Emma's Ouija Board Tea Towel for Bompas & Parr

Emma Rios spent last week designing and hand printing 100 limited edition Ouija Board tea towels for the latest Bompas & Parr show. The exhibition entitled Heavens to Murgatroyd in on now. Below is the press release:

Heavens to Murgatroyd!

Multidisciplinary mysticism

12 May – 1 July 2011.

Arts Gallery, University of the Arts London, 272 High Holborn, WC1V 7EY

Monday – Friday 11am – 6pm. Nearest tube Holborn

As England counts down to the ancient pagan celebration of the summer solstice, the Arts Gallery presents Heavens to Murgatroyd!, an exhibition that delves into shamanism cosmology, mysticism and the occult in an endeavour to investigate the unknown. Mike Ballard, Lindsey Bull, Bompas & Parr, Jess Littlewood and Joey Ryken invite you to explore an alternative interpretation of the universe through collage, painting, performance, video, sound and sculpture.

The allure of the mystical has long held sway over artists. From ancient civilisations’ depictions of mythical beasts and gods of the natural world, to talismans crafted throughout the centuries to ward off harm, and the Victorian Gothics’ fascination with all things supernatural, art has been used to explore, represent and embody alternative belief systems and their phenomena. The contemporary artists in Heavens to Murgatroyd! work across disciplines to interrogate the full spectrum of post-modern perspectives, from cynicism and intrigue, to sincere belief in a mystical experience of the world.

Spectacular culinary architects Bompas & Parr have had a life-long enthrallment with all things occult; for this exhibition they aim to revive the ultimate 19th century parlour game, the Ouija board. The duo have designed a limited edition Ouija board tea towel which will be for sale exclusively at the Arts Gallery; the tea towel will unite the domesticity of the humble tea towel with the supernatural functionality of a spirit key board, making the ability to communicate with the undead available to every home.