KENTMERE House Gallery, in Scarcroft Hill, York, will be open for York Residents Festival on January 25 and 26 from 10am to 6pm.
The work of around 70 artists is on show at any one time in Ann
Petherick’s home gallery: some from York, some from Yorkshire, others from
artists across the country.
“This includes Freya Horsley’s atmospheric York townscapes, which have attracted many admirers, and David Greenwood’s vigorous pastels of Skeldergate Bridge and many York townscapes, along with the distinctive red brick houses of the Knavesmire area,” says Ann, who extends a welcome to all, not only York residents
The interior of Kentmere House Gallery, in Scarcroft Hill, York
“There’s also exciting new work from nationally known artist Susan
Bower, who lives near Tadcaster but whose work is mostly shown in London.”
Prices
start at £200 for original works and £50 for original prints. “We also have books
and cards exclusive to the gallery, reductions, special offers, five per cent discounts
for residents and a free 14-day home trial.”
The gallery’s involvement in York Residents Festival has been a great success in previous years. “A gallery in a home setting is still a curiosity, and I believe many people feel some slight trepidation at entering,” says Ann, whose usual opening hours are 11am to 5pm on the first weekend of every month, every Thursday evening from 6pm to 9pm and at any time by appointment – “just a phone call in advance to check we’re in” – on 01904 656507.
Hull From The South Bank, gouache on paper, by Bob Armstrong, on display at Kentmere House Gallery
“Alternatively, we work on the principle that ‘if we’re in, we’re open’ – just ring the bell. But you would be amazed how many visitors say they have been walking past for years but never been in. The Residents Festival emboldens them, however, and gives them that little extra incentive.
“Then there are many – even some living nearby – who say that
they didn’t even know the gallery existed. It’s truly one of York’s hidden gems
and this festival is the ideal time to sample its unique atmosphere and to
introduce it to your friends.”
The front door of Kentmere House Gallery in York
In addition to the art on display, Kentmere House is an interesting property in its own right. “It was built by the Methodist Church in 1898 as their own offices and a staff dwelling,” says Ann.
“The quality of the workmanship and materials used in the building is exceptional, and it’s one of the few buildings in York roofed with distinctive Westmoreland green slates.
Flamingos, acrylic on paper, by Jack Hellewell, at Kentmere House Gallery
“We bought the property in 1991: the large rooms, high
ceilings and spacious staircase make it ideal for use as a gallery. Two
rooms, the hall, stairs and landing are used for display, with more than 100
paintings at any time.”
Should you be wondering, the name Kentmere was chosen by
one of the Methodist staff involved at the time, as he was a frequent visitor
to the village of the same name in the Lake District.
York Artworkers Association member Dave Cooper in his studio
YORK Artworkers Association’s 25th anniversary exhibition at Pyramid Gallery went so well last year that the group has decided to hold another.
Members
will be exhibiting at Terry Brett’s gallery in Stonegate, York, from Saturday
to February 23. “I’m anticipating it
will look unusually full,” he says.
Artist Adrienne French at work in her studio
“We want
to show everyone’s work if we can, but I expect the walls to look very full of
pictures, in the style of the Royal Academy Summer Show, but better. The standard
of work being submitted is very high and I foresee a really exciting exhibition
in both first-floor galleries and all the way up the staircase too.”
Art,
ceramics and jewellery by 30 members will be on show in an exhibition curated
by Terry, who is a YAA member himself.
Silver urchin bracelet, by Karen Thomas
“York
Artworkers Association was formed 26 years ago by a group of artists and people
who were working in design, graphics and galleries in order to provide a social
network of people interested in the arts,” he says.
“They meet
every month at Joseph’s Well, off Micklegate, where they invite speakers to
talk about a topic that could be anything do to with their own art practice or
an art-related organisation. Recent speakers have included a former member of
the theatrical drumming group Stomp and a sculptor who demonstrated modelling a
horse in clay.”
Snowden, by Kate Petitt
Last year’s
silver anniversary was marked by the Pyramid show, open to all association
members working in the arts. A book was produced to accompany the exhibition.
The sequel
will feature more members, several of whom will be present at Saturday’s launch
from 11am on a day when refreshments will be served until 2.30pm.
Artist Kate Petitt. PIcture: Olivia Brabbs
York painters
and printmakers taking part will be Richard and Valerie Bell; Dave Cooper;
Chrissie Dell; Adrienne French; Mandy Grant; Anna Harding; Luisa Holden; John Jirkwood;
Caroline Lord; Bernadette Oliver; Peter Park; Kate Pettitt; Liz and Saul
Salter; Lesley Seeger; Lesley Shaw; Jill Tattersall; Donna Taylor and Joe
Vaughan.
Catherine
Boyne-Whitelegg, Francesca Green, Sophie Hamilton, Ilona Sulikova and Chris
Utley will contribute ceramics; Tim Pierce, sculpture, and Ann Southeran,
stained glass.
