Aid & Abet

We had quest speakers Sarah Evans and CJ Mahony from Aid & Abet (an artist run space in Cambridge). 
Aid & Abet is an artist-led contemporary art space.  It was co-founded by Sarah Evans, David Kefford and CJ Mahony in 2009 and is based in a large warehouse near the railway station in Cambridge.

Aid & Abet supports artists to experiment, take risks and innovate as well as collaborate, engage and network. Aid & Abet is a production and presentation site for contemporary art that combines work, project, gallery and performance space allowing audiences and participants to engage with cross-disciplinary practises in both creative and critical ways.

Aid & Abet is part of the CB1 programme for public art in Cambridge’s new City quarter near the Station Road area and is supported by Commissions East, Brookgate and Hill Residential.

Aid & Abet have artists work from all over the UK, whose artworks have started to be installed across the site.

CB1 have commissioned four artists to make work: David Ward, Antoni Malinowski, Jem Finer and Dryden Goodwin.

David Ward's instillation was a temporary art piece, installed in 2011. It was two films, projected one above the other, simultaneously record the elaborate traceries of King's College Chapel's fan-vault ceiling. The piece, titled The Analysis Of Beauty, is typical of David Ward's muted yet monumental instillations.

Antoni Malinowski's instillation is a permanent piece. He attached small pieces of glass to the wall of the Aid & Abet building. This piece is very subtle, people often walk by without even noticing that the installation is there, until the light catches the pieces of glass. Malinowski is very interested in light and movement which are two key elements to this installation. Antoni has identified the overwhelming characteristics of Cambridge as the medieval rhythms of the Gothic architecture and the micro- rhythms woven into the architectural details which energize and animate the larger rhythms of brick and stone.

Jem Finer's installation is in the process of developing a new artwork for Cambridge CB1 station area

entitled Supercomputer as part of the programme for public art. Supercomputer is a functioning computer made from a series of pipes, it will be enclosed in a glass fronted pavilion, similar to the mainframe computers of the 1970’s. Supercomputer will be designed to play pitched percussive instruments incorporated in the structure, in effect turning the computer into a composing calculator creating new compositions over a 179 year period. The sounds generated by the sculpture will be relayed through a speaker system incorporated in the pavilion’s structure, which will be activated at certain points of the day.

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Dryden Goodwin's work is to be installed in 20--. 'Wander' consists of 100 etched steel plates laid into the paving. Inspired by a series of drawings collected by the artist round Cambridge. 
The dispersal of the plates means that visitors and local residents may only see some of the plates, but will discover previously unnoticed etchings over a period of time as they further explore the site.