Exhibiting artists: Zoe Douglas-Cain, Toby Bradshaw, Anna Bradshaw, Alice Bradshaw, Hattie Salisbury, Susan Plover, Anne Murphy, Sunandra Shah, Bobby Thompson, Kala Shah, Sarah Keeping, Victoria Shone, Roy Jongeling, Louisa Helen Johnson, Alban Low, Rosemary Ashton, Lorna Jewitt, Monique Martin, Jessica Russo Scherr, Kremena Dimitrova, Krystyna Spink, Sarah Wells, Lucy Simm, Martha Ross-Parry, Barbara Schneider, Jennifer Curtis, Yaroslava Kellermann, Analysis Miljkovacana, Astrid G, Aimee Woodhead, Lindsey Kemp, Jonathon Beaver
Buttons, buttons and more buttons. Each button in our collection has been carefully selected by the contributor to represent themselves or another person and has been labelled with their story in various imaginative and creative ways.
First invented as a form of decoration for clothing, buttons evolved over the years into something much more, and at one point they were the only thing keeping our modesty and clothing together. Nowadays, buttons can be anything from functional to decorative and not limited to the realms of fashion.
From Bakelite, to bling, to bone and any combination in between, these buttons may be found on the street, under the sofa, in a sewing tin, in a charity shop, in a pocket, the spare button off a favourite garment reminiscent of halcyon days.
Our choices of buttons may say something about us as individuals but also buttons may be a physical representation of memories, thoughts and feelings or moments in life. These may be difficult times or painful memories or symbolic of happier times. A button may come to symbolise a literal 'keeping it together'.
Button It brings together a collection of buttons from a wide range of local and international artists with a story to tell in the form of visual art, written prose or a combination or the two.
Curated by Alice Bradshaw & Vanessa Haley.
Contact email: avavprojects@yahoo.co.uk
Website: https://buttonitstories.wordpress.com/
Launched in 2018 at CraftLocker, Elland, Button It is a touring and growing exhibition.
Alice and Vanessa are independent artists and curators have been co-curating exhibitions and festivals together since 2010. Previous projects include: Warehouse Weekend, Huddersfield; The University of Incidental Knowledge http://universityincidentalknowledge.wordpress.com/ , Holmfirth Arts Festival 2011/12, Postscript for Hannah Festival https://postscriptedpostcards.wordpress.com/ and Soundstripes https://www.facebook.com/Soundstripes/
