Northumbria University

Some photos of the scrawling in one of my many notebooks…..

Stuart Haygarth “Found”….

Haunch of Venison, London…..

“Finished with that toothpaste? Throw it away. Got a new pair of glasses? Get rid of the old pair. Your Aunt gave you that awful porcelain dog? Send it to the Charity shop.”

Or give it to Stuart Haygarth.

In his first exhibition at Haunch of Venison, the artist presents us with a variety of new works created from found objects collected while beach combing. Coming from a design background, these works take the form of a range of unique furniture pieces that examine the relationship of abandoned objects and the beauty that is found in these everyday, discarded items. A fragile mirror ball made of broken car wing mirrors is set against an industrial black chest, displayed on a pedestal; throughout the small exhibition, there seems to be a shift in the objects which are pieces of useful furniture and those which turn into art objects.

The found items are sorted and graded, methodically stored by colour, material and subject. Often inspiring the final work through their form, previous use and tactile qualities, there is definitely something Darwinesque in how Haygarth operates. The artist obviously has a fascination with our relationship to light, as the majority of pieces are lamps and chandeliers, and through using lots of glasses, mirrors and opticians tools he also explores the idea of looking and perception. We must look around, into and underneath objects, as well as at the huge shadows they cast on the gallery walls in order to gain a full experience.

The show is relevant to our current behaviour and habits of recycling and reusing, and it also connects to the “Earth” exhibition at the Royal Academy next door. The artist is struck by the complex emotions and stories evoked by each object he finds.

“Fire and heat provide modes of explanation in the most varied domains, because they have been for us the occasion for unforgettable memories, for simple and decisive personal experiences…Fire is the ultra-living element.”

Gaston Bachelard, The Psychoanalysis of Fire

I took an impromptu trip to London at the start of the week (when I should have been writing my dissertation). While I was there I went on one of my “intense gallery tours” and saw the following:

I shake you by the hand, Comrade Bacon at Whitechapel

Earth at the Royal Academy

Tatsuo Miyajima at Lisson Gallery

Mark Tansey at Gagosian

The Bunker at Barbican

Sara Ramo and Jim Goldberg at the Photographers Gallery

Eva Hesse (again) and Katja Strunz at Camden arts centre

Miroslaw Balka at Tate modern

and my favourite…

Stuart Haygarth at Haunch of Venison

It was a lot to do in one day, but I love the freedom of wandering about from place to place alone absorbing the city and the artwork.

I’m currently doing my duties in the library, I have finally reached the word limit on the essay and now the editing can begin with one week to go…

Once it is over and I eventually write up my exhibition reports, I’ll stick a few on here.

And so….I am in the library during the christmas holidays taking advantage of the free printers and the quiet. I am a geek.