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STYLISHVauxhall Magazine; July 2006

All The Art To BootAll The Art To Boot

IT'S SUNDAY 4 JUNE, THE SUN IS SHINING, AND BRICK LANE, LONDON - A REGULAR HAUNT FOR CURRY LOVERS - IS BURSTING AT THE SEAMS. IN SPITE OF THE WONDERFUL AROMAS WAFTING FROM EACH RESTAURANT, THOUGH, WE HAVEN'T COME TO SAMPLE ASIA'S FINEST. TODAY WE'RE HERE TO CHECK OUT THE VAUXHALL ART CAR BOOT FAIR, AT THE OLD TRUMAN'S BREWERY. Words by Maria Hall pictures by Richard Parsons

And this being a summery Sunday morning, no doubt there are countless other boot fairs in full swing up and down the country, brimming with bargains. But you don't have to spend long at this one to realise that it's not your average house clearance sale. Yes there are cars, even a bus, and a couple of caravans; and yes there are people selling out of the back of them. There are even several Vauxhalls, because Vauxhall is a valued supporter of the event.

But the big difference here is that the vendors are young British artists, some of them actually very well known.

And their wares? Well that would be their artwork. Heard of Sarah Lucas or Oliver Garbay? They're selling limited edition mugs and cigarette jewellery - and doing a roaring trade. How about Gavin Turk? He's elevated the humble Rich Tea biscuit to an art form by moulding his own brand of biscuit in plaster - his signature being the finishing touch. Abigail Lane for Showroom Dummies has produced beautiful silk scarves, while artist and filmmaker Lucia Helenka and designer Sam Buxton (both VX Collective members) are selling cool flipbook art called 'flick-off' from Lucia's Astra Sport Hatch, while



exhibiting Sam's brooding yet stunning high rise city scape models.

One thing you can't fail to notice as you wander from car to car: the Art Car Boot Fair is extremely busy. No wonder, the entry fee is only a pound and, for contemporary art fans, it's an Aladdin's Cave of goodies that could one day be worth big money. It's not the first fair of its kind either, another reason for throngs of art fans who've waited two years since the 2004 event which attracted 3000 people. And no doubt some of them were also at an even earlier outing, at the Brighton Photo Biennial in 2003 for the London to Brighton Art Car Rally and Boot Fair, which Vauxhall also supported.

Whatever, it seems unlikely that many other boot fairs going on around the country today can boast DJs playing long forgotten but very cool tunes. And it's equally unlikely that many others will have organic burgers, beers, chilled drinks or delicious paella to tuck into when