We’re in a mood for a celebration as we have been busy formulating plans with Tate Collectives for Underage Festival and they are coming along swimmingly!

Last years festival was a sight to behold with blind-folded drawing, guerrilla gardening, badge making and a mini Great British Art Debate…Check out the video below to get a feel for the day!

With last years Underage Festival being such a success, we’ve had to start planning early to invent the next round of innovative workshops, interventions and displays to make this years event even more special. As a teaser we thought that we would share an interviews with a Tate Collectives member who has been working hard to make sure the magic happens.

Last week we caught up with Corinne, to get the inside story:

Q: What have your idea’s for activities at Underage Festival been?

My own contribution to the event was the idea of maybe including a ‘field’ for Underage Festival, using Gormley’s famous ‘Field for the British Isles’ as a basis for this, we would ask the makers to produce a clay object or symbol that represents Britain for them personally. This ‘field’ of items would build up over the festival weekend to create an installation of hundreds of hand-made, personal sculptures.

If this particular workshop were not to go ahead, the idea still sparked off a running theme of craft related workshops, that saw Tate Collective researching iconic British images; such as the pearly kings and queens of London, leading to discussions of identity, fashion statements and ultimately, an adornment workshop where festival goers can decorate an item of clothing in their own style and wear it as a statement piece!

Q: What other creative ideas have been sparked from Tate Collectives examination of Britishness and British Art?

Other workshop ideas included the possibility of using the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ posters to ask festival goers, ‘what would your ideal poster say?’ There may also be the opportunity to change the Union Jack through a mosaic making workshop inspired by street artist Invader or create a self-portrait through collaging famous Young British Artist’s (YBAs) works of art, would you wear Lucas’ fried eggs or cover yourself in Hirst’s butterflies?

Whatever happens, the Tate tent at Underage will be an exciting hub of creativity and will give everyone the opportunity to become a new YBA!

This years Tate Collectives activities will be accompanied by The Great British Art Debate leading an investigation into the intersection between art, the self, history and politics.

Let us know if your planning to be there or your responses to our festival question, ‘How can art address questions of identity and belonging?’