I’ve had time now to get a sense of the fascinating and various ornament in the church. Behind the altar are gilded inscriptions nestling amidst flourishes in gold on black wood from the 17th century. The ten commandments are there, and the Lord’s Prayer, the powerful words given even more status by their presentation. Elsewhere there is a baroque late seventeenth century memorial whose exuberant form belies the sad fact that it speaks of too many youthful deaths in one family. Its vitality reminds me of baroque music, the flourishes carved in sound. Then there is a late nineteenth century memorial to Prince Leopold and Princess Charlotte, related to Queen Victoria who came to the church as a young woman. This is more static, more literal. There are many other items in the church which speak of successive ways of seeing and celebrating life and death.
Outside, beyond the churchyard, is the civic car park. Completely different! This is full of contemporary motifs, not intended as ornament at all. There are graphic instructions on how to park and pay for parking by mobile phone, a reminder of a cctv camera, litter disposal, etc. But this is the everyday context for the church now.
The question is how to layer these worlds together in the work I hope to produce. It’s occupying my mind.
Some symbolic ornament from St George’s.
St George’s Arts is based in an ancient, beautiful and curious church in Esher. It offers a residency inviting artists to respond to the building, its locality or history. I applied early this year and wrote in my proposal:
‘I am interested in making multiple drawings specific to place, seeking to work outside the frame, inviting the viewer in, sometimes to participate. I explore the way patterns in a place can overlie and interact with each other, suggesting movement between different layers of time, interlacing rhythms, memories, meanings. Drawing is a way of thinking and responding, so exploring through sketch books is important to me.’
In the week before the launch of the residency I spent time just being in the site, before beginning to draw anything. I also took numerous photos as these often yield up different and surprising treasure. Creating an initial display from the images to try and communicate my visual concerns to the visitors who attended the launch event has been a very good way of getting into the residency. The warm welcome and interest of the many people associated with St George’s Arts has also helped greatly. Jane Ponsford, the Arts Co-ordinator for the venue has been particularly helpful and, as an artist herself, very insightful.