Looking Up Iantosque, by Dave Cooper
Needlework,
felting and textiles will be shown by Carol Coleman, Cathy Needham, Sarah
Jackson and Julia Wilkins; weaving by Jacqueline James; basketry by Heather
Dawe, and jewellery by Karen Thomas and Richard Whitelegg.
All of the work will be for sale and exhibition images can be seen at pyramidgallery.com and on social media. Pyramid Gallery, York, is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and on some Sundays from 12.30pm to 4.30pm.
YORK artist Sue Clayton
will unveil a new collection of portraits at Pocklington Arts Centre ahead of
World Down Syndrome Day in an exhibition inspired by her son.
Running from January 14 to
March 21, Downright Marvellous At Large celebrates adults with Down Syndrome
and comes on the eve of her son James turning 18.
Look out too for a giant
pair of hand-knitted odd socks, made using hundreds of knitted squares donated
by the public after an appeal last year.
Otto – Drag Queen, by Sue Clayton
Sue, who lives in
Wigginton, will introduce the 12 new portraits and the giant socks in a preview
event open to the public on Thursday, January 16, from 6pm to 8pm.
The portraits feature what
Sue sees as the “unrepresented and significant” social presence of adults with
Down Syndrome, each one depicting a person with the genetic disorder at work or
play.
“I put on the original Downright Marvellous exhibition in 2015, which mainly depicted young children who have Down Syndrome, but this time I wanted to make it more a celebration of adults as 2020 is a milestone year for us as James turns 18,” she says.
Lauren, by Sue Clayton
“A lot of the pieces also
feature siblings, as I wanted to highlight the importance that siblings play in
the lives of those with Down Syndrome too.”
Sue is planning to hold a celebratory event at Pocklington Arts Centre on World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), Saturday, March 21, the last day of her exhibition. Watch this space for more details as they emerge.
Many people wear odd socks
on WDSD, a global day that aims to raise awareness and promote independence, self-advocacy and freedom of choice for people
with the congenital condition.
James and Lily -Sibling Love, by Sue Clayton
Should
you be wondering “why socks?”, they are used because their shape replicates the
extra 21st chromosome that people with Down Syndrome
have.
“I hope the socks installation will add an extra fun dimension to the exhibition, which the whole community can get behind, while importantly raising awareness of – and celebrating – the uniqueness and diversity of Down Syndrome,” says Sue.
She made a radical change mid-career to become a self-taught, full-time artist. Soon she achieved recognition from Britain’s Got Artists in 2012 and as Outstanding Visual Artist in the 2018 York Culture Awards for her Heroes Of York project in 2017-2018.
David, by Sue Clayton
Those heroes were York
Theatre Royal pantomime dame Berwick Kaler; singer, writer and motivational
speaker Big Ian Donaghy; animal welfare practitioner Mary Chapman; the late
Suzanne Asquith, of North Yorkshire Police; Andrew Fair, from Sainsbury’s, Monk
Cross, and Professor Steve Leveson, of York Against Cancer.
Sue is drawn to painting portraits
because: “It insists upon the idea that the more you look at a face, the more
you see.
“Every single aspect – the
eyelids, the nostrils, and the complexion – reveals the personality and
character of every individual person,” she says. “I feel it’s especially important
to represent those who are sometimes socially ‘unseen’.”
Uncle Ronnie and Oliver – Trisomy 21 United, by Sue Clayton
Influenced by Rembrandt,
York artist William Etty and more contemporary painters such as Jenny Saville and Tim Benson, Sue enjoys
working with dynamic colours to make marks “that should not be there but
somehow work”.
“My approach to portraits
not only apprehends the likeness of my subjects, but their inner life too,” she
says.
To find out more about
World Down Syndrome Day, visit worlddownsyndromeday2.org.
The Great Hall at Castle Howard at Christmas , including the 26ft decorated tree. Picture: Charlotte Graham
CASTLE Howard’s Christmas opening drew a record 67,000
visitors as A Christmas Masquerade lit up the North Yorkshire stately home.
The figures have been released as the
house, near York, closes for the winter, with teams busy removing dozens of
Christmas trees, not least the 26ft tree that dominated the Great Hall and tens
of thousands of decorations and baubles that graced every public room as part
of Charlotte Lloyd Webber’s festive installation with a commedia dell’arte theme.
“It has been a superb year, and a real credit to those
involved in making Castle Howard the most festive place to visit throughout
November and December,” says chief executive officer John Hoy, who has enjoyed
his second Christmas at Castle Howard.
Christmas at Castle Howard drew an extra 5,000 visitors by staying open until January 5
“For the first time, the house stayed
open into the New Year, closing on Sunday, January 5 and enabling us to welcome
over 5,000 additional visitors.”
Alongside the Christmas decorations,
family traditions continued to be honoured with opportunities to meet Father
Christmas, while Santa Paws took up residence in the estate’s garden centre to
greet well-behaved dogs of all breeds and sizes for the first time. More Twilight
Evenings, when the house stayed open after dark, were fitted into the seven-week
opening.
