Crunchtime2010 - week long art initiative in York, from January 29

“Global concerns are increasingly on the minds of everyone,” says York artist Graham Martin, who is also the event director. “By using empty shops as galleries and the city’s sites and streets for projects, Crunchtime2010 aims to present a snapshot of artists’ responses to the issues of living in the early 21st century.

“Calls have gone out around the world and artists have responded generously from Senegal, Cameroon, Egypt, Bosnia and Germany. Six of the artists in our exhibition programme have shown at the Venice Biennale, and we’re pleased to showcase quality work from the Yorkshire region and overseas.”

Exhibiting artists will include Marco Bagnoli and Vittantonio Russo, from Italy; Steingrimur Eykford, from Iceland; Sean Hillen, from Ireland; Laila Shawa, from Palestine; Mladen Miljanovic, from Bosnia; Samba Fall and Guy Wouete, both from Senegal; and Grace Ndiritu, and Conrad Atkinson, from Britain. “Crunchtime is a truly great effort and has an interesting and diverse line-up,” says Conrad.

Nine Yorkshire artists will be participating too, while Free International University, a social and environmental group from Amsterdam, will be Crunch-time’s artist-in-residence.

Lucrezia De Domizio Durini, a curator from Italy, will pay her own way to York to convene a public debate on global issues.

Full details of artists, projects and Crunchtime diary can be found at crunchtime2010.org

Graham is pleased at the involvement of more than 25 Icelandic artists, who will be contributing a collective work entitled Crunchbox.

“It’s been specially made for Crunchtime in a project co-ordinated by Steingrimur Eykford,” he says. “The outside of the box features photos of the artists while their works are inside.”

The Crunchtime organisers’ appeal for empty shops or premises has come up trumps: Robert Teed and Paula Jackson’s newly opened New School House Gallery, in Peasholme Green, will form Gallery One, while Ben Hudson, of York estate agents Hudson Moody, has arranged for two floors of 5, High Petergate, to become Gallery Two, where Free International University will be based too.

The FIU will use it as a project space to show texts, videos and works from their world university collection, and the artists in residence also will plant a tree and place a stone in York as part of the worldwide project 7000 Oaks.

Equally important to the progress of the Crunchtime initiative has been the funding support of Arts Council England and the City Of York Council, while the website is being supported financially by Creative York.

Volunteers are still needed to help staff the event. “If you have a day spare and want to be involved, please contact me on 01904 631197 or via email to g.martin3337@student.leedsmet.ac.uk,” says Graham.