Turns out The Tub, the art space that was hiding in the alley behind Broadway Market here in Hackney didn’t so much close completely as evolve and become Lot Projects, first we knew of it was a sign, a sign is surely always a good sign? A quick post-encounter check on the rather underused Tub Facebook page and yes indeed, a post back in October that nobody “liked” and most likely no one actually got to see – “we’d like to introduce you to our friends at Lot Projects, who have taken over our Broadway Market space. They are a group of artists, designers, architects and writers, who will host a broad programme of exhibitions, performances, talks and workshops. Follow them to keep updated! @lotprojects“. Now the The Tub lot really weren’t that friendly or that big on any kind of communication (pretty sure we signed up to a mailing list at some point back when they first opened the space but hey, they never bothered much with that), little too cool for school if you ask us, we tried! They apparently mostly made their announcements on Instagram and you know how hit ‘n miss those damn algorhythms can be – actually they blocked us on that platform ages ago, all we did was (rather positively) cover a couple of their events (the Robert Cooper X Kate Dunn Fugue thig was rather promising as we started to escape lockdown back there) and then invite them to take part in something we were doing in Hackney at the time – a bit of  old school ‘ackney artist unity offered and rejected, their response was to instead block us, but then that’s not how it goes around here in East London these days, really not the place it was in terms artist-led art spaces, community, unity, supporting each other and such.

So, luckily, we happened to catch a sign at the top of the alley last weekend, The Lot? Lot Projects? What’s that? The space is still active? Same red doors, closed as usual but then it was freeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing, we can moan about closed galleries doors in the Summer but hey, extra cold this winter! Close those doors and keep warm. Don’t know much about the Lot Projects lot, let see if this lot are a little more friendly than the last lot, really don’t see why East London art has to be so aloof, surely right now a united front is needed more than ever?

Seems we accidentally caught the last day of a short run show in the space, a two artist exhibition – Lot Projects presents Wires Ran Like Thread Lines, a show by Sophie Giller and Faye Rita Robinson – didn’t see it listed anywhere, if there was advance publicity it didn’t reach us and we probably watch those listing rabbits and such more than most do. The show has been and gone now, still worth a mention though, it was a rather decent one actually, a collaborative exhibition, two artists in a space for a couple of days, if only we’d known in advance, if only we’d been able to cover it before it closed. 

Sophie Giller, an artist based in Norfolk, “an artist working mostly with textiles, collecting and working with discarded items to emphasise process, labour, craft, care, domesticity, emotion, and the social history of everyday materials”, and Faye Rita Robinson, “a multidisciplinary artist born in Nottingham and living in London. Through their work, Faye weaves dreams and lived experiences with the collective imagination of medieval mysticism and folklore of the past. Reflecting upon their dreamworld, which can be frightening, confusing and full of uncertainties and symbolism, Faye invites creatures and objects from her sleep into her daily life where intangible elements are presented as part of a unified narrative. By exploring the events of her life through the lens of historical folk allegory and phenomena, Faye works within a world that exists in a liminal place between imagination and reality, connecting past and present”.

The two of them together have woven webs alive with spiders, with thread lines that pull it all together, there’s a big piece that draws you in, it doesn’t dominate the space as much as it pulls you and invites you to explore the rest of the work – to look a little closer than you might have done if the big spider hadn’t got you. A big black spider inviting you to look at the textile art, the ceramic pieces, the pieces that blur between the two. it isn’t obvious in terms of who has done what, it isn’t that obvious in terms of anything really, two artists properly collaborating rather than just sharing a space – this is a fine show, the web pulls you into the weave and the weft of it all and you do feel the need to examine it all, to make sure you don’t miss anything – the spirit of the pieces, the understate power of their work as artists, the craft of it, the joy of it actually. It might be freezing in this small back alley space but this is a warm show, a show that makes sense, an exhibition that “makes sense of the strange” as they put it. It is craft but that shouldn’t make it anything less, this is high end contemporary art, this has emotion, life, this is a joy, one of those exhibitions that just makes you want to let out a quiet shout of a “yes” in the silence of the gallery. A delight and done just right, playful when in needed to be, serious when it had to be, alive with good things and good things is what we need in the cold and dark of a biting December at the end of a rather bitter year. A fine fine art show, a show with depth and two compelling artists who wanted to engage. Glad to have seen it… (sw)   

Links – sophiegiller.co.uk / www.fayeritarobinson.com / Lot Projects

Next up from Lot Projects – Lot Projects presents Golem, a solo-exhibition by Sebastian Thomas. 16th – 19th Dec. An installation of new sculpture, collage, and painting by Sebastian Thomas. Opening night private view 6pm Friday 16th and then 11am until 6pm Sat/Sun 17th/18th December.