Inspired by Nature

 

An Exhibition in collaboration with the Wivenhoe Open Gardens - Friday 15th to Sunday 17th May 2025

11am-5pm every day

Buy your tickets for Open Gardens at

Old Grocery - £5 each (Cash only please).

 

 

 

 

The Blackwater Polytechnic is an exhibiting collective and informal educational establishment based in North Essex. It began when artists Ben Coode-Adams and Freddie Robins started converting a sixteenth century timber framed barn to live and work in. There was a need to retrain in order to be able to complete the project as envisioned, so the Polytechnic was born. The Polytechnic combines construction, farming, forestry, art, craft and collecting with a strong focus on the local and collaboration. We believe that people are only interesting in conversation with each other.

Blackwater Polytechnic has been self-sufficient and self-sustaining since its inception. We have established our own rigorous theoretical aesthetic framework based on expediency, matter-of-factness, substance and a gung-ho ‘let’s get this party started’ attitude. We think it is interesting and new. We equate quality with hard work, attention to detail, very fine sanding and beautiful knitting.

We are strongly rooted in our locale. Essex is a county with a rich Utopian history. People come here to make things better. Successions of pioneers have built their own dreams on the margins of everything. Here people respect fiercely each other’s right to an individual vision. We do our own thing and come together over shared kinship, and dirt, shooting, horses, cars, and bikes, heels, short skirts, fish pedicures, ale, and giant car-boot sales. We may look a bit like you. We are not you.

The Blackwater Polytechnic

10 June – 22 June

10am to 5:00 pm everyday

Phil Davis opens the show with three things which can improve your art-work: Risk Taking, Breaking the Habit and Liberation.

Phil a self confessed flaneur and Conspirator, author of ‘Damage in Art’ and ’Sensational  Tales’ will be giving homage to the Ford Capri, ’The Car You Always Promised Yourself’.

Phil will also be analysing the painting by Wivenhoe artist Roy Cross, ’The Girl With the Red Dress’. Exploring the world of Pop Art through Derek Boshier’s iconic ’Sex War Sex Cars Sex’ in collaboration with poet Christopher Logue, 1968. Discussing Graham Coxon’s (Blur) ‘Cantabile’.

 

Joe Lichtenstein: Artist, Theatre Director, Animator, Polymath and Conspirator. Currently, U.K. Tour Director for ’The Spy Who

Came in From the Cold’. Joe’s showing some rare collectable paintings - so it’s a great opportunity to invest now! Joe leads the new young post Brit artists, his work hangs globally.

 

Paul Warren: Maverick Designer, Artist, Croft Builder, Cultural Survivalist, Jazz Musician and Conspirator. Paul will be showing work using ‘Roof Lead’. Herculean, groundbreaking pieces

that could be seen in a Greek mythological play. Pauls’s work goes beyond digital, pokes fun at AI. He will also be talking  about his search for freedom.

 

Phil Davis, Curator

‘CONSPIRATORS’ Exhibition

               

              23 June – 29 June

10am to 5:00 pm everyday

 

 

Three CONSPIRATORS showing their work at The Old Grocery Wivenhoe are:

Phil Davis, Paul Warren and Joe Lichtenstein