Past show: David Armes Residency @ 130 Vicar Lane

The project responded to finds from an archaeological dig that took place underneath what is now Victoria Gate shopping centre in Leeds and featured art inspired by some of the artifacts discovered, some of which were also on show. This residency produced vibrant art from a newly uncovered past.

Through his practice of print and letterpress David had been exploring how to use the archaeological finds from the survey as tools for mark making, experimenting with various simple techniques.  Could ink be applied to the find? Does it have detritus that can be mixed with ink? What shadows do they cast? Can a rubbing be taken from its surface? All this was answered in his work.

With the finds no longer serving the purpose they were created for (for example, a bottle is now several shards of brightly coloured glass and can’t be a bottle again) David abstracted the objects via mark-making, creating repeated patterns and textures on long scrolls often mirroring the size and shape of the trenches dug during the archaeological survey.

David worked closely with the team from West Yorkshire Archaeological Services throughout the project and Collaboratively they ran workshops with Shakespeare Primary School and Burmantofts Senior Action.

The project was a collaboration between East Street Arts and West Yorkshire Archaeological Services, supported by Victoria Leeds.