Capability Brown 300 exhibition at Syon Park July 2016

Design work by Ian Estevens 

Well here we are in June and I must admit running a little behind from our original plan to be open for May, but on the plus side things are coming together quite smoothly. 

One of the reasons we have been delayed was that we had to wait for the roof to be installed. 

It's now in situ and looking great!

Here are some images of the space a few months ago.

And here is the brand new roof...

The seating has been removed the hanging baskets have been cleared and the walls are being built around the entire space to create an open light environment. 
The fence at the front entrance will be removed which will also help to create the illusion of space and the signage will be moved to the outside entrance. 

Brian kindly prepared a few samples for the walls, the idea is to keep it light by using a birch ply treated with Danish oil to help waterproof the surfaces and protect against rain. 
Although we have the roof the space is still partially open at two ends. 

The plinths will also be built using the same methods to create a clean contemporary feel to the exhibition. 

Plants are going into large wooden planters either side of the central space creating an opening for the title of the exhibition.

The walls have been completed and plinths planters are in position and whilst Ian and I are in the process of finalising the graphics there has been enough time to see how the space stands up to rainfall. 
With an exhibition partially exposed to the elements it's been slightly more challenging particularly when it comes to considering the placement and display of objects.

This was the space a week ago.. 

29th June 2016 
With two weeks to go we are finalising the design work and gathering the objects together to be displayed on to the plinths.
These are currently being divided into tools and plants. 
Every object selected has been carefully extracted from the original household vouchers Susan has been transcribing. 

It's surprising how many objects particularly the building materials such as nails and screws have remained much the same. The language may have changed slightly but I'm sure within the building trade nails are still referred to as 8d,10d,12d, 
As I found out last week this equates to the size of the nail. for example a 10d = 3''
The letter D is an abbreviation for a penny, but the D originally came from the old Roman coin the Denarius where carpentry nails were bought by the pennyweight. 

Here is an example of vellum parchment this was used for the original garden plan drawings. The receipts were written for 2 skins of vellum for plans. 
The skin used for Syon parks design work would have been calf and I managed to get hold of some remnants from a company called William Cowley in Buckinghamshire http://www.williamcowley.co.uk who have been making Vellum using traditional methods since 1870. 

Wednesday 6th July 2016
With one week to go until opening the install for all the graphics begun. It was a resonably early start to the day with fair weather making it easier for the everyone working on site that day.

All the plants were selected according to the original plant list for Syon that entire list can be seen around the edges of each planter. 

Monday 11th July 2016
With two days to go until opening the printers installing the graphics started their second day on site. We encountered a few technical issues the previous week which slowed us all down slightly, but we swiftly made it back on track and everything had been positioned onto the walls by 1.30pm leaving myself and Topher to finish the final planting and positioning of artefacts. 

As it would have been impossible to include all the plants and tools that were originally used or planted. 
Small transparent containers filled with seeds give a more rounded idea of the range of flowers, herbs and vegetables that were documented on the receipts. 

These include onions, spinach, red and white clover, spring bulbs, carrots, mustard cress. 


Here's an example of one voucher invoiced to the Earl of Northumberland in 1756 for garden tools and equiptment.

Image belongs to the Northumberland Estate

The people and workers plinth in progress showing tools plant seeds and other materials such as hay seed, dung and brick. 

The exhibition officially opened on Thursday 14th July to the public and Syon visitors and will continue until the house and garden closes for the winter season on Sunday 30th October 2016. 

 

You will be able to visit the exhibition without having to pay to go into the house and garden. This was something Susan and I felt was really important for it to be open and available to everyone. Whether you are an avid follower of Brown or a new convert to his work.  

I'd like to say a big thank you to:
Susan Darling 
Ian Estevens 
Topher Martyn 
Exhibit-Graphics http://www.exhibit-graphics.co.uk
Brian and his team at Syon Park 

It's been a real collaborative process from start to finish. 

Kettle's Yard Cambridge

Bank holiday weekends are always the perfect time to leave london and have a day out. We hopped on a train to Cambridge 45mins from Kings Cross we had arrived in the beautiful city of Cambridge. 

Kettle's Yard was our first destination after a hearty lunch. I've seen so many images of Kettle's Yard and had never been before so when we arrived we certainly were not disappointed. http://www.kettlesyard.co.uk

Having walked down a narrow walkway you are confronted with St Peter's church on the right and the gallery on the left. The house is straight in front and a small queue of people waiting outside as there is a limitation on how many visitors are allowed in at any one time.  

You enter the house through an old wooden door and the staircase is immediately on your left this space then opens out into a perfectly formed reading room and dining area, nestled in the corner with a small bedroom and bathroom at the end of the house. 