The good weather throughout those seven
weeks allowed families to enjoy Skelf Island, the new adventure playground, as
part of the Christmas experience. Launched in July 2019, the playground has had
a successful impact on footfall and, in addition, the Friends of Castle Howard
membership has almost doubled, the scheme experiencing a 48 per cent rise
throughout 2019.
Although the house will be closed until
March 21, the grounds, woodlands and Skelf Island playground remain open
throughout the winter.
Dawn In The South Bay, Scarborough, by Richard Beaumont
THIS week is the last chance to see Scarborough photographer Richard
Beaumont’s exhibition at the Stephen Joseph Theatre.
In his debut show, Scarborough And Its Surroundings, he takes a personal
look at his coastal hometown.
The Harbour Entrance At Whitby, by Richard Beaumont
“As a schoolboy in the 1960s, I wanted to be a photographer,” says
Beaumont. “I didn’t particularly see it as a way of making money; I just wanted
to create pictures of what interested me at the time.
“My father had other ideas about a possible future career and carefully
steered me towards studying the science subjects, university and a career in
business, saying that there would be time for photography when I retired.”
Scarborough photographer Richard Beaumont: debut exhibition
That time has come. “Following retirement in 2013, the passion was still
there and I gradually began to revive my interest,” says Beaumont. “In 2017, I
successfully completed a postgraduate diploma in photography at the British
Academy of Photography and now accept the occasional assignment and continue to
build my portfolio.”
Summing up his photography, he says. “I like to observe as well as see
and create a bit of language in each shot that I take.”
The Lighthouse And South Cliff, Scarborough, From The Outer Harbour, by Richard Beaumont
Scarborough And Its Surroundings – A Personal View runs in the SJT corridor gallery until Saturday, January 12. Gallery opening hours are 10am to 6pm, Mondays to Saturdays, except during show times (mostly evenings, but some afternoons too, so please check the website, sjt.uk.com, before travelling). Entry is free.
NORTH Yorkshire artist Paul
Blackwell will exhibit his Treescapes at Village Gallery, Colliergate, York,
from January 14 to February 22.
Blackwell and his wife,
fellow artist Anne Thornhill, ran a gallery in Grosmont, on the North York
Moors, for more than 20 years before selling up and moving to an 18th century
farmhouse overlooking the Esk Valley near Whitby. Here they have a barn studio,
where they both continue to work.
Ash Tree In The Late Autumn Light, in pastel, by Paul Blackwell
Blackwell uses many different
media, from oil and acrylic to pastel and pastel pencil. “Paul is passionate
about wildlife and the natural landscape and a lot of his work is done from the
14 acres they have as a small nature reserve,” says Village Gallery owner and
curator Simon Main.
Blackwell reveals he has always
had two passions in his life. “The first is rugby and the second, malt whisky,”
he says. “But I also like to paint a bit: landscapes mainly.
Paul Blackwell and Anne Thornhill’s home and studio in the Esk Valley
“My work is a reflection of
my interest in the complex and emotional interchange of colours, as I attempt
to convey the vibrancy and radiance of a landscape and the depth of its
emotional impact.
“I often use the medium of
pastel as it’s particularly suited to my way of working, using colour
juxtapositions to create energy and dynamism, rhythm and balance.”
The Strid Woods, in pastel, by Paul Blackwell
After starting work on site, usually in monochrome, Blackwell enjoys exploring the colour structure once back in the studio. Frequently keeping the formal content simple, he creates a uniformity of atmosphere and feeling through his application of colours, as can be seen at Village Gallery from next Tuesday.
Gallery opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. In addition, the gallery will play host to a preview evening on January 13 from 5pm to 8pm, when Paul Blackwell will be on hand to discuss his work. Free tickets are available from Simon Main on 07972 428382 or 01904 411444 or at simon@village-on-the-web.com.
Veteran Yorkshire arts journalist CHARLES HUTCHINSON doffs his cap to the makers and shakers who made and shook the arts world in York and beyond in 2019.
Alan Ayckbourn at 80 in Scarborough. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
New play
of the year: Alan
Ayckbourn’s Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present, at Stephen Joseph Theatre,
Scarborough, from September 4
Sir Alan
Ayckbourn penned one play to mark his 80th birthday, then decided it
wasn’t the right one. Instead, writing more quickly than he had in years, he
constructed a piece around…birthdays. Still the master of comedy of awkward
truths.
Honourable mention: Kay Mellor’s Band Of Gold, Leeds Grand Theatre, November 28 to December 14.
Lili Miller (Catherine) and Pedro Leandro (Rodolpho) in A View From The Bridge at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Ian Hodgson
You
Should Have Seen It production of the year: Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge, York
Theatre Royal, September 20 to October 12.
Once more, the
sage Arthur Miller bafflingly did not draw the crowds – a Bridge too far? – but
Theatre Royal associate director Juliet Forster found resonance anew for this
age of rising intolerance in Trumped-Up America and Brexit Britain.
