Perpetual Stew

—— NEVER STOP STIRRING ——

A COMMUNITY PROJECT FOR GENERATIONS OF ARTISTS

TO CONTRIBUTE TO ONE SINGLE CANVAS

THAT HAS NO END

NIL WASTE

INFINITE INTUITION

FOR THOSE THAT LOSE THEIR FOCUS…

Inspired by the most intensely flavoursome soup known as a PERPETUAL STEW. With origins in medieval times, it has recently had a resurgence in a restaurant in Bangkok which has been stewing constantly since 1975.

It has never been off the heat. They have never stopped stirring, with generations of contributing flavour becoming more and more interesting and in depth every day.

How does this work?

Based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, we have designed a never-ending canvas mechanically held together using no longer used hand machinery recycled from mills and factories in the area. Our hand operated kinetic machine will house a roll of canvas that gets stretched onto a table for artists to do their artisting on, either collaboratively or on their own until they feel like they’re done.

Because repetition is frankly boring.

Once a section is complete, it gets wound upwards to be air dried. Once dry, we will cut the fabric as we see fit to:

  • Exhibit the completed works in art galleries and online platforms.

  • Create ground breaking art installations and sculpture.

  • Make one of a kind wearable art.

  • Re-upholster furniture.

  • ??

The opportunities are endless and we are committed to producing absolutely nil fabric waste. Once the roll runs out, we sew on the next roll and carry on.

A percentage of all profits will be given to a charity supporting mental health through creating art, as well as being put back into the stew so we can promote the talent and connect with fellow artists around the world.

And this is a very important ingredient. We will be documenting everything. Above the machinery will be a bespoke camera rig to capture at least three angles at all times. We will be producing non stop content, archiving our footage meticulously and creating a documentary style film as we go.

Who stirs the stew?

Hi! My name is Georgia and I am the very easily distracted brains behind Perpetual Stew.

I am a self-confessed struggling creative human who has been very fortunate in life to own my own businesses and break into the film business in my mid 30’s through sheer determination and feeling like I really had nothing to lose.

When it comes to my own art practice away from the day job, I struggle. I know that I’m not alone when I say that creative humans can often find it hard to focus on a definitive style or medium unless we have a specific reason. It can be overwhelming to feel limited by a single piece of paper or a square boxed in canvas that just feels very final.

When I have a brief, a collaborator, a deadline, A Reason - I am at my absolute best. Ironically, this project is precisely about not having a deadline, it’s very much about not having an end at all. I don’t like to make things easy for myself.

But most of all, this project is A Reason. For all of us to come together, be it an established artist or an enthusiast willing to get out of their comfort zone for a good cause.

Call it ADHD, call it simply a creative mind. Let’s make use of it.

Who are the artists?

We wish to work with every kind of artist, big or small, new or established, confident or shy. What’s special about this project is that you may well be contributing to a piece of the same art as a world renowned artist. Who knows? Perhaps they’re the artist before you. (We know).

It is particularly important to us to work with local students and community groups of all ages. Workshops, courses, educational talks and live grassroots music events will take place alongside the day to day art making.

We will stock as many art materials as we can and it is our wish for these to be from a natural source and made locally where possible. To begin with, we will be looking to work with the following art practices, though we are absolutely open to your suggestions or requests and very much expect this to evolve over time;

  • FREESTYLE PAINTING & DRAWING

  • BLOCK CARVING & PRINTING

  • TYPOGRAPHY

  • SCREEN PRINTING

  • EMBROIDERY

How can you be involved?

We are currently fundraising to get this stew stewing.

If you have any questions or would like to be involved in some way we would love to hear from you.

Please do get in touch by sending us an email or follow along our journey below:

EMAIL: perpetualstew@gmail.com

INSTAGRAM: perpetual stew_perpetualstew

SUBSTACK: @perpetualstewperpetualstew