The placement of objects, prints, paintings, flowers and furniture is very much how the house was when Jim and Helen Ede had lived there.
Jim was a curator at Tate in the 1920's and the house is filled with artists works he collected such as Ben Nicholson, Henry Moore, Miro, and Lucie Rie.  

It was also refreshing to be encouraged to sit down on the many chairs scattered throughout the house. As the rooms were meant to be seen from a sitting position. 

As you climb the stairs to the first floor again you are presented with a lounge area with a piano and seating space next to a large window and a huge painting hanging on the wall at an angle that follows the line of the wall itself. 

There's an abundance of plants and greenery dedicated areas floodlit with natural sunlight where the plants are clustered together. The entire space has an instantly welcoming feel to it. 

Despite the fact it is a gallery that happens to be within a domestic setting. It feels as though Jim and Helen have just momentarily popped out.

As you walk down some steps there is the most unexpected transformation to the space. In 1970 the extension to this house was completed. Architecturally it is reminiscent of it's time, the space is light and airy, cleverly divided revealing different views as you walk though the rooms. Minimal in it's construction with clean linear structures creating and dividing the space. 

Kettles Yard is shortly going to be closed from the 22nd June 2015 for two years due to redevelopment work to open a cafe, and education centre and expand the gallery area.
I will definitely pay another visit upon it reopening in 2017.

Back to the fields Camden Arts Centre

A couple of weeks ago I paid a visit to Camden Arts Centre to see the current exhibition showing there.

Back to the fields by Ruth Ewan www.camdenartscentre.org

In one room, floodlit with sunshine the sound of water and the scent of growth I was confronted with an abundance of large trees, some in bloom others simply looking lush and green. Along side these huge structures was an awe inspiring collection of objects, raw materials and tools. 

This exhibition is based around the French Republican calendar. The calendar was introduced in 1793 and was abolished in 1806. 

The structure of time relating to the calendar consisted of twelve months, each month was 30 days long, there were three weeks in each month and one week was 10 days. I've included a link to a conversation with Ruth Ewan talking about the exhibition in more detail. It's well worth a look! I had very little idea about the French Republican calendar and it's contexulised By Ruth so eloquently.

http://www.camdenartscentre.org/whats-on/view/gpe-03

The collection of objects, plants, seeds, trees, materials such as Slate, limestone, marble, fruit, etc 

represent each day within the Republican calendar. Each month is labelled with a colour and within that month is a collection of 30 artifacts.  

Snow: 6 = Lava 26th December  7 = Topsoil 27th December  8 = Manure 28th December 

Snow: 12 = Clay 1st January  13 = Slate 2nd January  15 = Rabbit 4th January  16 = Flint 5th January 

I'm going to be back in Camden Arts on Thursday and look forward to see how or whether the space has changed much. Some of the plants were in flower and the trees were flourishing within the room but I do expect it to look slightly different on my return.

My Second Visit… 

19th March 2015 

Today I met with my friend Susan to take a look at Back to the Fields.
It wasn't such a bright day compared to my previous visit but I could definitely see a transformation in the room. The trees had grown and the space seemed to have filled out as the branches had spread and opened out. 
The quality of light within the gallery had also changed. It's noticeable to see from my images today. There is a distinct element of set focus captured. 

Fog: 5 = Goose 26th October 

Having had the opportunity to revisit the space also allowed me to focus on certain objects I may have overlooked initially. There is so much to see but I was able to absorb the smaller details, for example how certain objects had been shown. Seeds that had been simply laid directly on to the floor and others displayed in small glass jars.   

I look forward to seeing what Ruth Ewan comes up with next as I found this piece of work a true inspiration. 


Third visit

28th March 2015

My third and final visit before the exhibition closes on Monday. 
We arrived to find that there was a petting zoo to represent the days of the month named after animals.

Goat = 5th March 
Pig = 25th November 
Goose = 26th October 
Horse = 26th September 
Duck = 24th May

Which was pulling quite a crowd 

 As we headed upstairs to the gallery once again I saw a difference in the plants growth and most importantly found out that my birthday was the day of the onion! 

However, on a more serious note…  with each and every visit I've noticed something new or   a different thought triggered regarding the calendar and the structure of time.   

I think what interested me most of all was the emphasis and importance placed upon horticulture, art, and music along side the rational nature of time's structure. When you enter the gallery space what immediately faces you is something of beauty and wonder. This exhibition is multi layered and it leaves you questioning, thinking and imagining time existing at a completely different pace.  

Rain: 15 = Cow 3rd Feb  17 = Lichen 5th Feb 

Germinal: 13 =Morel 2nd April   15 = Bee 4th April   16 = Round Lettuce 5th April