INTRODUCTION
The drawing exchange is a collaborative work brought to by Lady Lucy and Kayle Brandon.
The Drawing Exchange sets up situations where the amateur and the expert, the drawn and the drawer, a night out down the pub and a traditional drawing class, merge and loose their distinction. Drawing Exchange is not a drawing lesson and any member of the public regardless of drawing ability is weclomed to attend the only thing most welcomed enthusiasm and curiosity.
The drawing exchange began in 2005, the artists participated in Spike Island's Interpretation Group (An artist/curator research group). And out of this experience emerged 'The Drawing Exchange'. It began on the premise that they would instigate a Europe-wide drawing round robin, beginning with Lucy's drawings which were first passed onto Kayle to interpret.
More than the drawings themselves Kayle became interested in the process in which Lucy drew - she drew prolifically, publicly and was very open to people looking at the work; she was like a walking exhibit. Lucy's process was very different to Kayle's , which has notably been more of a private affair; drawings like paranoid secrets, Kayle would rarely offer people glimpses, and the drawing place was where she would go for solitude and away-ness.
From observing Lucy's drawing process an idea to twin her with an event called 'drawing you' emerged. Drawing exercise.s were created that played with her process and the structure of the event was public and social, taking place in the Bristol County Sports Club. Lady Stubbs came along to this and instigated a drawing swap at the end, which is now present at every exchange. On the surprise success and charisma of 'drawing you' a decision was made to scrap the round robin and the woman went on to make a series of exchanges at the social club, each with a different subject to orientate and each having relative drawing exercises, final viewing and swapping.
Drawing is as inherently unique as a fingerprint and the paper could be said to be as indiscriminate as a dance floor. Drawing serves many purposes, from the functional to the fantastical; the medium expands and contracts in levels of seriousness, application intention and service. Like a natural phenomenon drawing is often unwieldy and unleash able, the space remains as it as been for thousands of years, a rich territory where every drawer feels like the first explorer and alone with their choices; confronting the gulf between seeing and interpreting.
The exchange attempts to honour the many faces of the drawing realm. Bringing together artists with diverse practices and unique ways of channelling drawing. The events are open to all and the works produced will be gathered together for a final temporary exhibition and an exchange event were the drawing produced can be swapped and bartered for.