Wolverhampton Art Gallery Residency

15/03/13

Today I visited Bilston Graft Gallery to meet up with Sophie McIntosh, the head curator and manger of the gallery.

I took a 20minute tram journey from Wolverhampton to the graft gallery, and was kindly given directions by those that shared the tram. Once I arrived at the gallery I discovered that it was attached to a library and later found out that both the craft gallery and library were opened together in 1937.

The Gallery wanted to have a focus on the industrial background of the city, the gallery still continues to do this today. The Gallery opened with a collection of paintings but since 2004 it has had a focus on industrial crafts, and often commissions craft makers.

The Craft Gallery is well integrated with the community and supports and part takes in local events such as Bilston in Bloom. The Gallery layout is divided by several different spaces. When first entering the gallery you walk into the gallery collections, that houses a range of works from local and international craft makers from different periods. The Gallery has everything from Victorian snuff boxes to brass jugs and newly commissioned works. This space then leads on to the resource room and then the main gallery space. This space is best described as a grand hall. The space has a large amount of open space as well as wall space. The space is lit by light but also has the option of natural light. This space host 4 to 5 major exhibitions a year. The collection space also leads onto the education space, that is aimed at 0 – 7 years olds.

Upstairs opens to a hireable gallery space for £120 pounds a month, and also has the option of hosting events and talks in the meeting space. This space is also tied in with the main gallery space.

In reflection the main gallery space, is second to none for the space and the light. sadly the space was empty when I visited so I didn’t get a sense of how it could be used for exhibition purposed.

However the next exhibition sounds rather exciting, this is entitled made in the middle. The show explores stories and myths generated from the Black Country.

In the afternoon I visit Bantock House, were I meet Helen, who is the head curator at the space.

Bantock House is originally a Georgian farmhouse known as New Merridale Farm and was built between 1730 and 1780.

In 1811 Thomas Herrick a barrister at Law was in residence and changed the house name to Merridale House. He also built an extension onto the front of house. He changed the house from a farmhouse to a more gentleman’s house. He created larger rooms and widened the staircase.

Thomas Bantock moved into the house in 1866. He was agent by trustees of the duke of Bridgewate estate. 1858 he setup his own transport company called Thomas Bantock and Company. He had interests in colliers and canals in the area. Thomas married Mary Dickinson in 1852 and by 1866 he had eleven children including twins, Alberta and Albert Baldwin, sadly Alberta died at the age of one. He later became an Alderman in 1868 and Mayor a year later. He served the town for 33 years. He was a non conformist and also established Tettenhall college.

In 1896 Thomas Bantock died and his second eldest son brought the house. His name was Albert Baldwin, he moved in with his wife Kate.

He also had an active interest in the Royal Hospital in Wolverhampton. He moved into the house in 1895. He also made further changes to the house the most significant being a 4 bay window in a very craft style, he is now considered to be a head of his time. He was elected as a Councilor for St James ward in 1900 and as Mayor in 1905, 1906 and 1914. Baldwin died in 1938 and the house became in possession to Wolverhampton Corporation.

The house is built up of a rich collection of English Porcelain and enamels, carved Chinese and Japanese Ivory figures.

14/03/2013

Today I visited the old dressing room for Wolverhampton Football Club, this was situated in the Molineux Hotel. The building is now home of the Archives material dating back to 15^th Century. The Building itself is over 300 years old. Therefore it has been through both Georgian and Victorian Periods this evident in the current garden designs and the plants that live there. The building was first used by the Molineux family and later became a hotel in 1870s. This operated until 1979 and was derelict for 25 years afterwards, during which time there was a fire that almost completely destroyed the building in 2003. The council then took over the building to restore it.

The building was restored due to funds from Heritage Lottery and from English Heritage. This also gave the council an opportunity to expend the building whilst retaining and restoring its history through the architecture.

The building is a grade two* star listed building, due to the Rococo room. This is the most stunning room in the building with a high ceiling, ornate plaster work and fireplace. You really get a sense of wealth within the room. The room would of originally looked onto a huge garden at the back of the building. When the building was turned into a hotel the entrance was move to face the road. Therefore reversing the building. Sadly the garden is now a car park.

The rest of the building has a map room for user to search through ordnance survey maps as well viewing them and the records through microfilm and microficle facilities. Allowing users to look at old press cuttings and records. The old ballroom is now the main room for the archives and where you can find book on the local history. They have over 30,000 records on film, you can also find death and birth certificates here.

The building also has four storage rooms, all of which are completely modern. The stores also have room for the next 40 years. All the archives have been computerised and filed in waterproof boxes with brass paper clips and staples. I was so amazing by the storage area that I filmed the movable shelves.

I was guided and shown around the building by Heidi and later I decided to register myself so I can come back to use and look at the archives free of charge.

