The Roadside Museum: News and Information

The Roadside Museum is an experimental project for artists with a critical interest in fast forwarding the ageing process of their work through biological and chemical decay and for those wishing to submit their work to this process.

The artists selected for the project are:

Sarah Carne, Graham Dunning, Barbara Ekström, Stig Evans, Veronika Lukasova, Fred Martin, Samira Shafiei Nejad, Riitta Oittinen, Raksha Patel, Topp & Dubio, Peter Trukenbrod, Alana Tyson and Chris Wood.

Between 24-27 May, in partnership with Pool Hey Farm (West Lancashire), artworks were buried unprotected in a field at a depth of up to 6 feet; for the next 12 months they will be subjected to the elements and developed from the process of interment. 

The site was chosen due to its location in a high water table with acidic soil which will accelerate the degradation process. The field in question is low input grassland grazed by livestock and has been permanent pasture for 15 years. Works will remain in the ground for the entire time whilst the above and surrounding land continues to be farmed.

The project allows for a range of media to be considered in relation to the progression of time and decomposition whilst providing insight into the interaction between art and ecology and unique documentation of the West Lancashire region.

Please email any queries to John O'Hare and Gordon Culshaw at freespaceprojects@gmail.com.

In June 2014, works will be unearthed, documented and in some cases returned to artists to develop further. A public exhibition of the works will then be staged with the aim of reflecting the impact of environmental degradation on the works. 

Documentation and updates will follow.

Pool Hey Farm

Pool Hey Farm, January 2013