Since Autumn 2011, the [collective] are embarking up a year-long performance process towards developing a series of performance works emerging out of our explorations into Running as an artistic practice. 'Walking as an artistic practice' is an established process within a wide variety of artistic disciplines, including performance. The [collective] are attempting to develop the movement, motion and process one step further - by using the process of running in the urban context as a practice to develop performance.
![The [collective] would be honoured to be part of the Tooting Market Project (which may need a little shortening, as much as ALTHOUGH POTENTIALLY OVERSHADOWED BY THE POSSIBILITY OF GENTRIFICATION is an awesomely epic title, maybe something a little more concise? We’ll have a think).
Our ideas thus far are centering around the quintessential market material of the blue plastic bags, as multivalent and multi-purpose as containers, vessels, waste products and commercial gifts of Tooting market, and indeed all markets and small-town shops.
Our initial idea is to construct over the course of the opening hours of the Market, a large immersive installation made entirely of these blue plastic bags whereby our audience can enter and explore our very own microcosm, a market-within-a-market, which fits the 10x6 metre square exhibition space in the centre of the market.
We’re hoping to enter into dialogue with the other ‘real’ market stalls about their use of these bags, and hopefully be kind benefactors and help us build our installation by gifting us some bags. We’re also hoping to find some way of exchanging the blue bags of the public for some more recyclable bags we have made inside the installation, allowing for the audience to become participants and collaborators with the project itself on a small but highly significant scale.
We’re also currently debating as a [collective] how we can provide a kind of “service” to the market and/or it’s punters- perhaps by setting-up a kind of local courier/delivery service for punters and market traders, whereby [collective] members deliver goods to local regulars for a small charge, allowing us as a [collective] to develop our current performance, artistic and social practice of running.
We will return to you in the very near future with further ideas and the development of those above. In the meantime, we reckon another meeting with the other possible participants of the project would be helpful so we can all see each others proposals and intentions for the space and the fortnight.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxydut05QH1r0yz5to1_400.png)