A moment of reflection

Whatever form art takes, it always includes time for thinking.  Textile artists are always asked "how long did that take?" but rarely does anyone ask "how much thinking did you do to get that result?" Sadly stitching is often admired for dexterity and patience before intellectual content.

Conceptual and installation art is very much about thinking - and last Saturday I discovered a work that was particularly powerful in that respect.  The work Skylights is an installation piece by Ken Wilder, set in an old Victorian building of the remains of the London Foundling Hospital.  Two pyramidal roof lights have been set into the ceilings and are set to be at their best at noon or with the evening sun, when the light reflects straight down on to the pool of water below visually doubling the space.  Unable to visit at noon I was still able to watch the light reflect off the water as well as the remains of the glass tiled walls.  The walls had been painted, but the artist has removed what paint he could to reveal their original texture.  

Although offered a chance to splash in the water, a return to work after a lunch break meant I had to decline.  However, the artist himself was happy to walk through the pool making the surface ripple and the reflections shimmer.

The blue light coming from one of the ceiling pieces looked like neon light but was in fact the effect of light shining through the tarpaulin covering the room.  

As beautiful as the light and reflections were, there was another important reflection for this work. which related to its previous use - the building was originally the children's mortuaries.  I knew the boys and girls had been separated in life (until well into the 20th century) but had not realised that they had also been separated in death.  The building is due for demolition but the installation has meant it has been fully documented.  It will be replaced by the new Queen Elizabeth II Centre allowing Coram to help more disadvantaged children and families.  This work seemed a fitting tribute to the unknown lives who would have rested here with no family to mourn their passing.

So although not a very textile focused blog it does emphasise an aspect of textile art often forgotten, at a time when reflection and remembrance are particularly important as tomorrow's centenary commemorations highlight.

E.A.S.T at Teddington

It is always interesting to see old work in a new venue, and sometimes it is the limitations of the venue that means work has to be displayed differently.  This is the case for my own work currently part of the E.A.S.T group exhibition, Between the Lines at the Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington. Previously my work had been hung against a wall, but this was not so easily done at this particular venue.  The exhibiting area is a vast space for all our work, being a decommissioned church - a huge one at that, but a beautiful space for an exhibition that is fundamentally about remembrance. My friend Melinda kindly supplied a pole, and the work was very carefully displayed by another friend Susan.  On Tuesday it was my first opportunity to see the exhibition in its new setting as Susan, Carol and myself were booked for a talk about our work at the gallery.

My piece, Treasure, Hope and Friendship, relates to three women who in small ways made a big difference to the lives of many during WW1.  Lady Smith-Dorrien set up a charity (The Lady Smith-Dorrien Hospital Bag Fund) to make small drawstring bags - essential repositories officially for personal documents that had been getting lost in the hospital stations.  The bags also became places for wounded soldiers to hold "treasures" - a bible, a gift from home, a letter, a photo even tiny teddy bears.  My bags, displayed in a line, reference the fact that it was a line of work that made the charity successful - from stitcher to a collection point, then transported and distributed to the various hospital ships and stations.

The Times newspaper frequently reported on the bags - how plain ones got lost so they had to be replaced (hopefully by a floral one, made from old curtaining), how some were embroidered with messages of hope, how men traumatised by war found comfort in their own personal treasures safely held together in a simple cotton bag.

The other two women I researched were Lena Ashwell, actress, who brought Shakespeare and other theatre to the Front Line, and Maud Grieve, herbalist.  When supplies were short people once again returned to old remedies and Mrs Grieve was able to advise through leaflets and training on how to safely use herbal medicines.  Consequently most bags has an embroidered herb, with text explaining its medicinal use and a quote from Shakespeare.

Landmark Arts Centre is a lovely venue with lovely staff and it has been a pleasure to work with them.  On Sunday (26 June 2016) it is the Teddington Fair and alongside E.A.S.T are running drop in workshops (free from noon until 4pm) under the title Ready, Steady, Stitch - although we have some paper activities too.  The exhibition will be open to view while we are there - and stays until 10 July 2016.

