Rise Early, Be Industrious

This exhibition by British artist Olivia Plender brings together a series of room-sized installations which include sculpture, banners, posters, board games, architectural models and video. Devised as a ‘museum of communication’, these thematically organised rooms focus on Plender’s research into how attitudes towards mass education have evolved over time.

Drawing on examples such as the educational remit of the BBC, the modern Spiritualist movement in the early 20^th century and the 1924 British Empire Exhibition, Plender explores such ideas as the work ethic and trade, and experimental arts education in the UK.

With its strong architectural dimension, involving the construction of platforms and models and its emphasis on play and game-like structures, the exhibition invites participation whilst focusing on how social roles and models of society have been constructed over the last few hundred years.

Olivia Plender: Rise Early, Be Industrious, is an exhibition in three episodes presented in collaboration with Milton Keynes Gallery and Arnolfini, Bristol.