SLIDELUCK POTSHOW LONDON IV RECAP

[Text by Maria Teresa Salvati]

[Photos by Tina Remiz, Kitty Walker and Rajan Zaveri]

Wednesday, 25^th April, 2012 the IV edition of Slideluck Potshow London took place at the two-floors trendy gallery in the heart of Shoreditch, 81 Leonard Street.

There was a lot of expectation on this edition; probably because there had been a great deal of build up and many people involved from all around the world. From the London-based curators – Fiona Rogers, who selected the female submissions and Harry Hardie selecting the male entries – to the theme, in which interpreted the idea of Gender and/or Identity; to a further selection, which will be made by Erica McDonald for DEVELOP Tube (NY) and GUP Magazine (Amsterdam); to the food, the drinks and the raffle.

We think all the expectations were matched!  We got so many complements, tweets, Facebook posts and emails by people congratulating for the whole experience. For what was viewable to people’s eyes it all went smoothly and great! However, there has been a lot of preparation and dedication behind the scenes by the core team: Maria Teresa Salvati, Mariona Otero, Tina Remiz and Kitty Walker – who also designed this year’s flyer.

The food was, as always, outstanding! The London crowd never disappoints as far as the potluck is concerned. We had a selection of many cuisines from all around the world, as a confirmation that London truly is a melting pot! And this year we introduced something new, just to have more fun: a food editor.

Regan Maloney awarded the best dish and a runner-up with a hamper and a feature in her blog. The winners are: homemade rhubarb with black pudding tart and Vietnamese spring rolls. And it all looked amazing in the palm leaf plates and eco-friendly tableware kindly supplied by Little Cherry.

The wonderful Brooklyn Brewery beers worked as glue for food, smiles, mingles and a push into the spirit of Slideluck Potshow!

At 8:30 on the dot, the slideshow commenced, and it was outstanding! There was a good mix of emerging and established artists, who interpreted the theme in many different ways: ranging from a literal translation of the ‘gender’ topic, with stories about transgender, like the Mongolian Transgender by Alvaro Laiz or ‘Memories of a boy’ by Paul Amundsen or ‘Jenny Sexy’ by Christine Rose Divito, and more.

Then we presented other slideshows focusing on cultural or personal identity, where the gender was either accidental or not relevant at all,  like Laura Hynd with ‘The Letting Go” and Cristina De Middel with her China story “Made in”, and others.

Our partner, Blurb awarded the best story to Pierfrancesco Celada. A story about loneliness and alienation in big metropolis – ‘Japan: I wish I knew your name’.

Overall, the slideshow was really strong and some of the work was emotional too. We can’t wait to see them published online, so we can share them all with those that didn’t attend!

I want to really thank all the artists that submitted work this year! We had so many entries, and we are particularly proud to donate 20% of the submissions proceeds to support the Firecraker grant, in support of European Women Photographers.

The place was packed – I think we had more then 200 people. So, far the most successful Slideluck Potshow London edition. We are excited about the next one, though we are still recovering!

People left smiling and not empty handed: we gave away lovely SLPS branded bags with loads of goodies in it: a selection of GUP Magazine, Viewbook discounts and much more.

Special thanks to everyone for the support: from our global team, to the volunteers and everyone who came along!