After my visit to the archives I found my self stumbling into the makers dozen studios and was greeted by Loz and Lloyd who were kind enough to spare some time to show me around the 13 studios there. The studios were set up by the council and range in size and cost. Costing £80 -£120 per month. All the rooms are modern with good facilities and very spacious. They show me around there studios and tell me more about the art scene in Wolverhampton, I can’t help see and feel the similarities with Stoke on Trent. Loz and Lloyd with really friendly and help fill in my knowledge of the area and I am sure I ll see them again.

After my impromptu visit to makers dozen, I had time to eat cake from the gallery before heading off to a talk by the famous Dr Fossil.

Dr fossil talked more about the big bang theory and how the earth was formed through the gravitation of the sun. He later went on to state that we are essentially made from star dust. This was also a chance for me to look over my notes for my early meeting with Dr fossil and also a chance to look at more visual material that he provided through a power point presentation.

He also talked about Dudley being home to the largest underground canal system, and mentioned that the first Geological map was made in 1665 by Dud Dudley. He also gave me more insight into the science behind iron and coal production in Dudley and Wolverhampton.

I still find it hard to believe that he as found a new species right here in the midlands. That species is called Scolecodonts, which is a vampire worm around 0.5mm in length dating back to 428 million years ago!!!

Day Three consisted of an early morning visit to the geology collection with Christopher Broughton, who is also known as Dr Fossil. I was excited about seeing the collection, as I don’t really know anything about geology apart from watching the TV series walking with Dinosaurs and looking at dinosaur books when I was little, so you could say my knowledge is limited!

I meant Chris at 9am in the morning. Now when thinking about Wolverhampton, the West Midlands or even you UK you don’t really think it as a place that is associated with Mammoths, insects the size of tables or place that was also prone to sandstorms or a place that was tropical and exotic. You also don’t here the name the great woodland any more…

Wolverhampton, the West Midlands and the UK are not the same places as we see today, the changes in the climate has meant that it has many different plants and mammals some are obviously now extinct. To try and think back 450 million years ago, is a hard thing to do, especially if you struggle to remember where you put your car keys. However today Chris gave me an a basic insight into different periods of time such as the Silurian, Jurassic, Triassic periods.

Indeed during these periods strange things existed and strange things happened, creatures consisted of the famous ‘Dudley Bug’ (Trilobite), Chaincoral and Trailerbites,. These are all things that can be found from the Silurian period, and also from Wren nest in Dudley. The ‘Dudley Bug’ helped earn extra money from the miners working in the area, often the miners would find the head of a ‘Dudley Bug’ and carve the body and then sell it to gullible buyers. This period was also famous for squids.

Jumping 100 million years a head saw an oxygen content to 35% compared to 25% today, this meant that creatures and insect grow to bigger lengths. This period housed strange or dreamlike life forms such as a grabspiders.

250 million years ago saw the UK cover in sand dunes and much like a dessert. Which later became the Triassic period, this was when the first form of Dinosaurs appeared. Chris explains than points to a footprint of a Dinosaur that has been fossilized through mud and water.

The Ice Age may be perceived to be like a Climate that was covered in Ice and really cold climate, this isn’t correct, the Ice Age had up and downs. Meaning there were periods of cold and hot. Dr Fossil then points to a tooth that belonged to a baby mammoth also states that they have fully grown tooth. Amazing!

Chris goes on to talk about Dr Fraser, a Botanist and Geologist that arrived from Glasgow to Wolverhampton in 1866, he is responsible for most of the collection due to his career as surgeon and a GP and his passion for collecting fossils. He often lead in organise fieldtrips around Dudley and also Cannock Chase, Staffordshire. I feel that I should carry out further research into Dr Fraser as he maybe a good way to link to both collections. It’s at this point I start to think about how I can link and carry out my work in reference to art and geology.

In the afternoon, I continue to research in the Victorian and Georgian painters in the resource centre in the gallery. I also carry out further research into Dr Fraser. And also wonder about the process that the Victorian/Georgians used to find fossils, compared to the formula 1 process that can be used today.

I really enjoyed my time in the geology collection and the insight that Dr Fossil gave me. I just hope that I can pull something together…

Here are some useful links from Chris…

http://geologymatters.org.uk/tag/video/

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/services/NGDC/records/archive…

12/03/2012

On day two I decided to plan a timetable as Jane has been amazing in organising site visits and pencilling in times for me to visit the stores and collections at the gallery.

Today Jane took me to look at the watercolour and print stores, the Victorian and Georgian store and the Painting store. I was amazed at how many works that belong to the belly of the Art Gallery. Having already had a look at the Staffordshire Museums Collections book, I was looking forward to seeing the works in their flesh. I wasn’t disappointed.

I came across a lot of artists that I haven’t heard of and a lot of work that I didn’t know the gallery owned. This was very refreshing. There are some many resources for me to use for a starting point for my work, the problem is going to be deciding on where.

