The one-off event is part of a larger scheme run by collective tactileBOSCH to make art more engaging and accessible to the general public
Hidden inside the Old Vicarage on Cathedral Road, Cardiff is an immersive art installation celebrating the connection between art and night culture. Under the Counter Culture aims to break down inhibitions and preconceived ideas to create a space for expression and play through their art.
Helene Roberts, 39 from Swansea is the manager of the event, run by a collective called tactileBOSCH. She describes the event as “a night of immersive installation, live performance, spontaneous interventions, participatory art and conceptual audio-visual work.”
There are a wide variety of artistic styles exhibited at Under the Counter Culture and this is because inclusivity is important to Helene. “A lot of contemplation art can be seen as dry and exclusive” she says, “this is more entertaining, it allows people to take part, let their hair down, play and engage with the art in a different sort of way.”
The artists come from locally as well as abroad and are sourced through a public callout, inviting them to respond to a specific theme. TactileBOSCH feels passionately about supporting young artists and will mentor them to adapt their work to suit the theme of the event. They try to support Welsh artists and have residents in from Newport and Cardiff as well as Berlin.
The event is non-profit to fit in with their ethos of participation and inclusivity. Helene says she does not feel comfortable charging for art, and the event has only been ticketed once as a necessity to rent the space.
The event is a one-off but the collective has been running events since 2001 and tend to do one big event in Cardiff per year and a few smaller residencies abroad. The events change concepts as the sites move, often taking place in abandoned buildings. Helene says that this is because they like to challenge the way art is traditionally shown.
She says “The art is constantly moving, changing and engaging with the space in different ways for the whole process. The building comes to life with performances in it.”
