All things slightly beautiful at exhibition

Members of the public are being asked to say what is beautiful to them as part of an exhibition at Bridport Arts Centre.

The centre’s Allsop Gallery is set to host an interactive visual arts project called What Is Beautiful? aiming to engage people who might not normally have any interest in visual art and galleries, or feel excluded from this environment.

The project will include workshops, an exhibition, and a chance for the public to submit their own responses and ideas about beauty.

It could be anything at all you find beautiful. It may be the way the light shines on a wet road, or the shape of the hills, or just the way someone you love smiles. Or for some people it may raise the question of physical beauty, ageing, interior and exterior beauty. What does beauty mean to the individual?

Responses can be in any form, such as painting, drawing, poem, photograph or just an object which the person finds beautiful and perhaps has special memories. Or it can just be the person’s thoughts about beauty.

The exhibition will feature modern and historical reproductions, including well-known and

“accessible” art and more contentious and “challenging” art, such as Rothko’s colour block paintings and Martin Creed’s Work No.227: The Lights Going On And Off, which won the Turner Prize in 2000. Each piece will include a questionnaire so visitors to the gallery can add their thoughts. The workshops include Jo Burlington from Oops Wow Messy Art and Eddie and Milla from Falling Upwards Creations, who will be leading a comicmaking workshop.

Artist Peter Margerum will be helping people build sculptures from beach and household waste, as well as plastic, wood and everyday items. The artwork produced from the workshops will also be exhibited in the Allsop Gallery as part of the project.

What Is Beautiful will open from August 28 to September 30. To contribute, email exhibitions@bridportarts.com and include your name and a brief description OR upload to social media, using the hashtags #whatisbeautiful and #bridportarts. For more information email exhibitions@ bridport-arts.com or visit bridport-arts.com/event/ what-is-beautiful