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THE BOX

 

A MANIFESTO

FROM CANAL BOAT

CONTEMPORARY

The Box is our reclaimed noticeboard attached to the side of a canal boat — a miniature, mobile gallery showing new contemporary art each week.

CBC, 20th May 2025

1. If Art Hangs in an Empty Room, Who Hears It?

Opera sings to chandeliers. If art wants to matter, it has to leave the palace.

 

2. Mobility Is Power

We moor up. We don’t ask for permission.

We resist fixed power structures and take art to different places and contexts.

 

3. The Circle is Too Tight

We’re all speaking, nodding, showing — but always to each other. The Box is a window turned outward — away from the art world — for new eyes. It’s for someone walking their dog.

 

4. The Feed is a Loop in a Dream

Swipe. Like. Post. Repeat.

The Box is outside the feed. It appears — in rain, under trees — and stays for a week.

The Box puts art in the real, shared space of the city.

 

5. This Is Not Guerrilla

The Box is a consistent frame — a gallery in miniature. It doesn’t just appear and disappear. It returns, evolves, builds trust. People know to look for it.

The Box is a disruption — but not a fleeting one. It’s a rhythm.

 

6. The Wind Is Part of the Work

The frame is not just a context — it’s a collaborator.

A siren blares. A pigeon lands. A child asks a question. That’s the piece now.

 

7. The Small Door Leads to a Big Room

The Box is modest, but powerful. A single painting on the towpath can shake you to the core.

 

8. A Tiny Earthquake in the Pavement

It won’t fix the art world. But it might tilt it — just a little.

A new thought. A crack in the loop.

 

9. Don’t Apply — Multiply

We don’t want your submissions. We want doppelgängers. Copy us. This idea wants to spread like moss. All you need is a frame no one’s using. A window everyone passes.

The Box is permission.

Do you want to do your own box? We're happy to share our experiences with you.

 

Reach out to us at info@canalboatcontemporary.com

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