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Meet Griffics, the artist making the world a more playful place

As July’s E17 Art Trail approaches, Artillery’s Penny Rutterford meets Griffics for a sneak preview of his latest project, Trash Talking… One of Sam […]By Waltham Forest Echo

Sam aka Griffics (Credit: Laura Martinez Da Silva)
Sam aka Griffics (Credit: Laura Martinez Da Silva)

As July’s E17 Art Trail approaches, Artillery’s Penny Rutterford meets Griffics for a sneak preview of his latest project, Trash Talking…

One of Sam Griffiths’ (aka Griffics) most precious memories of taking part in the last E17 Art Trail was watching his young son appointing himself as a guide for visitors to his exhibition.

And as Griffics’ art is all about creating playful products, artwork and workshops – it’s little wonder that his upcoming project for the 2021 Art Trail, Trash Talking, has taken inspiration from his now eleven-year-old.

Sam explains: “I think play is a really important part of our lives. It helps us think more flexibly, engage with the world more positively. It’s active, it’s how we learn about the world and I think it’s one of the best ways to help shape it. It helps make us more curious and curious people ask more questions and value truth over easy answers.”

Engaging with the world around us – even with our immediate neighbours, friends or family – has been a challenge over the last year, as we’ve been forced to retreat into our homes.

But during the first lockdown, Sam went on a mission to help his son and all his school friends unleash any pent-up creativity, through an online art club. Move over, Grayson Perry!

“Our boy was very helpful in the running of our art sessions and in providing timely and honest feedback,” he shares. “I asked the kids to find some small scrap of rubbish and to make a drawing that incorporated the scrap, by turning it into something or by extending the lines, colour or texture of the scrap. I loved what the kids produced in all these sessions, there were always surprises.”

Sam is now planning to show a series of his own ‘drawings’.

“For these drawings I went on lockdown walks looking for promising scraps. I was looking for things that had distinctive colour, shape or texture. Often they already kind of looked like something.

“I’m hoping that I can find a suitable outside space to exhibit, returning the scraps to the street where they came from – but altered.”

To find out more about Sam’s next projects, visit Griffics’ official website

For information about the trail, visit E17 Art Trail’s official website


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