A Year Outdoors

The Courtyard, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London
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Event has ended
This event ended on Wednesday 31st of October 2018
Admission
Free
Venue Information
St Martin-in-the-Fields
Trafalgar Square, WC2N 4JH
Nearest Tube/Rail Stations
Charing Cross 0.11 miles

Early in 2017, ten reclaimed front doors were hung across the streets of Bristol. The doors were hung in plain sight on the city streets, ignored by passers-by. Street-art culture adopted some of the sites, integrating them into graffiti artworks, but others were completely neglected from the limelight. They have now received attention from some well-known names in the arts and culture industries from around the globe that have helped breathe new life into the doors.

The doors are going on display in Trafalgar square In London, situated in St. Martin In The Fields courtyard – next door to one of the project’s benefitting charities, The Connection at St Martins, which tackles homelessness in the local area. Instead of being behind gallery doors, the installation will be free to all that visit the area.

The project was orchestrated by conceptual artist, Beau.

To Beau, a front door symbolizes having a place to live – something which many people across the UK do not have access to.

And this was exactly the point of the project, which he aptly named ‘Outdoors’.

“I wanted to challenge our perceptions of beauty and worth.“ said Beau.

“Cuts to housing, mental health and social services are driving more and more people into critical homeless situations, which is more than rough sleeping. The hidden homeless community is often out of sight – sofa surfing, crashing with friends, staying in squats or communal homes, hostels and long-term B&B residences, all forms of homelessness often experienced for years,” said Beau.

“There are almost twice as many people without a home than there was this time five years ago. This is happening right around us, yet we walk on past. I hope Outdoors will act as a catalyst for conversation. Across the UK, we’re experiencing many of the same problems, in different cities. Hopefully things like Outdoors will help bridge the growing gap between us all, we need to find something in common, that’s a good place to start, everyone should have a door and if not we need to look at our own to imagine being without it” Said Beau.

The doors have now been framed and are on display in Trafalgar square from the 15th of October until the 31st of October. From there they will go on a tour of venues across the UK, culminating in an auction in December 2019.

100% of profits raised by the auction and the official shopify store will be donated to charities supporting people in critical need in the UK.


With support from Stephen Fry, Ralph Steadman, George Monbiot, Ken Loach, Geoff Barrow, Ben Salisbury. L.A Salami, Aardman Animations and many more.

Beau’s thought-provoking work has caught the attention of his peers in the art world.

Ralph Steadman, best known for his accompanying work to Hunter S. Thompson’s ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’, said, “I love the idea and am fascinated to see what transpires.”

Tags: Art

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