Bik van der Pol collaboration

The Art Academy has been collaborating with Dutch artists, Bik van der Pol in a project which takes the 'road movie' as a model to explore ideas around autonomy. We have been using a motor home as a vehicle to get out on the road and meet groups and individuals who have made a decision for independence in what they do. Over the past few weeks, we have met a whole host of people including, 'The Rainy City Roller Girls', Manchester's very own roller derby team, Rev Andy Salmon, a local vicar who has given his 2 churches a new audience through holding music gigs and 'El Ingles' aka Franks Evans aka 'The Buspass matador', the worlds oldest bullfighter who is from Salford.

A first stage presentation of the project took place at the re-opening of Islington Mill on Oct 1st 2010. We staged short lectures in autonomy delivered by our own Maria Dada in the back of the motor home while we drove in circuits around the mill, very slowly.