Sustainability is central to the project Supamatic rescue and renovate older vending machines that are increasingly being replaced by new AI-powered models. Each machine is given a new lease of life, wrapped in artwork by a local artist and stocked with locally made goods in eco-friendly packaging. The artwork wrapping the machine was created by artist Scotty Gillespie.
Watershed’s will mainly feature work from Bristol creatives including work from Bristol artists, Edie Woolf and Rebel Patch.
Edie Woolf is a comic artist, illustrator animator and screen printer with a love of bright colours and deep messages conveyed with cute characters. She likes to make comics about her experiences in the hopes that people can relate, connect, ultimately feel less alone. “Feeling my feelings” is at the core of everything she does.
Rebel Patch is a repair and upcycling artist based in Bristol and makes limited edition art patches in collaboration with other local artists. Rebel Patch started as a way to give people more tools and creative techniques to personalise their clothing whilst also giving artists a different kind of format to play with
Amy and Dan Chadney, founders of Supamatic say;
We want buying local art to feel as easy and irresistible as buying a chocolate bar! Supamatic brings together Bristol artists, the fun and nostalgia of a vending machine, and a brilliantly unexpected way to put creativity into everyday places.
Launching at Watershed feels especially exciting because it is already such a lively part of Bristol’s creative community. The machine is colourful and packed with work that deserves to be discovered.
For us, this is what an innovative creative economy can look like: artists reaching new audiences and earning from their work, people discovering art in a completely unexpected way, and an old machine being given a joyful new purpose.
We are delighted that some of the featured artists and the Supamatic team will be at the Undershed Bar, Watershed, on Tuesday 28 July from 19:45 to tell you all about their work. If you would like to come to the launch please email us and let us know.
About Watershed
Watershed is a values-led cultural organisation based in Bristol, UK with a public programme centred around cinema and creative technology. We bring artists and audiences together, producing and supporting accessible work which fires up imaginations and builds hope about the future.
www.watershed.co.uk
About Supamatic
Supamatic rescue vintage vending machines, turn them into tiny galleries and help independent artists reach thousands of new people.
www.supafantastic.com
