Matt Whistler creates a new art movement in his challenge set by Latest 7 reader Sally Lloyd
With one event dominating everyone’s minds last Bank Holiday weekend [29 April–2 May], Matt thought it was definitely worth getting involved.
No, he didn’t crash the Royal Wedding – he put on his own artist’s open house ahead of the Brighton Festival.
But to make this a real challenge, Sally Lloyd from Brighton asked Matt to organise his open house within 24 hours, and start a new art movement within the exhibition.
With little time to prepare or find stray artists not already ‘housed’ ahead of the festival, Matt had to call on all his persuasive powers.
He managed to round up three artists to join the new movement: Jasper Carrott look-a-like Brash, sheep-painter Toby and elusive street-artist Cassette Lord.
With the cast assembled, Matt set about setting up his exhibition which he said: “Ranged from green house panels to montage scenes in Central Park, Manhattan, to a ‘framed frame’ that had the back of an expensive frame displayed inside a cheaper one.”
Seeking to make a good impression Matt came as ‘Totally Absurd Man’ in an all-in-one blue jumpsuit and re-enacted crime scenes from his pictures outside the open house.
“I lay on the floor while my sidekick detective wrapped me in masking tape though one girl didn’t understand the artistic meaning and thought I was an escaped onion from Taj,” Matt says.
As the crowds packed in, Matt waited to reveal his biggest surprise – the new art movement.
“As part of the elaborate unveil, Brash and I tried to juggle eggs with boxing gloves on. There was an air of silence and tension filled the room, until we both missed and the eggs splattered across the floor,” Matt recalled.
At the point of impact Matt announced the new art movement: Do-Da. He says the name was inspired by the surrealist art movement Dada, an anti-war art revolution that swept the globe between the World Wars.
Dada set out to ridicule what participants considered to be the meaninglessness of the modern world; Do-Da has less supercilious goals, according to Matt: “Do-Da aims to encourage hippies to jump out of bed and go to the shop through sheer excitement. If you’re ‘do-Da’ and you see a hippy, you have to do 10 squat thrusts while chanting ‘Do-Da’ on each motion in an effort to convert them.
Do-Da is open to everyone, as long as they follow Matt’s initiation activity: “Every other Tuesday you have to walk into a shop and sing ‘Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah’ to sublimely transmit the Do-Da message before walking away with the satisfaction that you’ve added excitement to everyone’s day.”
To join Do-Da or suggest Matt’s next challenge go to www.facebook.com/latest7
or www.facebook.com/mattwhistler brighton
Words: Richard Hook
