Plus.... , , picmeupshuffle@gmail.com Pic Me Up - encourages connection, conversation and communication within a community. The pieces can be therapeutic, political or just playfully spontaneous. This project is developing alongside another one, both currently exploring how we interact within communities and neighbourhoods on the street and with each other, in relation to our phones. In time, Turn a penny productions will create a film ‘Status disconnected’ from the footage created during various picmeup’s. PicMeUp is passionate about encouraging Councils to see how other European cities treat artists and people living and working on the streets, including creating safe places for people to spend time where they are not forced to live on the streets, as well as proper healing spaces for people who experience burn out or mental distress. Any Picmeup related ideas or submissions are always welcomed as the project is interested in drawing attention to litter related problems wherever they are! Either send it as an instant message
to m.me/picmeupShuffle
Or email us at picmeupshuffle@gmail.com
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The Picmeup project was initiated from an idea of using found materials - both litter and natural objects. It has taken new directions and forms when Penny, a Sneinton Artist and filmmaker, has been in extreme situations and needed an outlet for expression. From its early roots during a 4 month hospital admission in 1994 where recycled bodies were created on a hospital bed, to a traumatic incident up at Sneinton Mounts. This led the Artist to retreat to France and develop by creating more playful images from found objects in collaboration with other villagers at a small picnic spot. ‘ creations’ picnic-me-up
In April 2016, Love at Sneinton Mounts, was created by a group of friends and Smiles germinated as a response to the amount of litter on the streets. Each smile was photographed and left in-situ for passers by to either 'add' to, appreciate, clear up or ignore. Some of these faces drew particular attention to items such as cotton buds, tooth flossers or the amount of discarded blue Coral pens. The faces spread from Nottingham to Alfreton then Sheffield and London as ideas were experimented with a changing landscape of found items. In July 2016, Me was created for a submission to the Street Art festival at Surface Gallery. Litter was picked during the journey on the day of submission. An image was created in situ and gallery visitors were invited to shuffle up the litter image at the gallery, then take a picture and then share on social media. This was created as an experiment taking the idea of the collaborative picmeup’s created in Caunes Minervois, France and seeing how this could develop as an idea within a city gallery setting. Later in July 2016, a picmeup ‘ ’ game was developed for Sneinton Street Art festival whereby we cleaned the site of glass and debris in advance of the graffiti artists descending and invited people to participate in an activity which had both educational and fun elements. This game was developed to draw attention to the need for recycling bins at Sneinton Market and resulted in us leaving a display of items with chalked messages for the Council and passersby. Other chalking picmeups developed around Sneinton showing problems on the street such as holes in pavements etc and chalking was suggested to children that the Artist came across as an alternative to screen and gadget based games, such as Pokemon Go! Also, in July 2016 Picmeup took to a Welsh beach and created a heart shaped face from clearing up one section of beach near Ynyslas and also creating some litter people in the small village of Treflygyws near an abandoned building and by the recycling centres where waste does not always actually make it into the bins! In August and September 2016, Picmeup developed in new directions within hospital surroundings and new themes emerged using more chalks, cigarette butts and recycled food and drinks bottles and cigarette wrappers. Some themes were based in response to the smoking ban at Nottingham’s hospitals and parking issue. In October 2016, for part of Nottingham’s Mental Health Awareness week, Picmeup ‘Mind Fall’ returned to the Sneinton Market Site, suggesting using chalk images some of the places where recycling bins could be located and enjoyed singing Dave’s picmeup song en route from Sobar to Sneinton Market. Over winter 2016/17 picmeup's slowed down but then in Spring 2017 picmeup’s appeared in Barcelona en route back to Caunes Minervois, France. Picmeup comprises of various collaborators contributing at different times who have helped to develop various project ideas, maintain this page and document creations.
