Vauxhall Collective: The UK's Most Talented And Exciting Creatives Are Announced

LUTON, United Kingdom – December 1, 2008: As part of its ongoing commitment to style and design, car company Vauxhall in conjunction with a Style Council made up of arts industry experts, has identified six of the brightest creative stars and given them a commission of up to £20,000 each, accompanied by a high profile PR campaign, to help them take their careers to the next level.

The Vauxhall Collective members for 2008 are; the innovative product designer SimonHasan for craft & design, the much-admired shoe designer Jonathan Kelsey for fashion, artist and independent film maker Ben Rivers film, hotly anticipated artist Matthew Darbyshire for fine art, experimental photographer and artist Gayle Chong Kwan for photography and Gideon Reeling, purveyor of bespoke interactive experiences, enlisted for the theatre category.

From every corner of the country, the Vauxhall Collective represents the best of UK creative talent. The Vauxhall Collective members were chosen because they are at a stage in their career where the commission will help them develop their work, raise their profile and help them break into the mainstream.

The six commissions will tie into the theme of The Great British Road Trip, a re-telling of the classic road trip story, with a very British twist. With the commissions totalling in the region of £120,000 this significant arts support programme in the UK, reflects Vauxhall’s ongoing commitment to supporting style and design.

Matthew Darbyshire will be using the commission to produce his most ambitious art work to date; a full-scale modern funhouse. Incorporating the design language of regeneration architecture in Britain, he will travel around the country visiting the last six funhouses in the UK, as well as drawing inspiration from 50 public buildings used to regenerate areas.

The craft and design category sees Simon Hasan taking a road trip across the UK to rediscover ancient and lost craft techniques unique to the British Isles. His discoveries will lead to him applying these techniques to modern objects with a view to producing a limited run of household objects, available for sale through the Vauxhall Collective website.

Jonathan Kelsey is producing a very limited run of luxury driving sets including key fob, driving gloves and steering wheel cover in his trade mark chestnut leather and heavy black stitching. These will be available through the Vauxhall Collective website.

Gayle Chong Kwan explores her Scottish heritage with “Senscape Scotland”, a panoramic sensory journey around Scotland, creating a series of photographs that connect together as a kind of myriorama and document of a particular landscape and its sensory and food heritage.

Film maker Ben Rivers will be making I know where I’m going! a short film in honour of the directors Michael Powell and Pressburger, an inspiration to Ben and a huge influence on his work. Travelling on his very own pilgrimage, he will journey through the UK to the Isle of Mull where the original I know where I’m going! film was shot and document the places and people he meets along the way.

The wonderfully eccentric Gideon Reeling invites audiences to take a road trip of their own, visiting special places Mr Reeling has identified, and upload the evidence online. Three theatrical installations will take place across the UK and the most prolific road trippers will be rewarded with a very special invitation to the mother of all Gideon Reeling performances.

A host of leading industry opinion formers from arts institutions including the Photographers’ Gallery, BFI, Film London, Crafts Council, Donmar Warehouse, Hayward Gallery, ICA, London College of Fashion and Central St Martins formed a “Style Council” to make the decision on the commissions.

The Vauxhall Collective 2008 members’ biographies:

Craft and Design

Simon Hasan

After spending his twenties working in advertising, Simon broke into the world of product design. He graduated from the Royal College of Art this June and has developed an interest in applying craft techniques to industrial objects.

Fashion

Jonathan Kelsey

With a background and experience that boasts some of the biggest names in the fashion industry, Jonathan Kelsey set up his own fashion label in the Winter of 2007. Jonathan joined the influential house of Jimmy Choo in 2001, where he spent four years developing his style, before choosing to work as a freelance creative.

Film

Ben Rivers

Born in Somerset, Ben is an artist and independent film maker who specialises in rich, cinematic portraits that explore wilderness environments and self-contained worlds.

Fine Art

Matthew Darbyshire

Graduating from Slade School of Fine Art and the Royal Academy of Art, Matthew Darbyshire’s most recent work appeared in his “Blades House” show at Gas Works as well as commissions from the ICA.

Photography

Gayle Chong Kwan

Gayle Chong Kwan is a London-based artist, working with photography, video, sound, installation, and performance. Her work is often context specific or involves people in rituals of exchange, such as food or trade, to explore ideas of history, the senses and memory. As well as a BA Fine Art from Central Saint Martins College of Art, she has a MSc in Communications from Stirling University and a BA in Politics and Modern History from Manchester University.

Theatre

Gideon Reeling

Gideon Reeling is a purveyor of bespoke interactive experiences. Mr Reeling has travelled extensively and has been fortunate enough to have had fruitful involvement in many fascinating projects and positions through his career. He has offices in London, New York and Tokyo, and is always looking for new and challenging business ventures.