Two trips to The Tate

I have never had to queue to get into Tate Modern before, but yesterday was a very special day.  I was one of the lucky few (or should that read "lucky many") who were allowed in to the Members' Preview event before the public opening of the new Switch House.  The sun was shining, the queue moved quickly and there seemed to be a feeling of excitement as we waited our turn to get through the doors.

The building is very industrial in design but there are plenty of seats and space, particularly on the first level up where I found the new "Between Object and Architecture" gallery.  I was especially pleased to see a large number of works by women artists, and work I had not seen on display at the gallery before.  Throughout the Switch House there were also a lot of textile pieces.  On Level 3 I found the "Performer and Participant" gallery, the first piece of which was a display of Suzanne Lacey's The Crystal Quilt (1985-7), which includes a traditional patchwork quilt alongside images (still and film) of the performance work itself.  This floor also included a whole room of work by Rebecca Horn's body sculptures - exploring ideas of contact between individuals and their environment.  On Level 4, as well as the "Living Cities" gallery, there was an Artist Room dedicated to the later works of Louise Bourgeois, many of which are textile pieces.

Trying to take in the new building, the new art works, the new type of spaces for art (such as The Tanks) - it definitely needs more than one visit.  It was quite refreshing to go to the very top of the Switch House and its viewing gallery.  Not only was it a chance to get some fresh air, I was able to enjoy a new view over London.

I was in fact very pleased that only a couple of weeks ago I had visited the "old" Tate Modern for the Mona Hatoum retrospective - it too has many elements of embroidery and weaving (though often using unusual materials such as hair or pasta).  Hatoum's work can be political but also very thought provoking and I had planned a second visit.  However I thought after walking from Liverpool Street Station, all the walking in the Switch House, all the up and down of the stairs, it would be better to return another day.  Particularly as when I last visited I also discovered that the Boiler House (what used to be the whole Tate Modern building) had been completely re-organised, so that too seems like a new set of galleries.

If there was a drawback to the day, it was the fact that due to the popularity of the event, I never got to try out the lifts - they were always full and there were always queues.  Oh my poor knees!

Childhood, Consciousness, Collage and Collectives

Yesterday was a real mix of a day - nostalgia, creativity, and plenty to think about.  It started with a visit to the V&A Museum of Childhood.  On entering the museum I came across an exhibition on Indian Warli painting in The Tales We Tell - Warli Painting.  An ancient technique, traditionally applied to walls (usually by women), the exhibition showed work by contemporary artists, who are keeping the tradition alive. Additionally a project with local school children introducing them to the technique was also on show.  From a distance these works (on paper and canvas) had a lace like quality, and warranted careful viewing as they are full of details about everyday life (see below).

(Below) - part of the collaborative project by local school children.

Also at the museum at the moment is a small exhibition that was really an excuse for nostalgia, Clangers, Bagpuss & Co.  All the clangers are there with the soup dragon and the iron chickens, Bagpuss and friends and the Pogles. Some original art work for Ivor the Engine and Noggin the Nog is on display too.

The last exhibition I visited at this museum was very different.  It told the story of children sent abroad in the 18th-20th centuries usually to Canada or Australia, and something I had a personal interest in through my family history - On Their Own: Britain's Child Migrants, was a sad but important story.

From Bethnal Green, I travelled to Euston Square, to see an exhibition at the Wellcome Collection - States of Mind: Tracing the Edges of Consciousness. Although not a textile related exhibition, it does relate to creativity.  The exhibition combines scientific and cultural explorations on what consciousness is, how it has been understood in the past and how some of our understanding can be explored artistically.  I was particularly interested in the section on synaesthesia and discovered that letter-colour training can be learnt.  Part way through my visit an announcement came across of a free collage workshop in the Reading Room, and I decided that would be the next thing I would explore.

I had never visited the Reading Room of the Wellcome Collection before and that in itself was a worthwhile discovery - a cross between a library, a gallery, a place to relax and to learn.  The tutor for the workshop (Elaine Duigenan) gave us a brief introduction to some simple collage techniques, provided all the materials and then let us play.  I could have stayed longer if I did not have an appointment to meet a friend elsewhere.

(Below and at top of page - my work from the drop in session.)