Chris Knight as Donkey in York Stage Musicals’ Shrek The Musical
York’s
home-grown show of the year: York Stage Musicals in Shrek The Musical, Grand Opera House, York, September
12 to 21
Nik Briggs
swapped directing for his stage return after five years in the wind-assisted
title role and stunk the place out in Shrek tradition in a good way. Jacqueline
Bell‘s Princess Fiona and Chris Knight’s Donkey were terrific too.
Honourable mention: Pick Me Up Theatre in Monster Makers, 41 Monkgate, October 23 to 27
Rigmarole Theatre in When The Rain Stops Falling
Company
launch of the year: Rigmarole
Theatre in When The Rain Stops Falling, 41 Monkgate, York, November 14 to 16
MAGGIE
Smales, a previous Hutch Award winner for her all-female Henry V for York
Shakespeare Project, set up Rigmarole to mount Andrew Bovell’s apocalyptic
Anglo-Aussie family drama. More please.
Comic capers: Mischief Theatre in The Comedy About A Bank Robbery
Touring
play of the year: The
Comedy About A Bank Robbery, Grand Opera House, York, February 5 to 12
Crime pays
for Mischief Theatre with a riotous show, so diamond-cutter sharp, so rewarding,
in its comedy, that it is even better than the original botched masterplan, The
Play That Goes Wrong.
Honourable mention: Nigel Slater’s Toast, York Theatre Royal, November 19 to 23
Sarah Crowden and Susan Penhaligon in Handbagged at York Theatre Royal
Political
play of the year:
Handbagged, York Theatre Royal, April 24 to May 11
In a play of wit, brio and intelligence, Moira Buffini presents
a double double act of 20th century titans, Margaret Thatcher and
The Queen, one from when both ruled, the other looking back at those days, as
they talk but don’t actually engage in a conversation.
Emma Rice: director of the year
Director
of the year: Emma Rice
for Wise Children’s Wise Children, in March, and Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers, in
September, both at York Theatre Royal
Emma Rice,
once of Cornwall’s pioneering Kneehigh Theatre and somewhat briefly of
Shakespeare’s Globe, has found her mojo again with her new company Wise
Children, forming a fruitful relationship with York Theatre Royal to boot.
Watch out for Wuthering Heights in 2021.
Director John R Wilkinson in rehearsals for Hello And Goodbye at York Theatre Royal
York
director of the year:
John R Wilkinson, Hello And Goodbye, York Theatre Royal Studio, November
Theatre Royal associate artist John R Wilkinson had long called for the return of in-house productions in the Studio and what he called “the blue magic of that space”. He duly delivered a superb reading of Athol Fugard’s apartheid-era South African work starring Jo Mousley and Emilio Iannucci.
Oh what a knight: Sir Ian McKellen
Comedy show of the year: Sir Ian McKellen in Ian McKellen On Stage With Tolkien, Shakespeare, Others…And You, Grand Opera House, York, June 17
A delightful variation on the An Evening With…format, wherein Sir Ian McKellen celebrated his 80th birthday with a tour through his past. His guide to Shakespeare’s 37 plays was a particular joy.
Honourable mention: John Osborne in John Peel’s Shed/Circled In The Radio Times, Pocklington Arts Centre bar, March 27
Bonnie Milnes of Bonneville And The Bailers
Event launch
of the year: Live
In Libraries York, York Explore, autumn
In the
wood-panelled Marriott Room, veteran busker David Ward Maclean and Explore York
mounted a series of four intimate, low-key concerts, the pick of them being Bonnieville
And The Bailers’ magical set on October 25. Along with The Howl & The Hum’s
Sam Griffiths, Bonnie Milnes is the blossoming York songwriter to watch in
2020.
Meet The Caravan Guys:Theo Mason Wood, left, and Albert Haddenham discuss masculinity in How To Beat Up Your Dad at The Arts Barge’s Riverside Festival
Festival
of the Year: The
Arts Barge’s Riverside Festival, by the Ouse, July and August
Under the
umbrella of Martin Witts’s Great Yorkshire Fringe, but celebrating its own identity
too, The Arts Barge found firm footing with two locations, an ever-busy tent
and, hurrah, the newly docked, freshly painted barge, the Selby Tony. The Young
Thugs showcase, Henry Raby, Rory Motion, Katie Greenbrown, jazz gigs, a naked Theo
Mason Wood; so many highs.
Honourable mentions: York Festival of Ideas, June; Aesthetica Short Film Festival, November.
Terry Hall: leading The Specials at York Barbican. Picture: Simon Bartle
York Barbican gig of the year: The Specials, May 9
Still The Specials, still special, on their 40th anniversary world tour, as the Coventry ska veterans promoted their first studio album in 39 years, Encore, still hitting the political nail on the head as assuredly as ever.
Honourable mentions: David Gray, March 30; Art Garfunkel, April 18; Kelly Jones, September 14.
