Online Exhibition: Open All Hours, the annual visual art exhibition by Shape Arts

The Shape Open is the annual exhibition by Shape Arts of artwork by disabled and non-disabled artists created in response to a disability-centred theme.

The Shape Open provides a space where disabled and non-disabled artists can discuss and exchange views and ideas about issues and topics which are often sidelined within artistic debate. The Shape Open creates an opportunity for emerging and mid-career artists to raise their profile while allowing established artists taking part to show their work alongside new and fresh perspectives that they may not ordinarily encounter.

The latest exhibition, Open All Hours explores the pressurised relationship we have with time, productivity, and the pace of our modern, increasingly digital, society. The idea of a 24/7 culture of waking, work, and productivity has been a reality for some time, but in our digital age, it has seeped even into the bedroom, with our devices constantly linked to the world outside.

You can visit the exhibition in person in London from Tuesday 9 January to Sunday 21 January 2024, or browse all of the artworks online at openallhours.online

Accessibility

Whether you come in person or explore online, all of the artworks in Open All Hours have been audio described. Accompanying each work is a short text. Each text has been translated into BSL.

In the gallery, where work contains extensive written text, braille has been provided. Similarly, where moving image works contain spoken dialogue, BSL versions of the films are available via QR code. If you would like to listen to an audio described tour of the show, MP3 players are available from the front desk.

If you have any questions regarding accessibility, please email info@shapearts.org.uk or speak to a member of staff on arrival.

Shape Arts Podcast

The Shape Arts podcast will be introducing new or upcoming projects, and discovering new ideas about what disability is – and what contemporary culture might be as a result.

In episode four, the creative team and artists involved in the recent Shape Open exhibition, Open All Hours – still available online, reflect on the themes of the show and how it all came together. Featuring live performances from artist Samiir Saunders. You can listen below, or view the transcript at shapearts.org.uk.