TCPUK - Tunisian Collaborative Painting in the UK

'An art form that celebrates the oneness of all human beings and the wonder of the creative process’

Hailing from a desperate time under a dictator in Tunisia where artistic expression could be punished, this silent art form then made its way to the United States via artist David Black. Now Tunisian Collaborative Painting is being proudly and loudly launched in the artistic capital of the UK - BRISTOL here we come!!

And the best bit - you get to come along too!!!

The event includes:

• Exhibition of the first Tunisian Collaborative Paintings made in the UK
• Unique paintings by artists including Inkie, Xenz, Graham 'Paris' Dews, Gina Love, Ian Thomson, Richard Twose, Cheba, Andy Council and Felix 'FLX' Braun created collaboratively in silence
• Presentation panel
• Q & A Sessions
• and a PARTY of course  - where you can experience drop in collaborative painting sessions, mix some collaborative cocktails and enjoy a collaborative DJ Jam

What's this all about?

We are going to introduce you to TUNISIAN COLLABORATIVE PAINTING (TCP)

Tunisian artist Hechmi Ghachem created Tunisian Collaborative Painting in 1988 when Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali became president and dictator of Tunisia. “Freely expressing yourself in Ben Ali’s Tunisia was dangerous,” said Hechmi. He set out to reclaim freedom of expression for Tunisian artists and formed groups who took part in this collaborative painting.  

While we are in the fortunate position of being able to express ourselves freely, and perhaps no where more so than Bristol, there are many countries and places where this is not the case. Artists of all medium are daily under the threat of persecution for simply making marks.

To read more about the history of TCP and it’s journey from Tunisia to America and now to Bristol, please visit TCP-in-UK.com

Where and When?

On Friday 27th May 2016, we are launching TCPUK and this first event will be at Kings Weston House in Bristol.

During the afternoon, 20 artists will attend a TCP workshop facilitated by visual artist and educator Luke Palmer and will follow these guidelines:

• Groups of 4 artists will be selected at random and paint together on a single canvas
• One person is appointed to start the painting
• The rest of the group are then allowed to join in as they wish
• Anyone is allowed to paint over someone else’s work
• The painting is finished either by a majority group vote or after the 3 hours time limit
• The entire process is done in silence

​These paintings will be displayed at the evening event

Launch Party

There will be an exhibition of the first examples of TCP in the UK, created by the students with learning difficulties and disabilities from SGS college in Filton.

The artists workshop will include Inkie, Xenz, Damien Haka, Gina Love, Felix Braun, Andy Council, Cheba, Jesse Winter-Tuck, Matt 'Eco', Graham 'Paris' Dews, Rob Lawes, Frances Mansfield, Linda Windows, Ian Thomson, Josh Ben-Tovim, Frankie Strand, and BP Portrait finalists Samantha Fellows and Richard Twose - These totally unique canvases will be on display at the evening reception.

Finally….time for you to find out more with a presentation from David Black and questions and answer session, as well as specially created TCP painting ‘drop in’ sessions for you to experience where you will be provided with ear defenders to block out the noise and immerse yourself in the silent collaborative process. Create you own Collaborative Cocktail and get down to the sounds of the Collaborative Sound System with Bristol's finest Scott Fury + Bash Money...!

Why in silence?

The original TCP in Tunisia was in total silence as artistic expression could be punished in many ways including imprisonment and torture.

We continue this tradition for two main reasons:

1. To show empathy for the founders and to try and establish a respectful link to those who are still persecuted for artist expression.
2. Silence is golden…yet incredibly rare and something which we have almost become afraid of. Everyday we surround ourselves with intentional noise such as tv, radio and household appliances, as well as unintentional noise like transport, industry and your surrounding location. Humans are programmed to react to noise with a flight or flight reaction and studies have shown that this reaction to noise is still present and manifests as stress -and yet we continue to stress our bodies with noise through fear silence.

Why should you invest in this project?

Further TCPUK workshops: We want to share this inclusive art form with everyone! We want to work with community groups, artists, festivals, and any business people brave enough to turn their phone off for a few hours. Funding this event will help enable us to facilitate further workshops, exhibitions and events.

Arts in health benefits: This form of artistic expression has so many levels of use. It is a fantastic visual arts based therapeutic tool and can be used within a multitude settings and does not have any boundaries for artistic, physical or mental ability. 

Relaxation and well being: Some people can meditate easily, but a lot of people cannot. This is way to restore and recover your mind and body through silence yet physically engaging in something kinaesthetic and visual.

Communication and bonding: For team building and improving relationships, collaboration is key. Silence eliminates any dominating personalities, unnecessary speech and other distracting noise. Everyone has an even playing field and the instinctual inner-self gets the chance to come to the surface.

Ambition: We intend to take this project further and bring workshops and participation opportunities to people all over the UK - and potentially the rest of the world!

Rewards!: Our rewards are totally unique and cannot be accquired anywhere else. Support TCPUK and receive a special gift as a reward!!

And really because we would love you to be at the launch party!