Mixed Summer Exhibition - Byard Art
Beckie Reed -The Enchanted Woodland where the Leaves Dance
True to its name, Byard Art’s annual Mixed Summer Exhibition offers an eclectic mix of styles and media, with work by over 50 artists’ displayed on a revolving basis. Alongside new work by Byard stalwarts Felicity Keefe, Elisabeth Lecourt, Lee Madgwick, Rebecca Merry, Beckie Reed, Kevin Safe, Martha Winter and Chris Wood, the show introduces two exciting new photographers to the gallery:
Richard Heeps Local photographer Richard Heeps is equally at home recording vestiges of Rockabilly culture in contemporary America and the eerie beauty of the Fens. While the subject matter may be diverse, his stamp is distinctive and has its roots in a way of looking at the world taught to him by his father in his childhood, which Richard describes as “a View of the Fens from the Car with Wings”: ‘In the late 1960s, my father used to drive the whole family to the Fens north of Cambridge every Sunday afternoon. These outings in the car became a pilgrimage of sorts: a journey to another land. There was no direction or intent to the different routes that we journeyed along, we were simply responding to the landscape; exploring what seemed exciting at the moment. We called these weekly excursions “Fen Hunting” as we noticed over time a wide variety of unusual landscape features. We were looking for things that broke the vast horizon: the shrinkage of Fenland peat and Bog Oaks, scarecrows, and the subsidence of houses cracking and exposing the foundations. From the confines of the car, the world was framed for our view. We felt as though the car was leading the way, taking us here and there through some desire or instinct of it’s own. We went along for the ride with a spirit of curiosity and adventure. When the car stopped, we would step out and experience the magnificent views, no longer restricted by the frames of the windows. At night, the car became a ship that safely contained us and carried us back across the Fenland Sea. Looking back, these early, aimless drives may have been the start of my photographic apprenticeship. When my father left the car to take photographs, I sat in the back creating imaginary images of my own. Since then, I have returned to the Fens with my camera for many different projects, but I always seem to take pictures from the position of being contained in my own car (one very similar to my father’s) as I had done as a child. While the Fens may have changed over the years, my own experience of them has been one of unbroken continuity. I have been, and still am, exploring the unique fabric of the place from within the Car with Wings.’ All of Richard’s photographs are hand-printed, limited editions.
David Anthony Hall David Anthony Hall produces massive, panoramic landscape photographs, mounted onto acrylic, in sizes up to 3 meters or 9ft 8 inches long. He can spend weeks, even years waiting for the right light and environment to take his photographs in. Last year he took some 16,000 exposures and only turned 13 into prints. In a good way, his attention to detail is bordering on obsessive which includes, among other things, returning to a location a year later from when he found it. “The work I exhibit gives me a huge sense of accomplishment and fulfilment. Put simply; 'This is exactly what I should be doing.' My unique creative vision is about more than just a beautiful image. My interest lies in capturing the natural environment that exudes presence of a powerful past. Intent on connecting an anthropological and geographical history to expose a sense of mystery and wonder, my work envelops and compels. My creative vision is to reveal the force, power and harmony in the nature, mindful of the tenuous balance between man and the environment. I am revealing the force, power and harmony in nature to the exclusion of man, sometimes because of man and often in spite of man. My work represents my emotional attachment to the forces on our planet and our fleeting presence on it, by rousing the emotions and connecting us with the beauty found in it. I want to create work that is as engaging to the viewer as it was the moment I pictured. The large-scale nature of my work opens up a wide space for my audience to reflect upon, explore and transpose into. I revisit locations over a period of days, months and even years as I wait for the elements; sun or moon, high tides, spring leaves to flower or autumn to peak. For this reason all of the work I show has equal importance. This purposeful approach can result in planning shoots years in advance, and affords me the best possible chance of capturing and conveying the beauty of our rich and diverse natural environment. I am forever humbled by the forces that have made it so and its contrast to the frailty of human existence and just how much one takes for granted.”
Small collectables or the perfect souvenir
It’s not just the work on the walls that’s worth looking at. For the show also includes unique handmade jewellery, pottery, ceramics and mixed-media craft pieces to suit all budgets:
David Rhys Jones’s ceramic photographs are the ideal souvenir of Cambridge – original contemporary art that is portable and can either be hung on a wall or used as an ornament. His Cambridge pieces are the latest in a series of works based upon journeys by the artist. The viewer’s attention is brought to focus upon a selection of intriguing details of the surroundings, which together build a sense of narrative of this journey. The images are transferred onto ceramics, often into small ‘filmstrip’ pieces, each a recording of a moment during the artist’s exploration of these places. Mark Smith creates evocative tabletop pieces inspired by boats, wrecks and beach life from a combination of press-moulded clay, metal and salvaged wood.
Anthony Edmonds’s blue and white majolica comes in a range of hand-painted patterns that can mix and match beautifully or function as one-off pieces. The jugs are particularly striking when filled with flowers.
Helen Brown’s colourful, hand-decorated earthenware is inspired by the rural surroundings of her Suffolk workshop, particularly blackbirds, hares, hens and the fruits grown in local orchards. Starting at £20 for eggcups, her range includes spoons, salt vessels, jugs and mugs in addition to her ever-popular platters.
The Mixed Summer exhibition will evolve over the summer so don't be surprised to find new pieces on display if you visit more than once. It continues until 5 September 2010. http://www.byardart.co.uk/
