inSTALL8 is a Hereford based art collective from the Hereford College of Arts made up of 8 members including Mairead McVeigh. They recently hosted a live music fundraiser at the Booth Hall, which is one of two events they have hosted to raise funds for a trip to London, and also have a crowdfunding page. I wanted to know a bit more about this collective and what this trip means to them; I was enlightened by Mairead.

Please help support these students by donating to their crowdfunding page here

Hereford City Centric: Thank you for the opportunity to interview inSTALL8 about the collective. Mairead you are part of the Install8 group of Fine Art students who host gigs to help raise funds for a trip to London and pushing arts in our local community, what is inSTALL8 all about?

inSTAll8: Hello Michelle and thank you for your interest in us and your very warm welcome! inSTALL8 are a collective of 8 artists from in and around Herefordshire, we are all current students attending the Hereford College of Arts Fine Art course. We are due to graduate this year in the summer. We are so varied in our practices that I would say it’s fair to label us multidisciplinary – some artists range from more traditional themes in painting and drawing whereas a few of us are exploring digital mediums, some are installation-based artists making large scenes for audience engagement and participation. Others expand to curatorial roles, so we’re a great mix and all of our individual skills have been pulled together to create inSTALL8.

The title of our collective is loosely based around the Windows platform, it’s a bit of a play on words as we would hope that our collective skillset pushes us more into the realm of contemporary art practice as opposed to traditional methods (although, in no way are we knocking our history – context is everything!)

HCC: It all sounds very exciting! What will the money raised be going towards?

inSTALL8: Our goal is to raise £5,700 to bring our graduate show to Free Range in London, a UK-wide exhibition showcasing new art from all over the country. If we attain our numbers, it will be the second time our course graduates will have had the opportunity to attend such an amazing event. The £5,700 will secure our place at the show and aid us with transport, accommodation and materials so that we can set up a heart-stopping show and hopefully lead us into some wonderful opportunities! We are joined in this adventure by our sister group at the college, HCA Collective, who are 17 Photography students who will be joining us on our journey to the end. Support for them would also be massively appreciated.

HCC: I truly hope this article will help promote your cause so that you can reach your target and get to London!  Also, please feel free to share any of your artwork on our Facebook page. It all sounds amazing, and please get the word out to HCA collective because at HCC we loving giving local artists a platform, especially students who often bring something new to the table. 

Last Wednesday, 22^nd of March you held another live music event at The Booth Hall in Hereford, is this your last fundraiser or do we have more to look forward to? Will it always be the same group of students or will there be new ones added from the college? I attended your previous music fundraiser and enjoyed the light installations, live music and DJ sets. Who did you have on the bill this time?

inSTALL8: This is potentially our final music fundraiser, but there’s more to come! We’re hosting an art auction at the end of April at De Koffie Pot, we will be presenting some of our current work and then it will be placed under the hammer for a few lucky contenders! We also have a very exciting raffle that will be drawn at the Private View of our college Summer Show, details will be confirmed for that later. It’ll be the same 8 in our team as we are one team graduating from the one course.

On this spectacular evening we enjoyed the beautiful sounds of Shannon Walker, a singer-songwriter from Worcester, glorious and raw Punk punches from Molly Kelly, hard-hitting riffs from Hereford’s very own Black Boxes, fresh cut jams from the Noisy Daughters and had everyone’s dancing feet on the go with a House set from DJ SMUT – a resident of Ibiza and Ministry of Sound DJ…AND to top it all off, a blasting drum and bass set from DJ CHOPPA. It was an unforgettable lineup! There was a little something for everyone. There were also visuals and performances happening throughout the night.

HCC: I am absolutely gutted I was unable to attend but friends who did attend loved it. I am pretty familiar with most of the live music performers such as Shannon, Molly and Black Boxes who happen to be one of my very favourite local bands. Love them all! And what an honour to have DJ SMUT come to support you from Ibiza! Amazing guys! Is art your main focus?

inSTALL8: It is my aspiration to become a working artist, but as Thomas Merton once said – “no man is an island” and all of the best artists only grow stronger with a community and this is what we are trying to create and achieve through inSTALL8. I think I can speak for all of us and really elaborate on the fact that no matter what happens, art will prevail. Artists view the world quite differently. Finding beauty and hope in the mundane is important, and also viewing the world with a critical and creative intent can open up plenty of opportunities for young people. I highly recommend attending a Fine Arts course – it opens your mind and enables you to engage with other like-minded individuals.

HCC: What a beautiful perspective Mairead. I can proudly say my daughter just switched her Psychology major to Fine Arts and I will share that thought with her. I agree that art is one of many wonderful ways to open your mind to a much more fulfilling perspective of the world.

What would you like to see happen in the arts community in 2017/2018 to give a platform to artists who choose to stay in Herefordshire rather than pursue their careers elsewhere?

inSTALL8: I think there is plenty going on for the art scene in Hereford – h.Art, Hereford Make, The Apple Store Gallery, De Koffee Pot, The Courtyard, The Canwood Gallery and Artsite3 among others are great spaces where artists can expand and exhibit their flourishing practices– The college itself is host to gifted students that will pave the future for the creative industry and firmly cement Hereford as a vibrant, artistic city.

HCC: I have been to many wonderful exhibitions in the city and hope that people get out more and enjoy them as well because art opens a window into an alternate reality. I wish all the members of inSTALL8 the best of luck in getting to Free Range London and may you all have an exciting creative future ahead of you.

I would like to thank Mairead McVeigh for making this interview possible and sharing the inSTALL8 story with us. Mairead is a wonderful musician, writer and artist. Look out for her performing live under the name Maddie Mew around the city of Hereford, and for her talented art, as well as, any upcoming inSTALL8 exhibitions and fundraisers.