This year the Axis Festival put the visual arts to the forefront of the city. It has chosen to do this by bringing the art to the public by making it visible within the city centre through number of key venues and locations. The project will bring the best of regional and national artists to celebrate the live of a new city and festival. It’s programme includes a range of Contemporary Art displays within the city from the 18th April to 4th May. This is been delivered by AirSpace gallery, who have selected works of art focused around the broad theme of Place, Movement and Sound. AirSpace asked artists to think about how the work can sit in different environments and how it operates within a festival context.

Artists Stuart Porter and Liz Wroe have used a jacket that was lovingly worn to many years of music gigs as the basis of their work by exploring the music through nostalgia and promotion.  Alex Pearl’s will be making a film by using number of rickety automata that will play the part of actors and unpredictable camera operators, capturing the forms and sound of the festival. Louise Dawson’s Urban Landscapes captures the visual vibrancy of the festival atmosphere, whilst simultaneously offering a peaceful and contemplative sanctuary away from the highly energised environment. 
The contemporary art displays will be shown throughout a number of key venues within the city, which include Fat Cats, Dazed, Infinities, The Sugarmill and AirSpace Gallery and key partners including Staffordshie University, Creationism, Junction 15 and Soul Monkey. See below for more details.

AirSpace have asked us to thank Ian Brown and Steve Boyd for their relentless effect in making art happen within the City, Rachel Rimmer forever pushing the boundaries of Music and Art, Drew Sanger for giving us new perspectives,  both the Steve’s for being great hosts, Patrick and the Infinities team for their willingness and beautiful shop, Jean Ball for moving the city forward and Sara and Phil for making all this happen. And our pets for showing us how easy life can be.
 
Events, Exhibitions, Music, Screening and performances:

Fat Cats  27th April, 3pm Free Entry
Title: Creationism
What: Music and Art
Music: Donovan Wrench, Subrosa, Tom Harley of Spectrum Fires, MS Thomason
Rachel Rimmer
Film: Short Films by Junction 15
Artwork: Anwyl Willis Copper, Pete Smith, Joseph Booker, Darren Washington, David Knowles

Dazed 3rd May,   2pm Free Entry
Title: Dazed
What:  Live Music by Mauskramp and live artwork by Lindsey Cotterill
Plus: Special performance

AirSpace Gallery, 18th April – 4th May (Tues – Sat 11am – 5pm) Free Entry
Title: There and Then
What: An Exhibition that explores a sense of loss through nostalgia and idealism
Artists: Stuart Porter and Liz Wroe, Matthew Hahn and Alex Pearl, David Knowles,

AirWindow , 18th April – 4thMay Free Entry
Title: ‘is any one listening ………’
What: explores communications in our daily lives and our lack of ability to be able to hear what is being said.
Artist: Karen Boulton

Victoria Hall,  30th April Evening
Title: AirVideo
What: A screening of films exploring movement, urban landscapes, and childhood memories
Artists: Louise Dawson, Chris Wright, Katie Shipley, Rob Pointon, and Julie Gould

Infinities 1st -3rd May 8pm -10pm
Title: Tetris
What: “Tetris” demonstrates the constant need to renew urban environments, and the exact same repeated action of adding and subtracting elements of the built environment
Artists: Andrew Branscombe and David Bethell

The Sugarmil, Launch of the Axis Festival 23rd April
Title:  The ‘Wall’
What:  Wallpaper that explores retro movements in music, fashion and sub culture.
Artists: Kate Lynch

Town Centre 1st -4th May
Title: Hide and Seek
What: Intervention in and around the city centre
Artist: Liz Wroe and Stuart Porter, Helen Thompstone, Michael Horsnell, Rebecca Huxley, Anna Francis,