Community chair art project founded in Tuscany is now sitting pretty in Harborough

From left, Luda Korotun, Beryl Galloway, Mariia Solodukha and Martin Galloway of ChairArt.
PICTURE: ANDREW CARPENTER — From left, Luda Korotun, Beryl Galloway, Mariia Solodukha and Martin Galloway of ChairArt. PICTURE: ANDREW CARPENTER

The group now has some 30 members who transform old chairs into outlandish pieces of art.

A community arts project founded in Italy now sees artists in Harborough getting creative by recycling and transforming chairs.

Beryl and Martin Galloway began Chairart in Tuscany 2010 and spent ten years building the project based around the principles of participation, non-competitiveness and little cost. Hundreds of budding artists emerged across the region, recycling old chairs and transforming them into new pieces.

And while the Garfagnana Chairart group ended when the couple returned to the UK in 2019, a new group began on their home turf of Harborough and the surrounding villages. Groups also exist across the globe in Scotland, Norway, France and Berlin.

The Harborough group now boasts some 30 members with work previously on display in exhibitions held at St Mary’s Place and Eco Village. Members also include four Ukrainian refugees who have settled in the town and some as young as 14.

Some say they have been inspired by experiences volunteering at Rutland Water, science fiction films, Picasso and even steampunk.

Martin said: “Incredibly, chairs serve as a creative challenge and at the same time quells the anxiety related to conventional art mediums.

“Harborough Chairart 2021 provides participants a novel opportunity to rediscover or further develop their creative instincts. The recycling concept of transforming unwanted articles into art has no limits.

Work inspired by a volunteer at Rutland Water

“It is a fully inclusive opportunity and managed strictly without competition. Recycling unwanted kitchen chairs cuts costs and provides a challenge to the creative imagination of those who join in. When transforming their chair, participants are unrestricted in their choices of materials and means of expression.

“There is no limitation to interpretation of the transformation of the chair other than it should be robust enough to survive transportation and inclement weather.”

Martin says most chairs are sourced for free on Facebook page Harborough Freecycle, and when the artwork is complete it remains the property of the artist – while available to loan for future Chairart exhibitions. Some artists also go on to sell their chairs.

Email [email protected] or to find out more about joining the group.