Just around the corner from us, Eastside Projects has been putting on some of the most interesting, challenging and fun art exhibitions in Birmingham for the past five years. As we recently celebrated our first birthday, and they are celebrating their fifth this week, we wanted to create something that reflects both organisations and celebrates our milestones. Gavin from Eastside projects and I have had many conversations about Birmingham, creativity and different ways of approaching life, art and business, and it's fair to say that Eastside Projects and PROVIDE share a childlike disregard for how things are 'meant' to be done. Impossible is a challenge rather than an obstacle, and we tend to believe that unrealistic goals should be pursued.
Photo (c) An Endless Supply
The gallery has a billboard above its entrance which changes regularly, and a recent iteration designed by Digbeth-based design studio An Endless Supply featured a quote from Nelson Mandela, "It always seems impossible until it's done", surrounded by various shims. I had no idea what a shim was, so Robin from An Endless Supply explained all:
The 'shim' is a small plastic wedge that you stick in between or underneath stuff to give yourself a bit of space. Each colour is a different thickness in millimetres. So a red one might give you 5mm of space a blue one 10mm. Harry and I worked at Eastside about 3 years ago and these were constantly in use during installation. Putting up two bits of MDF next to each other, bung a 5mm between them, then nail gun them in place pull your shim out and you've got a small but accurate gap between them allowing for expansion or what have you!
An Endless Supply then developed this concept for a T-shirt design which features Mandela's quote made up of loads of little shims, with small Eastside Projects and PROVIDE logos on the back. Get one here, and be reminded that whatever you're up against, if there's a will, there's a way!