Re:Box, the Isle of Wight’s smallest art gallery located in a repurposed phone box on Lind Street in Ryde, is currently showcasing work by local artist Liz Cooke, who is best known for creating large-scale festival flags seen at events across the country.
Inside the classic red phone box gallery, swathes of colourful fabric are on display, echoing the bespoke curtains Liz designed for DEPARTMENT, the arts centre on Cross Street in Ryde.
Zoë Barker, co-founder of Re:Box, has said:
“Liz’s work would look amazing in Re:Box anytime.
“But as DEPARTMENT prepares to celebrate its one-year anniversary, we knew now was the ideal moment for Liz to think inside the box.”
Liz was commissioned by Shademakers UK, the carnival company behind DEPARTMENT, to create the fabric installations that fill the upper-storey windows of the former Elizabeth Pack Department Store building.
The pieces give the venue a kinetic and contemporary look both inside and out. Her work has also appeared at Rhythm Tree, Ventnor Fringe, Greenpeace events, Mutiny Festival in Chichester and Cross the Tracks in London, alongside other music festivals and events across the UK.
Liz designs and produces her flags in an off-grid, solar-powered workshop on the Isle of Wight. She is also working towards a zero-waste approach, repairing older flag sets and upcycling them into new designs once they reach the end of their lifespan.
This process also creates new colourways and tones within the designs. Offcuts and scraps from new flag sets are reused as details in other pieces, made into fringe bunting or used in craft projects, ensuring no fabric is thrown away.
Anmarie Bowler, co-founder of Re:Box, has said:
“Liz’s creative ethos suits our repurposed phone box perfectly.
“And what better way to ring in the first glorious year at DEPARTMENT than by waving their flags in celebration?”
