ARC group
Encyclopedia
The ARC group formed in the early 1980s. Some members of the group met at the Slade School of Art while others were studying architecture
. All were interested in making site-specific
installation
works mostly with recycled
material, partially influenced by the DIY culture of groups such as the Mutoid Waste Company
. The ARC group occupied a number of buildings in the late 1980s in London, including 108 Drummond Street in Euston and Chumley Dene in Highgate. In the summer of 1990 the ARC group built a large timber ship inside a disused church in London's East End which was included in Michael Petry's influential book on installation art. Influenced heavily by the Dada
movement and Kurt Schwitters
' Merzbau, they were attempting to create a gesamtkunstwerk
.
The group exhibited in Milan
, Genoa
and Budapest
before disbanding in the winter of 1991.
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. All were interested in making site-specific
Site-specific
Site-specific is used in a range of contexts:In art Site-specific artIn molecular biology Site-specific recombination...
installation
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
works mostly with recycled
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
material, partially influenced by the DIY culture of groups such as the Mutoid Waste Company
Mutoid Waste Company
The Mutoid Waste Company was a performance arts group founded in the United Kingdom by Joe Rush and Robin Cooke in the early 1980s which continued until the 1990s, when it was based in Italy....
. The ARC group occupied a number of buildings in the late 1980s in London, including 108 Drummond Street in Euston and Chumley Dene in Highgate. In the summer of 1990 the ARC group built a large timber ship inside a disused church in London's East End which was included in Michael Petry's influential book on installation art. Influenced heavily by the Dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
movement and Kurt Schwitters
Kurt Schwitters
Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julius Schwitters was a German painter who was born in Hanover, Germany. Schwitters worked in several genres and media, including Dada, Constructivism, Surrealism, poetry, sound, painting, sculpture, graphic design, typography and what came to be known as...
' Merzbau, they were attempting to create a gesamtkunstwerk
Gesamtkunstwerk
A Gesamtkunstwerk is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so...
.
The group exhibited in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
and Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
before disbanding in the winter of 1991.
Members
Members of the ARC Group included:- Emma HolmesEmma HolmesEmma Holmes was a resident of South Carolina who kept a diary during the American Civil War. This document has since been published as The Diary of Miss Emma Holmes, 1861-1866 by the Louisiana University Press...
- Shahin Affrasiabi
- Gid LondonGideon London-Early Years:London was born on 18 March, 1961 in Hampstead, London, he studied Fine Art at Stourbridge College.-Career:He was a successful film maker and collage artist, in addition to being an ex-member of the ARC group, a London-based collective of international artists, influenced by Kurt...
- Lennie LeeLennie LeeLennie Lee is a South African conceptual artist who lives and works in London.-Life and career:Lennie Lee is a British artist born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He moved to the UK in 1960. He was educated at Dulwich college in London before winning a scholarship to study philosophy at Christ...
- David MilesDavid MilesDavid Miles is a British economist. He is a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London and former Chief UK Economist of Morgan Stanley...
- Klaus Ulrich
- Otonella MocellinOtonella MocellinOttonella Mocellin is an Italian photographer and video artist. She often works with text and her work includes sound installation, performance and site specific projects...
- Nicola PellegriniNicola PellegriniNicola Pellegrini is an artist, curator, and architect; a conceptual artist working with photography, installation and video....
- Joao Quintino
- Nicola Reece
- Andrew Stockwell
- Emanuelle Waeckerle