Many new artists that I came across were David Bates, George Armfield, Henry Mark Anthony, Thomas Gainsborough, David Cox, Francis Danby, Jack Simcock, Robert Gallon, Gorge Morland, Josphe Vickers Deville, George Vicate Cole and John Crome. To my surprise they also had the print by Christopher Nightingale that is of the female tennis player that reveals her bottom! This is the calendar that also appears in comedy series the IT crowd! This made both me and Jane laugh a little.

I am looking forward to meeting Rachel Lambert-Jones to ask her questions in order to gain further insights into these paintings and the artists that created them.

Jane had also brought in a catalogue from an exhibition by Thomas Bewick an exhibition hosted in the Ikon Gallery for me to look at. As I had mentioned that one of my main influences for my work is landscape and rural areas. I decided to spend the afternoon looking further into some of the collections and also reading about Bewick’s work, I couldn’t help feel similarities between his work and Dan Hancock’s work, as both of the artist use space within their work.

Previously to this residency I had also been exploring the space and whiteness of the paper in relationship to the subject, composition and the mark/s that would be place on it. Lately my prints have been looking at parallels, contrasts and the play between the subjects. Often this results in a drawing depicting the urban vs the rural or nature.

This is something that Bewick explored long before me. His was concerned with nature and often used it as the context for his wooden engravings. He also tried to convey a moral, they were more often than not humorous.

The thing that intrigues me most about his tail pieces were the fact that they were not framed within a boarder, the drawings bleed into the page, much like Dan Hancock’s work, but at completely different scales, one just as big as a thumb and later artist’s on average at 5ft by 4ft. Both use the whiteness of the paper to blur the boundary between reality and the subject/s, they both do this by not framing the work, and by bleeding the key features (rock, trees, buildings) in the works into the whiteness of the paper. They both choose to abandon the rest of the painting that could potential exists. This creates “A romantic blurring of art and reality”

After reading this and looking at the works by Bewick and Hancock. I decide to start sketching and isolating key motifs that make up a common Victorian and Georgian painting. The features that I have and will experiment with will be taken from paintings that exist within the art Collection.

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Day 1 11/02/2012

Filled with excitement and doubt I arrived at the gallery, wondering what the final outcome of residency would be. I decided not to worry too much about this and tried to take in as much information from the collections and the exhibitions as possible.

Having done all the introductions of the staff a week before, I was happy to be working and surrounded by friendly and approachable staff. My first half of the day began with planning a timetable and also talking to Jane Morrow about my previous work and goals for the residency. Jane is the exhibitions curator at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery (WAVE) and is leading on the programme. This opportunity has been supported and made available by New Art Gallery Walsall and Deborah Robinson.

The second half of the day involved a tour of the Victorian and Edwin Butler Bayliss exhibition lead by Rob and Rachel from the education team. They did this to compare the rural landscape against the urban more industrial landscape by Bayliss. They also made the primary school students aware of differences and the contrasts between the subjects, styles, and context. With the majority of the paintings in the Victorian and Georgian depicting romantic views or elaborate and grand narratives compared to Bayliss who’s paintings were of industrial landscapes filled with dark and black imagery apart burning fires that draw your eye. The exhibitions could not be at further ends if they tried. Though the both derived from a similar time period.

One of the paintings that Rob used as an example was the ‘View of Bristol’ by Patrick Nasmyth. The painting is predominately a rural landscape painting with the horizon of the landscape drawing a focal point towards the urban view of Bristol. The painting at first glance can be viewed as a romantic and peacefully landscape, until you notice the smoke rising from the city, further information about the painting can be carried out by referencing the statement next to it. During the time of the painting, Bristol was populated by 2 ½ million slaves that were brought into erect elegant houses and construct ships. This sinister underbelly completely turns the subject and the initial thoughts about the painting on its head. Is the artists and painting teaching the viewer not to judge things on first appearance? Is the painting hiding its true meaning beneath an idealistic setting?

The rest of the day I decided to look at David Hancock’s exhibition and carry out research into the some of the artists that I had seen that day. Hancock’s work is made of watercolours that depict characters and individuals carrying out their fantasies in Cosplay. The work offers an insight into individual desires to be someone they are not, the individuals are posing for the artist in costumes, this offering a double portrait of both the individual and their character or ego. When viewing the work you are drawn straight to the painting of the character due to the blankness and white space that surrounds them. The artist has chosen not to paint the real environment in which they are posing, and acting in. Instead he choices to show an imaginary reality, one that the individual’s alter ego has chosen to adopt. The everyday becomes apart of the individuals game. They are taken to a hyper reality.

A quote taken from exhibition introduction reads as follows:

“The imagination of the individual has the ability to transform the mundane into the sublime”.