An exhibition of over 700 cardboard boxes is showing at the University of Central Lancashire.

State of Print is touring the country, with artists at each stop adding boxes to represent a new ‘state’. During the Preston show, 10 print-making artists from UCLan have contributed by printing their own designs on to boxes that are set out in the exhibition space.

The exhibition has already been to Aberdeen, Dundee and Norwich, and plans are in place to take it to Europe and Australia.

The idea is for the boxes to provide a backdrop for commentary from artists on a variety of topics, such as governments, refugees, borders between countries, Brexit, and other more personal messages.

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When members of the public visit the exhibition, they are invited to become members of the new ‘state’ to fully immerse themselves in the experience.

Noelle Noonan is one of the print-making artists behind the project. She said: “The state is growing all the time as we invite new artists to contribute to it.

“Print has always had political roots, with posters and newspapers acting as vehicles to share messages well before the internet. We want visitors to get amongst the boxes in the exhibition and really think about what society means to them.”

Fellow organiser Catherine Hehir added: “The exhibition is also a celebration of all forms of printmaking from some very talented artists, so it’s a very visual experience.”

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Tracy Hill, Research Associate from Artlab Contemporary print studios at UCLan, is responsible for bringing the exhibition to the city.

She said: “We’re really excited to bring State of Print to UCLan.

“It’s not just an exhibition, it’s a thought experience and is a reaction against what the founding artists Catherine Hehir, Noelle Noonan, Paul Harrison and Scott Hudson and the current collective of 71 citizens see as inflexible global powers.

“State of Print reimagines what it means to create and be a part of a collective power.”

The tour is funded under GB18 Culture Ireland with a special focus on Irish artistic activity in Britain.

State of Print will be at UCLan until Thursday 13 December in the Harrington and Greenbank Social Space. It’s open weekdays from 9am to 6pm, and is free to attend. For more information visit stateofprint.com.

Will you be going to State of Print? Let us know in the comments below.