Mocking Malvolio: Cassie Vallance’s Fabian, back left, Andrew Phelps’s Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Fine Time Fontayne’s Sir Toby Belch wind up Claire Storey’s Malvolio in Twelfth Night. Picture: Charlotte Graham
Happiest nights of the year: Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre in Twelfth Night, Castle car park, York, July 4 and September 1
JOYCE Branagh, Kenneth’s sister, set Shakespeare’s comedy in the Jazz Age, serving up “Comedy Glamour” with a Charleston dash and double acts at the double. “Why, this is very midsummer madness,” the play exhorts, and it was, gloriously so, especially on the last night, when no-one knew what lay just around the corner for the doomed Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre.
Samuel Edward Cook in Glory Dazed
Most moving night of the year: Glory
Dazed, East Riding Theatre, Beverley, January 26
Cat Jones’s play, starring York actor Samuel Edward Cook, brings
to light issues surrounding the mental health of ex-servicemen as they seek to
re-integrate into civilian society while struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder. The post-show discussion with ex-soldiers from Hull spoke even
louder.
Serena Manteghi in Build A Rockdet. Picture: Sam Taylor
Solo show of the year: Serena
Manteghi in Build A Rocket, autumn tour
NO sooner had she finished playing Ophelia in Shakespeare’s
Rose Theatre’s Hamlet than Serena Manteghi revived her remarkable role as a seaside
resort teenage single mum in Christopher York’s award-winning coruscating play.
Honourable mention: James Swanton in Irving Undead, York Medical Society, October 10 to 12.
A Blessed encounter: interviewing Yorkshireman Brian
Favourite interview of the year: Brian Blessed, giving oxygen to his An Evening With Brian Blessed show at Grand Opera House, York, in August
The exuberance for life in Brian – Yorkshire man mountain, actor, mountaineer and space travel enthusiast – at the age of 83 would inspire anyone to climb Everest or reach for the stars.
Old soul in a Newman: John Newman’s hot, hot gig at The Crescent
Gig of
the year: John
Newman, The Out Of The Blue Tour, The Crescent, York, June 30
THE unsettled
Settle sound of soul, John Newman, and his soul mates parked their old camper van
outside the almost unbearably hot Crescent, threw caution to the wind and burnt
the house down on a night that must
have been like watching Joe Cocker or Otis Redding on the rise in the Sixties.
Honourable mentions: Nick Lowe’s Quality Rock’n’Roll Revue, Pocklington Arts Centre, June 25; The Howl & The Hum, The Crescent, York, December 14
Van Gogh: ‘ere, there and everywhere at York St Mary’s
Exhibition
of the year: Van
Gogh: The Immersive Experience, York St Mary’s, York, now extended to April 2020
This 360-degree digital art installation uses technology to create
a constantly moving projected gallery of 200 of Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous
19th century works in the former church. Breathtaking, innovative, and,
yes, worth the admission charge.
Honourable mention: Ruskin, Turner and The Storm Cloud, Watercolours and Drawings, York Art Gallery, from March 28
Agatha Meehan, centre, as Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz at Leeds Playhouse
Christmas
production of the year: The Wizard Of Oz, Leeds Playhouse, until January 25
AFTER its
£15.8 million transformation from the West Yorkshire Playhouse to Leeds
Playhouse, artistic director James Brining gave West Yorkshire’s premier
theatre the grandest, dandiest of re-opening hits. Still time to travel down
the Yellow Brick Road with Agatha Meehan, 12, from York, as Dorothy.
Dame Berwick Kaler’s fina;l wave at the end of his 40 years of pantomimes at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Anthony Robling
Exit
stage left: Berwick
Kaler, retiring on February 2 after 40 years as York Theatre Royal’s pantomime
dame; Tim Hornsby, bowing out from booking acts for Fibbers on June 29, after 27
years and 7,500 shows in York; Damian Cruden, leaving the Theatre Royal on July
26 after 22 years as artistic director; James Cundall’s Shakespeare’s Rose
Theatre, in September, after hitting the financial icebergs .
Richard Bainbridge R.I.P.
Gone but
not forgotten: York Musical Theatre Company leading man,
director, teacher, chairman, bon viveur and pub guvnor Richard Bainbridge, who
died on July 6.
Charles Hutchinson reflects on the YORKshire year in the arts in 2019
NOTHING special happened in the arts scene in 2019…or did it? Find out tomorrow when the Hutch Award winners are announced for what made the art beat race faster across YORKshire at charleshutchpress.co.uk.
Take a seat and bask in Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience at York St Mary’s
VAN
Gogh: The Immersive Experience is to be given an extended run at York St Mary’s,
having drawn 50,000 visitors since July.
The Vincent
Van Gogh exhibition was set to close on January 5 but now will be open until
the end of the Easter holidays on April 19.
Explaining
the decision, creative director Mario Iacampo said: “We have had such a warm
welcome in York, and incredibly positive feedback about how people have been
moved by the experience, so we’re delighted that we’re able to continue as a
part of York’s vibrant winter programme of events and activities.
Van Gogh: art spread out all around visitors at York St Mary’s
“York
St Mary’s is a wonderful venue for this kind of immersive digital art: right in
the heart of the city for easy access, yet able to be adapted, so visitors feel
as though they are in the French countryside, or overlooking the Rhone, during
their time with us.”
