The Exhibitions are finally up!!
The small to medium sized works are in Messum’s London, until the end of this week, the 5th. The large scale works are at Messums Wiltshire..until the 20th October..
There follows a hotch potch of photographs of the opening night at The Barn, which was a fantastic evening.. my thanks to the Gallery, for the dinner (catering for a hundred people on a wonderful long table) and for providing such a spectacular venue! and team!
There follows a number of shots taken by the ‘Steve Russell studio’ of the opening night..an informal talk and tour was ‘conducted’..!!
The gravitas the light leant to the work was amazing, I have to say it’s the most awe inspiring experience i’ve ever had with my work in a gallery space.,.. if you can call a 12th century Tithe barn a Gallery!
Phil Cairney’s excellent film ‘A gatherig of uncertainties’ about the making and the ideas behind the work was also screened for the first time….
Now the rest are my snaps taken on the phone.. so apologies all round.. except to Steve, who’s photo’s look even better now.. Here are the Sculptures on installation day ,with the strops still round their necks, perched on pallettes.
‘Arbour’ looked great.
Here are some shots of the London show, woefull I know, but you might get an inkling as to the atmosphere in the space, again this looked very special, the reconditioned floor, new wall colour (off white incase you can’t tell!! ) and the lighting really helped the work..
Notice my steel plinths.. It took a long time to design them..excuse the polystyrene on the floor, we’d just installed and hadn’t yet swept..
Its all been very well received, Thankyou all those that came to the opening and later to see the shows, apparently they’ve been coming in their hundreds over the weekends at the Barn!
This work joins the larger works at the barn after the 5th. It will be displayed in the long gallery and on the deck..
There is a final night event….a premiere, first screening of Bill Jacksons film ‘Man of Stones’ which tracks, traces and follows the making of the Man of Stones from clay to bronze.. its very poetic! followed by a dinner, so book ahead if you’d like to attend.
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OTHER NEWS
I’m off to North Lapland (Samiland) to work with Reindeer Herders tomorrow, Packing my bags tonight. I’m taking Bill Jackson (filmaker) and being led by Prof Piers Vitebsky, staying in tents in the snow.
I’m hoping to take what i’ve learnt from the Doncaster Mining project, and make portraits in wax of Herders and their families, whilst doing so, i’ll be interviewing them and Bill will be recording their testimonies on camera. The aim is to secure a record of these people at a time when their livilehoods and way of life are under threat. The process of portraiture acting as a catalyst for their stories, as the heads evolve so do the life stories. Its a pilot project, the first of many anthropological trips I hope to make with the same idea in mind. I might, in the end, have ammassed an archive of film of peoples stories and their likenesses in bronze.
Back at the studio, i’m working on orders for sculptures, really enjoying making a new ‘Borrowed Breath’ Here he is progressing over the week.
Finally just received this shot of a wrapped ‘Catcher’ being installed on a roof top in the middle of Melbourne, can’t wait to see it unwrapped!
Here he is on the ground, in Suffolk a couple of years ago.. last time I saw him!!
I’m doing a talk on the 10th of October to the Colchester Art society at Firstsite in Colchester look at their website for info..
And Bill Jacksons film is being screened at the Flipside festival at Henham Barns in Suffolk, on the 16th of November here’s the link,
http://www.flipsideuk.org/flipside-festival
Looks like a great festival, Robert Macfarlane and Stanley Donwood, are launching their new collaborative book ‘Ness’. Julia Blackburn and Jayne Iveimey discuss their Redlist bird project, Ken Warpole, George Szirtes and many others are featured..
See you soon.. with a Laplandish report.
