The last few weeks have been hectic with UCS having the Arts Faculty Degree Show quickly followed by the transfer to Free Range of the BA (Hons) Photography work. We also had or second ‘equals’ show open on the 13th June at Slack Space in Colchester with Free Range opening the following night. Add to that a ‘regenerateIpswich’ meeting, second visit to Slack Space, an inaugural meeting with Dig for a collaboration and SNIP and SNAP today and I am all showed out – oh and Keith Albarn’s work at the Minories this week in Colchester.

So where do I start?

equals

I’ll compare our ‘equals’ shows. As a team we had a smaller group  of exhibitors at Ipswich Art School , but we viewed the space beforehand and worked up a hanging plan based on complimentary placement. This worked very well with Colchester & Ipswich Museum staff arranging the labelling and lighting for us. With Slack Space, we worked our hang out on the basis of a supplied Google Sketchup type image. I physically visited the place but without a hanging diagram and although I feel I can think spatially, the drawing and the space did not stack up for me. We had some spare space that needed filling and as I had some work already framed, submitted them as extras. What a bad decision that was. They just do not work in the space. My four large ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ work well on bulldog clips but in hindsight only the two that hung in Ipswich should have been hung here, maybe three but the fourth somehow looks odd and ill at ease with the others. My 90cm coloured composite of 8 negatives is eye catching but does anyone viewing the gallery realise that it is my work? My fault maybe for having put too much in for the hang. We did not hang the work so maybe next time we get into Slack Space we will try and be there for the hang. The lighting in Ipswich Art School Gallery is very much superior though but then it is a full time publicly funded gallery. At the end of the day these two shows are our first public hangings so as a group we are really proud of what we achieved together. We will have a radical assessment of the good, bad and ugly aspects of what we did before hanging in our next space.

Free Range

The third year students that decided to hang in London had a massive space to fill, almost too much space for the work on display. I’m going on Monday to check out the new incumbents to assess how it will work for us next year.

Keith Albarn at the Minories

Just blew me away. My head was assaulted with the patterns and shapes and even more so given the mathematical explanations that sat alongside the works. It was a visitor to our meet the artists night at Slack Space who suggested I see his work for a correlation to my presentation of patterns and numbers. Fascinating work and a lovely space.

SNIP & SNAP

Both shows are taking place at Snape but in different locations. SNAP being the International display of artwork and SNIP being a fringe alternative within eye and earshot of Snape Maltings where the work of the great and the good is on show. We had some difficulty gaining entry to both sites owing to late opening problems but it was heartening to see people who had tried earlier in the day turn up later. I had seen some of the SNIP works as either completed items or under construction, and had rejected some as not right for a show I was curating, so it was interesting to see them in this Medieval barn. The piece that resonated most with me was Thomas Webster’s overgrown sandcastle, rope ladder and Stars & Stripes flag. It made me think of ‘D Day’ but scaling cliffs was more the domain of British forces so I suppose the work challenges me in that respect. Overall the curator has done a good job here and it is more accessible (once access was sorted) as all the works are under one roof.

The SNAP work always leaves me wondering about how some of the work gets selected and hung. We could not gain access to all the pieces as some facilities were still locked and this was after 1100 hours on the longest day. A bit more attention to the travelling public required here to ensure that such works are accessible at the stated opening times. SNAP HQ – take note. It would hurt to greet loyal visitors with some form of acknowledgement and at least have unlocked the secured exhibits by a reasonable hour.

I suppose Aldeburgh benefited form this time keeping issue in that we spent a fortune at the Chippy.

Dig  + =’s = echo

This was a good start to a collaborative exercise that was fuelled on the 1st May whilst viewing the Dig Radius show at The Framing Gallery in St Peter’s Street. Drink had been taken but the idea of a collaboration was sown that night and finally we got together in the Dove to discuss ideas and space. I hope we can get a good show off the ground.