What does art look like when it engages with environmental, geographical, political and ethical considerations? An art of dissent, an art against the status quo. Does this kind of art use a unique way of communicating? And if so, what does it – or what could it – look like?

These questions have been spurred by the location and cultural history of Essex and East Anglia in the east of England, the setting of the 2024 Sluice expo. Colchester – from Boudica’s rebellion and the Peasants’ Revolt to Essex’s reputation as a hotbed for radical communes, religious reformers and utopian enclaves – has a rich history of dissent. This depiction of a contrarian people can also be applied to a creative mode at odds with the
status quo.

The 2024 Sluice expo centres on the idea of the vernacular, exploring how culture can emerge and adapt in reaction to various influences, whether structural or ethical. The expo is an opportunity for a loosely defined sector, encompassing artist-led initiatives, curator-led projects, collectives, non-profit organisations and galleries to converge.

This event showcases an often underrepresented aspect of the creative community to an inquisitive public. Its goal is to highlight the shared values within this dispersed community and to bolster its cohesion and strength.

COMPLETE LIST OF PARTICIPATING PROJECTS

Atlas House
Ipswich, UK
Adam Thompson, John Deeper and Carl Morton

How Everything Turns
London + Glasgow, UK
Sarah Wishart, Nicholas Middleton

TMLE
Munich, Germany + London , UK
Matthew Stock, Keh Ng

The Carousel Institute of Arts
Derbyshire, UK
Ben Roberts, Edd Roberts, Jonny Roberts, Sally Roberts

Basement Art Projects
Leeds, UK
Bruce Davies

Soft Radicle
Mexico City, Mexico + Manchester, UK
Niki Colclough, Perla Ramos

Return of Merrie England
London, UK
Giuseppe Marasco and Mike Quirke

Transition Projects
London, UK
Cathy Lomax, Jennifer Caroline Campbell

The Folly Building Workshop
London, UK
Charlie Hawksfield

Small Works Gallery
London, UK
Monica Perez Vega and Sylwia Narbutt

Division of Labour
Salford, UK
Daniel Pryde-Jarman, Nat Pitt

Working Spaces
Colchester, UK
Katrina Blannin, Moyra Derby, Catherine Ferguson, Della Gooden, Jo McGonigal

H_A_R_D_P_A_I_N_T_I_N_G
Brighton, UK
Ian Boutell, Philip Cole, Stig Evans and Patrick O’Donnell

studio1.1
London, UK
Keran James, Daniel Devlin

Hidden Garage
Bologna, Italy
Elisa Capucci and Edoardo Sessa and Luca Granato

Offsite Project
online + London, UK
Pita Arreola-Burns and Elliott Burns

Blackwater Polytechnic
Feering, UK
Ben Coode-Adams, Dr. Annabel Dover, Tristan Howe, Sara Impey, Dr. Alex Pearl, and Professor Freddie Robins

Vernacular Sounds
East Anglia, UK
Stuart Bowditch, Kate Mahoney,

there are no birds here

(Matt Shenton) and Kimbal Bumstead

The Art Station
Saxmundham, UK
Andrew Omoding, Feifan Hu, Daisy Collingridge

Original Projects
Great Yarmouth, UK
Kaavous Clayton and Julia Devonshire