The
multimedia experience centres around a 360-degree projection in the nave of the
deconsecrated church, making use of the stone arches and high ceiling.
Animated versions of more than 200 of Van Gogh’s most famous works are
projected on to the walls, while a specially written emotive soundtrack and
relaxing reclined deckchairs encourage visitors to sink into the environment
around them for a Zen-like experience.
The
main show runs on a continuous loop lasting 35 minutes, and visitors can spend
as much time as they want in the nave.
Feeling blue: the Van Gogh Immersive experience
At
the end of a visit, a virtual reality experience takes visitors through a day
in the life of the artist in Arles during Van Gogh’s time there, depicting locations
that inspired his work, starting with the bedroom in the farmhouse that he
painted three times.
Paul
Whiting, head of marketing and communications at Visit York, said: “We’re
delighted that this innovative exhibition will be extended into 2020. It’s a
wonderful addition to the media arts offering of the city, combining a
beautiful, atmospheric venue with a uniquely immersive art installation. It’s
great news that visitors and residents will have further opportunities next
year as they enjoy their ‘Only in York’ experience.”
Van
Gogh: The Immersive Experience, at York St Mary’s, Castlegate, York, will be
open from Wednesday to Sunday in January, February and March, daily during half
term and then from March 30 until April 19.
Admission prices are £13, £11, concessions, and £9, children, with booking strongly recommended. For more details and opening times, visit vangoghexpo.co.uk.
The doorway to Van Gogh’s bedroom at Arles . Pictures: Charlotte Graham
Here is Charles Hutchinson’s feature on Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, as first printed in The Press, York, on July 15.
WHAT is the difference between an exhibition, a show and an immersive experience, like the one you can encounter at York St Mary’s?
Let Mario Iacampo, the man behind the cutting-edge Van Gogh attraction in Castlegate, York, define it.
“Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is not an exhibition and it’s not a show, which I believe requires a live element; it’s somewhere between the two,” he says. “I wanted to create a Zen environment where you can sit down and watch at your leisure.
“To make it an ‘experience’, first of all there has to be emotion; then there has to be music to go with it; thirdly, there has to be the immersive experience, all around you, even on the floor.”
Iacampo, the creative director and founder of Exhibition Hub, has worked with animation artists at Dirty Monitor to create the 360-degrees digital art installation of 19th century Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings evoking his life story.
Having drawn 82,000 people in Naples and 150,000 in Brussels, it is making its British debut in York, Britain’s first UNESCO City of Media Arts, where it will be on show until January 5 2020.
Why did you choose York, Mario? “We were looking at venues around the UK for a while, and I like to present the ‘experience’ in historical buildings,” he recalls. “We went to the Council of Churches and we started studying possibilities.
“York has a huge number of tourists coming to the city, and it’s placed in the middle of the country, which is why we thought York would work well.
“Then the history adds to the impact of the presentation, and using the columns and alcoves of the church are a big part of the interpretation. York St Mary’s was ideal.”
Nine months of preparation and a fortnight of construction then went into making the York installation. After adapting the technology to the 3D design of the York church – the building has four alcoves, compared to six in Naples – the immersive experience projects animated displays on to the walls of the former St Mary’s Church, where black-out blinds and a dozen projectors have transformed the normally light and airy building into a constantly moving projected gallery of 200 of Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous 19th century works.
At one end is a re-creation of Van Gogh’s bedroom in Arles, the subject of three of his paintings with its cramped bed, two chairs, yellowed window, battered Panama hat and row of jackets.
The central Nave houses a 35-minute immersive display, with a carpeted floor filled with deckchairs, from where visitors can enjoy the 360-degree displays seated, standing up or even lying down as the images move over the walls and floor – and their bodies, should they be horizontal.
Rather than merely projecting the original paintings, the immersive experience provides the twist of digitally animating the works: wheat sways in the breeze, water pours out of the confines of the painting’s frame, and the stars twirl and swirl in the night sky. Spookily, a skeleton suddenly smokes a cigarette. Steam from a train gradually immerses all the walls.
Everything comes alive all around you: the sun’s ever-changing position will lead to ever-changing shadows on the walls. There is so much to take in, visually, orally too, that you will want to stay longer than the 35-minute installation loop. At £13, make the very most of an artistic experience like no other in York previously.
The immersive experience is divided into, or rather flows seamlessly through, three sections: his painting years at Arles; his family, showing the repetitions in his portraits; and his years in the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, 18 miles from Arles, still prolific years, but troubled by mental illness, ending in his suicide. The moment his self-portrait with his bandaged head suddenly emerges on the wall shocks anew.
For an extra £3, you can experience a 12-minute Virtual Reality rollercoaster ride from Van Gogh’s house to the settings of his best known works. Breathtaking. Truly breathtaking. And what’s more, part of the money raised from the VR experience will be donated to SASH, the York charity for the homeless, at Mario’s request.
