ETERNAL RETURNS: A collaborative exhibit of real and imagined media
OPEN CALL!
Submission Deadline 9/18
Exhibition Opens 10/02

If you are of a certain era, maybe you share this memory: you’re in the video store. Those words could be enough to evoke a whole host of images and senses, but I’ll go on. Maybe it’s new and shiny in there, all the plastic video cases are fresh and unsullied and the shelves are free of dust. But maybe it’s a little dark, a little dank. The carpet seems worn. Regardless, it’s a cave of treasures. Images, words, titles… Some of them are just out of reach, up on a high shelf. Some of them are maybe a little spicy? Or just confusing and mysterious. 

 

My first video store was here in Brattleboro: Video Connection on Main Street, where the Brattleboro School of Dance is now. The shelves towered over me, and any uncovered wall space was plastered with movie posters. It smelled like dust, plastic, old cigarette smoke, and some sweet candy scent. My memory is filled with the movie titles and images on the video covers on the shelves, but often when I think back there are pieces that don’t make sense and I realize I have not only misremembered a movie or a title, but I have invented it completely.

 

What do you remember, what do you want to remember? What images have lodged in your mind? What did you invent/construct? What story do you want to share? What formative discoveries did you make in the video store?

 

Submit your media memory, either real or constructed, for a collaborative installation

Submission details:

 

Mail all artwork to

Eternal Returns

P.O. Box 87

Brattleboro, V.T. 05302

C/O Sarah Freeman

To submit artwork for consideration, it must be accompanied by:

Your name

Your contact info (email is best)

A brief description of your movie/video store memory that inspired the work (150 words max). 

Guidelines:
Artworks can be 2D or 3D, BUT must be the rough size of a VHS, DVD, or LaserDisc case

VHS
8 ¼” x 5 ½” x 1” or 7.½” x 4.½  x 1”

DVD

7.48" x 5.31" x 0.55" 

 

LaserDisc
12.25” x 12.25”

 

WHAT: A collaborative exhibition of real and imagined movies displayed in a video store.

 

WHO: Anyone, anywhere who wants to participate. Please note you are responsible for postage to/from Brattleboro, VT 

 

WHERE: Soft Spot Gallery, Hooker Dunham Building, Brattleboro, VT

 

WHEN: See all dates below..

 

Submission deadline: 9/18
Installation dates: Week of 9/28

 

Exhibition Opening Celebration: 10/2

 

FAQ:

-Is there a submission fee? NO!

-Can I collaborate with another person on my submission? Yes!

-Can I alter existing VHS cases/boxes/sleeves? YES! You can as long as work adheres to required sizes it can be made of anything and use any process.

-Can I use AI? No! Please use your own mind and body to make your submission.
 

-Is artwork for sale? No! But if anyone expresses interest in purchasing artwork we will put them directly in touch with you.

-Will I get my work back? If you provide us with return postage, yes! Please be aware these artworks are meant to be handled and integrated with, so they may endure some wear and tear.

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WHO WE ARE: Collaborators Jamie Mohr (Director of Epsilon Spires) and Sarah Freeman (Director of Exhibitions at BMAC) offer The People’s Living Wisdom Museum, a nomadic pop-up gallery hosted in diverse spaces in downtown Brattleboro. Exhibitions are by Open Call using creative prompts that playfully inspire open-ended exploration (and interpretation). The project seeks to encourage local reciprocity, forging relationships that will continue to expand in new directions.

This program is supported by a Brattleboro Town Arts Fund grant.

 

Be kind, rewind.