The Revolve:R Project


Revolve:R was initiated by Sam Treadaway and Ricarda Vidal in 2011 as a multidisciplinary and international arts collaboration. The project explores a transmission of ideas through collaborative forms of communication, from the physical and tactile to the digital and intangible, in which contemporary artists, poets, filmmakers, and musicians, create original artworks, poetry, films, music and soundscapes in response to a series of artworks and the collective work.

Each Revolve:R edition is formed of six Revolves (forming six ‘chapters’ within the bookwork publications) all of which each follow the same pattern whereby an artwork – created by Sam Treadaway – is shared with invited artists who then respond with an artwork by a specific date. Therefore the initial artwork sets in motion a multitude of alternative creative responses reflecting various ways of reading, interpretation and responding. The collective artworks of each Revolve then form the basis for further works including poetry, films, songs + soundscapes. The complete works of each Revolve:R edition is published as a limited-edition bookwork, most recently Revolve:R, edition four (Arrow Bookworks, 2023). 

Revolve:R is intended as a vehicle for new and responsive artistic communication and interaction. As a multidisciplinary site and source for experimentation, exchange and creative development, the project actively supports the practice of all contributors. With an original focus on contemporary collaborative practice Revolve:R aims to facilitate and develop communications between artistic disciplines and national and international arts communities, thus initiating working relationships and friendships which can transcend linguistic and geographic boundaries both now and in the future.


Revolve:R, edition four (Arrow Bookworks, 2023)

Works by: Sam Treadaway, Ricarda Vidal, Portia Winters, Eva Wang, Alicia Torres, Sébastien Théraulaz, Kate Street, Daniel Smedley, Kelsey Skordal, SHEARglass, Matt Rowe, Jessica Michelle Le Roux, Pietro Reviglio, Bernd Reichert, Juneau Projects, Mika Plutitskaya, Liza Neklessa, John Matthias, Domingo Martínez, Lovegrove, Will Kendrick, Karl Katschthaler, IAM13e, Sarah Hinds, Alice Hendy, Heather Harvey, Emmy the Harp, Kailum Graves, Georgie Grace, Patrick Galway, Sève Favre, ELAWIATR, Gen Doy, Amy Dickson, Charmagne Coble, Diana Ali. 

See: Shop

Revolve:R, edition three (Arrow Bookworks & Intellect Books, Bristol, UK / Chicago, USA, 2018)

Works by: Portia Winters, Alastair Whitton, Emmanuelle Waeckerle, Sipke Visser, Ricarda Vidal, Sam Treadaway, The Travelling Band, Shireen Taylor, Rebecca Tantony, Kate Street, Glen Stoker, Alexander Stevenson, Emmanuel Spinelli, Daniel Smedley, Seán Slemon, David Shillinglaw, Solveig Settemsdal, Laura Santamaria, Natasha Rosling, Juneau Projects, Pietro Reviglio, Alexandros Pissourios, Heather McClelland, Julie McCalden, Chris McCabe, Harry Man, Anna Mace, Sharon Kivland, Will Kendrick, Hayden Kays, Tom Jenks, Peter Hoiß, Debora Hirsch, Katrin Hanusch, Georgie Grace, Steven J Fowler, Stephanie Douet, Amy Dickson, Holly Corfield Carr,
Anna Cady, Sophie Bullock, The Bookshop Band, Kelly Best, Emilie Atkinson,
Tabatha Andrews, Maria Anastassiou.

Revolve:R, edition two (Arrow Bookworks, 2015)

Works by: Alastair Whitton, Ricarda Vidal, Linnea Vedder, Sam Treadaway, Clare Thornton, Kate Street, Daniel Smedley, David Shillinglaw, Solveig Settemsdal, Laura Santamaria, Matt Rowe, James Rigler, Pietro Reviglio, Bernd Reichert, RAMMATIK, One Five West, Juneau Projects, Julie McCalden, John Matthias, Domingo Martínez, Anna Mace, Sharon Kivland, Hayden Kays, Peter Hoiß, Alice Hendy, Verena Hägler, Patrick Galway, Steven J Fowler, Stephanie Douet, Todd DiCiurcio, Emma Cocker, Anna Cady, Richard Broomhall, Oscar Bandtlow, Maria Anastassiou, Diana Ali.

Revolve:R, edition one (Arrow Bookworks, 2013)

Works by: Ricarda Vidal, Linnea Vedder, Sam Treadaway, Clare Thornton, Emily Speed, Matt Rowe, Bernd Reichert, Domingo Martínez, Leila Peacock, Antun Maračić, Alice Hendy, Verena Hägler, Patrick Galway, Todd DiCiurcio, Emma Cocker, Oscar Bandtlow, Diana Ali.

Revolve:R editions now feature within major public collections worldwide including: 
Tate Artists’ Book Collection, Tate Britain, London, UK / MoMA Artists’ Book Collection, New York City, New York, USA / The British Library, London, UK / The National Poetry Library, Southbank Centre, London, UK / National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland / The Bodleian Library, Oxford, UK / National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, Wales / Cambridge University Library, Cambridge, UK  / The Library of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland / Newark Public Library, New Jersey, USA / Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, UK / Goldsmiths School of Art, London, UK / The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA / California Institute of the Arts, San Francisco, California, USA / Pratt Institute, New York City, New York, USA / MIT, Massachusetts, USA / The Neil Crawford Collection, London, UK / The Sutton Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK / Artphilein Editions & Choisi Gallery, Lugano, Switzerland, CH / amongst other public and private collections. 

The project has also received funding or in-kind support from galleries and cultural organisations including: 
Modus Operandi Art Consultants, London, UK / Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK / James Hockey & Foyer Galleries, Farnham, UK / Ceri Hand Gallery, London, UK / Spike Island, Bristol, UK / Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol, UK / a-n, UK / Axisweb, UK / Visual Arts South West, UK. Thanks to all.