha Ha, this is a funny question because if I had tried to get this 'off the ground' as it is now it would never have been allowed I'm sure. Luckily I haven't been too cheeky because initially it was to be a 2-3 woman 'open studio' show. Permission was given to me by my landlord for this but at this time it was imagined that maybe 8-10 works would be put up in the workshop...so when he turned up three weeks ago to find his new carpets gone, huge vats of white emulsion flying around frantically and his whole house transformed he was in for a surprise…luckily we have his full support and local villagers/farmers have given bits of fields for some people to camp for free.

What do you think will be the next ' art movement'? What are young artists pre-occupied with right now?
I think young artists are tired of 'art movements', having to fit into or somehow mould themselves and their work to please others..especially commercial galleries who are very often too controlling and can misunderstand art works and the artists. But also art institutions themselves are quite often not open enough to allow every artist to grow to their potential without overly influencing towards a particular aesthetic or conceptual pedagogy.

As an artist yourself, do you think festivals like this are important?
 I do believe that festivals that promote creativity are wonderful and small events can be of huge benefit to their local community. I am the current artist in residence at Chenderit School which is a visual arts college and many of the teachers and students will be coming along with I hope huge numbers of local residents. It is rare to be able to see a show of this kind outside london or other major cultural cities and I would strongly support any venture that encouraged creative activities no matter how small or sporadic they may be. It's about bringing people together, sharing art with a wider community not just trendy East End types! Many of us are from East London but temporarily we are in a cottage surrounded by fields, sheep and cows..and this is a special thing.

Is the UK art world too London-centric?
I think so yes. It's surprised me that since leaving the East End of London to do this year long residency (I was living in the old peanut factory in an artist filled warehouse in Hackney Wick) I have communicated better with other artists and I have been more selective about the shows I see in London. This has been great because sometimes London and its private view culture..especially 'first thursdays' can be overwhelming and a deterrent from visiting contemporary gallery spaces.

What next for you as an artist?
On Saturday the 29th May when this show opens I will have just a touch over five weeks till my solo show opens at the fabulous gallery space the school is lucky enough to have as part of their Arts College status. The show is called 'I'll play the harp for you when you die' and opens on Monday 5th July. Beyond that..Im not quite sure..and thats the way I like it.

Ingleside Arts Festival,Ingleside Cottage & Barn, Banbury Road, North Newington, Oxfordshire OX15 6AB. May 28th - June 3rd 10am - 8pm, www.inglesideartsfestival.co.uk