An exhibition at The Masham on Linthorpe Road invites members of the pubic to take away their own piece of contemporary artwork created by ceramicist and artist Layla Khoo, without any money changing hands.
The exhibition, called Give/Receive features 216 handmade ceramic bricks – which take inspiration from both scoria blocks – made from the molten waste produced by the smelting of steel resulting from the area’s famed ironworks – and the tradition of commemorative ceramics from Middlesbrough potteries.
The 216 bricks were once in fact, 365 bricks when the exhibition first started in September – but since then 149 members of the public have taken one away in exchange for one day of their time donated to a local volunteer organisation.
Layla Khoo, the artist said: “I wanted to celebrate how businesses and individuals alike can give back to their own communities. Everyone who gives the gift of their time in exchange for a brick is directly supporting the voluntary organisations, community interest companies and charities dedicated to taking care of the communities of Middlesbrough. My hope is that all 365 pieces will be exchanged, meaning the artwork will result in one full year of volunteered time given back to worthwhile local causes.”
The local causes who have collectively already benefited from the exchanges made to date are:
- Nite Light CIC – an innovative digital pay forward service to support people who are homeless to have access to essentials such as meals, snacks, drinks, and hygiene bags.
- Community Champions Middlesbrough – a grassroots organisation that enables people across Middlesbrough get involved in volunteering with a range of activities for all ages and abilities.
- Women’s Street Watch Boro – a volunteer group who patrol the town centre between 10pm-2am each weekend to offer support or companionship to women who are alone, unwell, or experiencing unwanted attention on nights out.
The non-monetary exchange is recorded in a “Share Certificate” to acknowledge and archive the exchange, creating a permanent record of the artwork and the time donated for it. Give/Receive is free to view and is at The Masham on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough, a former pub and now a creative community hub managed by local arts organisation Navigator North as part of the Celebrating Hidden Middlesbrough project.
Vicky Holbrough, Director at Navigator North said, “Celebrating Hidden Middlesbrough is all about uncovering, exploring and celebrating the history of Middlesbrough in creative and collaborative ways. For that reason, The Masham was the perfect location for us. A longstanding favourite in the Middlesbrough community, it’s been such a pleasure to invite the people back into the building to see new exhibitions and artworks as well as artefacts from the past. Layla’s installation connects art and heritage and encourages people to give something back to local community causes through the act of giving.”
For more information on the exhibition and Celebrating Hidden Middlesbrough visit https://navigatornorth.co.uk. Give/Receive by Layla Khoo is at The Masham, Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough until Saturday 26 November 2022.
For those unable to give their time, there is an option to donate the equivalent monetary value of one day’s volunteer cost (£70) via an online payment which The Teesside Charity will administer.