Gallery opening

PRESS RELEASE October 2012 for immediate release: 15/10/12

Another art form for Half Moon as the young people’s theatre reopens after refurbishment with a brand new art gallery Opens 3rd of November Admission free for all the family Half Moon have created another exciting opportunity to provide further support to the community by inviting local artists to showcase work in their new gallery. Developed as part of their Capital Refurbishment Project the art will be displayed on a rotating basis within the venue and will be available for purchase. Half Moon is welcoming people in the community to have a look for themselves for free.

The first artist to debut in Half Moon’s gallery from Nov 2012 and Jan 2012 will be John Bunker with his exhibition ‘Vital Signs’, a mix of collages and paintings. John is a Visual Artist based in Stepney, London. John said of his work, “I don’t make art about Stepney but I put objects and materials I find on the streets of my neighbourhood into my abstract paintings.” He also added, "Half Moon's new gallery is a great opportunity for local visual artists to show their work to a whole new audience, both young and old - or to anyone who's up for some creative adventure!"

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The exhibition will be open Mon – Fri 10am to 6pm, Sat 10am to 4pm, closed 23 Dec to 7 Jan The gallery will be in Half Moon’s refurbished venue at 43 White Horse Road, London E1 OND For more information about the new gallery or Half Moon’s upcoming season of shows please call 020 7709 8900 or go online at www.halfmoon.org.uk

Half Moon’s Director Chris Elwell said of his new addition to the theatre, “We are delighted that our refurbished foyer enables us to show work by artists who live or work in Tower Hamlets. As we are a specialist venue for young people all the work will be family friendly and there will be blackboards underneath the exhibition areas which will allow young people to create their own responses to the work.”

Further information About Half Moon Half Moon is a local organisation with a national remit, committed to supporting artists and young people at every stage of their creative development. Working from our base in East London we specialise in new writing and art form development, acting as a gateway organisation that provides pathways for progression and experimentation. Our wide-ranging programme reaches 27,500 people annually and engages those who are often excluded from arts activity. Our activity includes a season of professional plays for young audiences, national touring productions and an extensive

creative learning programme, including five youth theatres. We are a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England and receive regular funding from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

<Ends> Notes to Editors Further information on John’s exhibition: ‘We might immediately associate the title Vital Signs with a paramedic diagnosing an unconscious patient at the scene of an accident; or maybe a scientist poring over the data being sent from a probe on a distant planet. A robotic hand sifting through the shards of alien rock and debris looking for those tiny indications that life exists or has existed beyond our own world. It is this idea of urgent collecting and sifting that permeates the abstract collages and paintings of John Bunker.

For this show Bunker brings the traditional materials of painting into new relationships with the objects and discarded debris he collects from the streets. He then closes them behind glass into old frames, the original homes of battered prints and reproductions. Using their sun bleached and damp stained backings as a 'canvas' on which to work he cannibalises all the tricks of artful display.

Upturning mounts and decorative borders, utilising the awkward colours of backing card to create an uncanny abstract space- playful yet probing. At once, full of the rejected, unwanted and dirty these pieces seem to harbour the potential for unpredictable transformations. They are a celebration of collage’s inherently visual, elusive, playful and protean nature.’

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Please get in touch for further pictures of John’s work John Bunker and Half Moon’s Director Chris Elwell are available for interviews

Last year Half Moon:   

Worked with 17,000 young people Ran 5 weekly drama groups for children and young people Presented shows by over 20 of the best Theatre companies in the UK

Ways to support Half Moon: Donate securely online – www.halfmoon.org.uk by phone: 020 7709 8900 Text us on MOON43 £10 to 70070 ___________________________________________________________________________ For Press enquiries please contact: Jackie Eley Administrative Director Half Moon - 43 White Horse Road, London, E1 OND Email: jackie@halfmoon.org.uk Tel: 020 7709 8903 W: www.halfmoon.org.uk Box office: 020 7709 8900 Facebook: facebook.com/halfmoontheatre Twitter: @halfmoontheatre