“Sadness will last forever,” says one of Van Gogh’s quotes liberally sprinkled around St Mary’s, yet Mario points out: “He committed himself to the asylum because he felt he needed help, but he was also extremely prolific during that time, and they’re not all sad. Yes, there are some dark works, but he also painted what he saw around him, the gardens, what people were doing.”
Why did he pick Van Gogh for an immersive experience, rather than, say, Picasso or Dali? “You have to choose an artist whose paintings are ‘filled in’ with colour. You put up Starry Night and it fills the building. It really ‘pops’ into life.
“It’s the same with Monet, who we’ve also done for an immersive experience. You could do the same with Dali, but Picasso, maybe not,” says Mario.
“You also choose an artist that people understand, as you’re creating an experience for the general public, not for academics, though they have been complimentary. “ Van Gogh’s profusion of letters, 844 of them, primarily to his younger brother Theo, have helped hugely with the psychological aspect of the experience, cutting out the need for guesswork in interpreting his works. “It’s much easier when you have those letters, says Mario.
Van Gogh, by the way, signed his paintings “Vincent” for “the simple reason” no-one could pronounce his surname.
For the record, Mario pronounces it Van Goch, as in clock.
The tree in the Garden Hall, part of Castle Howard At Christmas: A Christmas Masquerade. All pictures: Charlotte Graham
THE decorative Christmas displays at Castle Howard, near York,
are the most theatrical yet.
Running until January 5 2020, A Christmas Masquerade has
taken over every public room in the historic Yorkshire house for this themed
event.
Each one is dressed in ornate and elaborate feathers,
sequins, baubles and twinkling lights as visitors join the Howard family in
their preparations for a Venetian-themed Christmas Carnival, complete with
masquerade ball and entertainment from Harlequin, Pierrot, Colombine and
Puchinello, all part of the Commedia
dell’arte troupe.
Producer Charlotte Lloyd Webber and theatrical designer
Bretta Gerecke once again have led the team of set dressers, florists,
baublographers, artists and seamstresses to create the immersive masquerade
experience.
“Castle Howard is a house that was built with a sense of theatre and extravagance inspired by Venetian design – Vanbrugh was both an architect and a playwright – and at a time of year when glittering opulence makes its way into almost every home, we couldn’t think of a better opportunity to explore a tradition enjoyed by generations of the Howard family: the masquerade ball,” says Charlotte.
Lady Georgina’s dressing room, themed around clown Puchinello at Castle Howard
“Many of the themes, colours and styles
that we have used to recreate a Venetian masquerade ball fit perfectly within
the theatrical grandeur of each room.”
The experience opens with the grand
staircase in the main hall, setting the scene for the lavish displays that
follow. Using the Venetian palate, the staircase is lavishly decorated
with sapphire blue, magenta, purple and gold.
At the top of the stairs, visitors gain
a taste of the entertainment for the forthcoming ball: multicoloured Harlequins, one of the
characters in the Commedia dell’arte, the troupe of wandering artists that
delighted 17th and 18th century
audiences with a mix of pathos, romance and slapstick.
On the China Landing, an estate-cut
twig tree has been painted in the Harlequin colours and hung with a plethora of
ornaments following the Venetian theme, while two masks give a further hint of
the ball’s lavish theme.
The following suite of four rooms
highlights the four key characters for the Commedia dell’arte visiting Castle Howard over the Christmas
period. Lady Georgiana’s bedroom is handed over to Colombine, a character
who started life in the troupe as an elegant dancer, before joining the “Zannis”
and becoming partner to both Harlequin and Pierrot.
The Hon Nicholas Howard and Victoria Howard in the Turquoise Room, decorated entirely in scarlet
Pinks, golds and silvers fill the room
to reflect the custom-made Colombine ballgown on display in the room, as if the
mistress of the house were preparing her own costume for the ball. The room also hosts the first of a special
collection of masks, hand-created by Venetian master craftsmen for Christmas at
Castle Howard: the Rosetta Mask.
The adjacent dressing room is a huge
contrast, to reflect the first of the troupe’s clowns, Puchinello, leader of the Zannis and
inspiration for the modern English use of the word “zany”. This wacky room
features an upside-down white Christmas tree, with a circus fairground
feel. The very British Punch and Judy explode out of a present in a nod
to the seaside tradition that has its origins in these Venetian artists.
A popular contemporary vision of clown
Pierrot finds him sitting in a moon, and this provides inspiration for the
Castle Howard dressing room: a dreamlike and tranquil space decorated with a
starry ceiling, gold, silver, black and white, with the character himself in a
familiar pose at the back of the room.
Harlequin’s bedroom is one of the most
lavish in the house: red, gold and green with a beautifully decorated tree,
atop which sits another ornate Venetian mask. This is the space where the
Master of the House will prepare for the ball, his Harlequin costume awaiting on
a mannequin.
The rich, bright colours of the theme
inspired the Antiques Passage, an explosion of colour featuring a jewellery box
of hues and shades presented through exotic birds and butterflies.
