Don't be afraid! Its venue 101!

On Monday this week Carol Carey from SAW, Tim Martin from The Brewhouse, several recent arts graduates and I hung 'Transformations' at Somerset College. Running as a part of art weeks 2011, 'Transformation' features the work of eight artists/designers who have graduated from the college this year. They are; Nigel Banks (Fine Art), Marte Bless Liland (Interior Textiles & Surface Design), Rachel Davies (Fashion), Hazel Holman (Fine Art), Nichola Hunt (Interior Textiles & Surface Design), Gillian Jones (Fine Art), Sebastian King (Graphic Design) and Claire Parker (Fashion Textiles). In the words of the SAW catalogue info,

"Over the last 15 years the Arts and Design faculty at Somerset College has produced a large number of talented graduates in the fields of fashion, fine art, graphic design, textiles and surface design. 'Transformation' is an exhibition which celebrates the quality of the work produced by the graduates of 2011. The exhibition is supported by SAW's Curatorial Services, in partnership with the School of Art and Design, Somerset College."

I believe I wasn't alone in thinking that it is actually quite exciting to put together an exhibition where you have work from the different arts disciplines side by side. Whilst I'm from a Fine Art background (and still am) I definitely think that there is always a lot that artists can pick up in the way of ideas/surfaces/techniques from designers and vice versa. Of course Fine artists, Graphics/Fashion designers are all going to use these things differently, but generally and broadly speaking as visually minded people there are crossovers and similarities with much potential inspiration and idea sharing to be gained. Which....is what I am getting into saying, is why it is interesting to pick out the themes, connections, differences within this exhibition. The work was selected and curated with the graduates with that idea in mind. Please have a look and let me know what you think.

Hanging the show was a good experience and I am personally glad that I didn't have to hang the incredibly complex piece that was Marte's (first photo below). In fact all of the hanging was done by the graduates involved with Tim and Carol's assistance including the graphics done by Sebastian King. From my own experiences of graduating, now...um...two years ago, any opportunities like this to hang work, receive feedback and all the skills that would fit under the heading of 'professional practice' are really helpful, I'm still learning now.

Anyway. On with the show! Its up and ready to go, all the work is for sale and there's more to see than in the photos here (I didn't want to give too much away), but expect video art, photography, collage, fantastic felted body parts and more....

Please check it out!

And whilst you do, you can also go visit my exhibition over in the Conference Centre (to the left behind the art block) at the same time!

Marte Bless Liland (Interior textiles and surface design)
Hazel Holman (Fine Art)

Nigel Banks (Fine Art)

Rachel Davies (Fashion)

'Transformation' is in the Art weeks catalogue: Venue 101

Please click on the following link for opening times and further information:

http://www.somersetartworks.org.uk/venues/transformation-somerset-college-graduate-artists-exhibition

Also at Somerset College: Natalie Parsley 'Tool Tales' Venue 100

http://www.somersetartworks.org.uk/venues/natalie-parsley-tool-tales

Printing archives of the Somerset College print room...

Hi, with Art Weeks 2011 looming get used to lots of posts coming your way in the next few weeks. Take this post for example, a really brief but beautiful exhibition in the White Space at Somerset College featuring hundreds of prints from the print room archives, displayed 'Oh so neatly' by Ash Thomas (Somerset College's print room technical demonstrator). In fact it was so brief by the time you read this, it won't actually be up anymore. Which is a shame because, as my photos kind of show here, there was a lot of really interesting prints to see. Actually, SAW, Tim Martin and several students helped hang a new show (for art weeks!) in the space where these prints were hanging yesterday....more to come shortly on that exciting news.....
But for now, I know its late but I couldn't write about any other exhibitions until I paid a proper tribute to this awesome, less known about collection of prints. So please take a peak at the photos and enjoy!

(above) Personally, I was particularly excited to see a print of an umbrella -a favourite thing of mine to paint and draw in the past.
Wood-cut, lino, etching, silk screen, lithograph are just a few of the processes that were on display, but as you can see there's lots of variation on offer within those techniques.

More prints -abstract pieces to more figurative ones.

Natalie Parsley walks into a bar....not before going to an art exhibition

Helena Haimes -"It's the way I tell 'em"

Saturday 3rd September until Saturday 1st October

at The Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton Somerset

"Helena Haimes' exhibition brings together ideas around the British sense of humour and its connection to artistic movements. It examines and meditates upon the history of The Brewhouse as a place of laughter, comedy and comedic performance, as well as looking at how their aftermaths are formed, and how they inhabit the audience's memories."

That's what I read of the Brewhouse website prior to coming to visit this exhibition last Friday evening, and the image above is of me, recycling the Brewhouse invite into a 'snazzy' pair of cut-out glasses, after all 'Its the way I tell 'em' is surely meant to be all about humour isn't it? I thought so and upon seeing the work I can confirm it definitely has elements of humour in it, but its also (like a lot of comedy to some extent) got more going on in it than just a bunch of one liners. It's actually quite thoughtful and almost nostalgic in the way it is made up of three maquettes of the Brewhouse, past, present and future on which tiny projections of people run, act and walk across their surfaces. It is definitely fun to see and watch as each of the different projected characters stand and ponder or do different things in miniature form on the models of the Brewhouse, they're like borrowers or ghosts from time gone past, but either way it is very refreshing to see projectors used for such small details and in a playful way as to the large/square outdoor film projections that are becoming all too familiar. I have to add, though, that it did take me a while to work out that the maquettes were actually of the Brewhouse, and once I made that connection the characters projected on them seemed to make more sense and fit in with the context of a theatre being a site for acting/characters/projection etc.

In the image above, and projected on the 'present' Brewhouse is Helena (who incidentally plays all the parts in the piece -perhaps another way of alluding to ideas around performance/theatre) peeling and re-peeling a banana. I'm all for banana skins and comedy, but maybe this part of the installation was a bit lost on me and I actually preferred the novelty and surprise of waiting for the tiny projected people to come walking on screen.

The above image, showing 'the future' of the Brewhouse is slightly disturbing, maybe in the way that rocks and what looks to be tumble weeds could be read as meaning that the theatre is deserted and abandoned (let's hope not!). However in a topical kind of way, with the lack in arts funding perhaps this 'future' of the Brewhouse is a dig at what could happen if it isn't supported by the community. Still, like most comedy it doesn't take itself too seriously and can poke fun at current affairs if in its poking it also draws to light a potential problem.

Anyway, whilst this exhibition wasn't exactly the bundle of laughs that I had maybe anticipated it to be, there was still a lot of wit and fun to be had in the surprise and novel use of projectors. I think that I would have liked to see the characters in the projections maybe do more than just walk, or stand and look around, but still loved watching and waiting for them to arrive. It certainly held my attention.

For now its time to make like a chicken and cross the road. I'll see you on the other side!

Venue 94 in the SAW catalogue or for more details visit: http://www.somersetartworks.org.uk/venues/brewhouse-theatre-and-arts-cent
Visit on Wednesday 21st September, 6pm for an 'artists talk' as Helena will be discussing the work and about her residency at The Brewhouse.

http://www.thebrewhouse.net/exhibitions/1157/its-the-way-i-tell-em