My last port of call was the Foundling Museum.  My friend and I had a whirlwind trip around Found, but our real reason for visiting was an evening event.  United We Stand: Artists and Collective Action was a discussion on why artists collaborate, who they might collaborate with and what collective working can achieve.  The panel consisted of Iwona Blazwich, Director of the Whitechapel Gallery, Dr Tanya Harrod, an independent design historian, Louise Jury from the Creative Industries Federation and artist Bob and Roberta Smith.  All spoke very eloquently on the importance of art, not just as something that enhances life, but as an essential that is good for society in general. The importance of craft skills and manual dexterity was highlighted - not just for craftsmen and women, but for surgeons and dentists.  I was reminded of the exhibition at the Wellcome exploring the connections between body and mind.  I was also interested to learn of the dental surgeon who sends her students to drawing classes - to teach them to look.  

Collaboration has in the past been used by artists to explore the possibility of Utopian societies or change art in radical ways.  Nowadays it is more often about challenging government and society in general about the importance of art and creativity, not least of which for improved health and economy.  It is something we should all think about.

On Their Own: Britain's Child Migrants continues until 12 June 2016

Clangers, Bagpuss & Co continues until 9 October 2016

The Tales We Tell: Indian Warli Painting continues until 6 November 2016

All the above, at the V&A Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green are free.

States of Mind: Tracing the Edges of Consciousness continues until 16 October 2016

The Wellcome Collection is also free - there are two permenant galleries, and another temporary exhibition that are also free.  Drop in sessions in the Reading Room are not always advertised in advance, but the room itself is free to visit when the galleries are open.

Found at the Foundling Museum continues until 4 September 2016 - admission charge applies; see website for details.

What I Found at The Foundling

Having found the Foundling Museum several years ago as a source of inspiration for my own textile work (as above*), and now a place of work, I am probably more than a bit biased when recommending their temporary exhibitions. However, their exhibition Found, curated by Cornelia Parker is, I think, one of their best.  

Over 60 artists have contributed with either found objects or work that relates to the subject of things found (and lost).  Many of the pieces on display are quite ordinary things, (some are literally rubbish), but each one has a remarkable story.  Several pieces are textiles or look like textiles, so as this is a textile themed blog I will highlight these first:

In the entrance hall is Yinke Shonibare's Trumpet Boy, beautifully dressed in bright African style fabrics and a found trumpet, almost heralding the visitors' arrival.  In the introductory gallery, Sue Pritchard has contributed fragments of her grandfather's old sailor suit alongside a photo and spade - telling a story of how they have become a symbol of love and hardship.  Laura Ford found items on her daily school run, which she used to create Glove Boy - who is now exploring the first floor landing (and I'm sure comes alive at night).  In the main exhibition area, Tacita Dean says she found an embroidery - although it is actually a woven fabric, (or perhaps this is a case of post-modern irony?)  Gavin Turk's Nomad looks like a fabric sleeping bag hiding its occupant, but is in fact made of bronze.

But there are also several other (non-textile) works that I feel I should mention - Anthony Gormley's Iron Baby, alone in an empty room has been picked out as the favourite of many visitors as is Dad's Stick a video work (and paint stick) by John Smith, which I found very moving. Ron Arad's 1951 is, like the paper note tokens, a collection of people's lives barely known.  Probably the tiniest exhibit is a piece of Hans Christian Anderson's blotting paper.

This is an exhibition to make you sad, to make you laugh, to make you think.  As was said on a recent review of the exhibition (BBC Radio 4's Saturday Review), it is also an exhibition to make you look and make you read - to make you explore.  It is worth taking time to read the labels; perhaps have a cup of coffee/tea halfway through.  It is not an exhibition you can appreciate with a quick view. Personally, I think this is one exhibition not to be missed.  

The Found exhibition continues until 4 September 2016.  The Foundling Museum is open Tuesday-Sundays and can be found at Brunswick Square, London, WC1N.  Full adult admission fee - £10.25 (check website for concessions) - children free.  

Lovely cafe too.

*my work displayed at The Crypt Gallery, St Pancras Church in 2013, and relating to research into the life of Margaret Larney, a story I found of a mother who left two children at the Foundling Hospital in the 1750s, whilst she was in Newgate Jail.  (Photo by Andrew Willis.)