Featuring works made using linocut, stencil, paint, biro and musical instruments among other formats and techniques, the exhibition presented a series of unique soundtracked collage installations designed to encourage viewers to zone out for a few minutes and immerse themselves. It includes an expansive selection of drawings and paintings by Ato, Elias Ame, Hannah Swinfield, Maxwell Brook and Harry Miles, whom Ato calls “stalwart nodes in the local creative slime-mold”.

Ato encouraged the audience to “Slip on a pair of headphones and listen while viewing a picture or scribble some art on the comment wall. We hope people will remember this peculiar collection of images and noises for weeks to come!”

Planning for the exhibition started in early 2022 when Ato, a local musician, began work on a series of collages as album art, which morphed into an installation aimed to induce a kind of meditative dissociation using dense detail and eclectic ambient soundtracks. Eventually this snowballed into a bigger showcase of surreal art. Then, thanks to a grant from The Leap the exhibition team were able to extend the original launch event on Saturday 7th September into a free three act concert featuring some of the best UK hardcore bands.

Ato says: “The first creative outing of its kind for the team, the exhibition’s orchestration has been a unique learning experience, and has helped contributors struggling with mental illness find an invaluable outlet, whilst simultaneously promoting cooperation between local independent creatives.”