The 26ft Christmas tree in the Great Hall of Castle Howard, decorated with 3,500 baubles
The Castle Howard tradition of the
enormous Christmas tree continues in the Great Hall, where a remarkable 26ft
real tree is installed and covered with 3,500 baubles. “As far as we’ve
been able to tell, this is the largest Christmas tree in a stately home in the
country,” says Abbigail. “It’s certainly several feet bigger than the trees in
Buckingham Palace.”
However, the Masquerade theme is still
very evident in the room; the view up to the balcony features acrobats on the
handrail with a monochrome and a colourful Harlequin balancing there.
The influence of the Commedia dell’arte
becomes even more prominent in the three rooms on the first floor that show the
theatrical experience of masquerade and pantomime from both backstage and
audience perspectives. The display includes historic items from Castle
Howard’s collections, featuring dresses, masques and fans that would have been
worn and used by ancestors of the present custodian, the Hon. Nicholas
Howard.
On display too are wigs, make-up and other
accoutrements that would have helped the actors’ preparations for the
stage. The centrepiece of the High South
is a life-size “paper theatre”, inspired by Benjamin Pollock’s Toyshop, which
uses the architectural features of Castle Howard in a colourful pantomime
display.
Returning to the ground floor, visitors
will have another behind-the-scenes peek in the room dedicated to the ruler of
Venice. The new library includes the Doge Tree, dedicated to the “Duke”
of Venice – or in Castle Howard’s case, the master of the house – and laden
with opulent Venetian glass ornaments and fabrics, with books on display all
about the Venetian masquerade – essential for planning any authentic ball.
All set for Christmas at Castle Howard
The Garden Hall’s traditional bare twig
tree returns, but this year features candle-lit decorations of brightly
coloured Venetian Glass to create a kaleidoscope effect in the room.
A special model of Castle Howard created
last year by artist Mark Bond returns to the Cabinet Room, now joined by a new
model showing the exterior landscape down the Lime Avenue. Tiny
depictions of actors and their supporting crew from the Commedia dell’arte can
be seen making their way with horses and carts on their way to the house in
this tiny display, while ladies in their ballgowns can be found on the North
Front of the main model, arriving for the ball to entertainment from a
miniature Punch and Judy show.
In the music room, one of the paintings
almost comes alive, as characters step out of Marco Ricci’s The Opera Rehearsal
and don costumes ready for the ball.
The Crimson Dining Room is a glittering
Venetian feast, the table set with a centrepiece of lions and exotic
monkeys. As Charlotte Lloyd Webber explains: “We have tried to amplify
and reveal aspects of the house that you may not have noticed with the designs.
A painting of the Grand Canal in the Crimson Dining Room, for example, is
reflected in the gondola-themed decorations in the room.”
Crimson turns to scarlet for the
drawing room – the only colour used in here – with two mannequins wearing
bespoke garments created for the room and a Venetian Fraudis Jolly, a
masquerade mask made of playing cards.
The China Landing at Castle Howard
Resuming the figurative flow of the
water in the dining room picture, the Long Gallery –the epicentre and pinnacle
of each year’s Christmas designs – recreates the glittering waterway as the
setting for the Venetian Carnival that has been teased throughout the
house.
Visitors join the guests at the
waterside Ball, its setting drawn from the imagination of Brette Gerecke, using
artistic skills and set-dressing normally seen from afar on the theatrical
stage. The “canal” itself is made from nearly 250 metres of moulded aluminium foil, on which 4,300
customised iridescent sequins have been painstakingly glued in a task that took
three people four days to complete.
At the heart of the Long Gallery is a
three-metre-wide suspended revolving Harlequin mask, one side multicoloured,
the other covered in sequins of gold, silver and bronze. One of the
windows at the octagonal centre of the gallery has been replaced with a stained-glass
window to shine coloured diamonds all over the space, even on darker winter
days, when an artificial light provides the illumination!
A mask in the Crimson Dining Room at Castle Howard for Christmas
Leaving the Long Gallery, visitors
descend to the chapel, which this year has been dressed by Slingsby School
working with Castle Howard’s charity of the year, Yorkshire Wildlife
Trust. Alongside a traditional Nativity scene, children have created
animal-themed decorations with hand-written eco-wishes. Visitors are invited to swap real coins for
chocolate ones in a donation box, with proceeds going to the charity.
Each weekend during the Christmas opening until January 5,
those visiting will be joined by members of the Commedia dell’arte troupe for
live entertainment around the house, while soundscapes and music arranged by the
Hon. Nicholas Howard provide an additional sensory appeal to the proceedings.
Head of marketing Abbigail Ollive says: “Christmas at Castle
Howard is an experience never to be forgotten, with many people returning year
after year to get their festive ‘fix’, whether to take inspiration back for
their own home designs, or simply just to marvel at how an already beautiful
property can be transformed into this magical place – a veritable festive film
set that you can walk through and admire!
“Each year’s designs are totally different, and the
jewel-like sapphire blues, ruby reds and golden amber bring a whole new colour
palette to this winter’s displays.”
Castle Howard: A Christmas Masquerade runs until Sunday, January 5 2020, closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Tickets are on sale at castlehoward.co.uk.
