ANGELA ELSOM - GEOLOGY JEWELLERY

Angela Elsom, Geology Jewellery, the arc space, July 2011

Fossils and Rocks from Gosport’s Geology Gallery were the inspiration for this knitted jewellery collection, by artist Angela Elsom, currently on show in the arc space.   Angela photographed the exhibits and for two months drew in the gallery on a weekly basis, studying structure, shape and natural colour.  During this time she also experimented with materials.  The finished work is made using hand spun knitted and felted wool with vegetable dyes, providing a range of natural tones that perfectly reflect those found in the rocks.

Angela’s work was originally exhibited in the Geology Gallery with the aim of raising visitor numbers which had declined since the death of David Kemp, the Geologist and Assistant Curator, whose lifetime collection of fossils are housed in the building.  Angela has an association with the gallery, having worked there as a museum assistant and says she feels privileged to have known David.  She was therefore keen to do what she could to help.

Following a successful exhibition, Angela packed the work away until a few months ago when she presented it to an arc critique group.  As she says, "After a very rewarding and thought provoking critique group, I was persuaded to think again – and get the jewellery out of its “shoebox” where it had been stored and nearly forgotten about."

The result was a visit to Yaverland on the east side of the Isle of Wight where Angela took a series of photographs, some of which are now displayed with her jewellery.  Yaverland Beach is well known for its regular fossil hunts and celebrated finds of dinosaur bones, reptile and fish remains.  For her exhibition in the arc space, Angela has brought together photographs of the cliffs with labels from the Geology Gallery exhibition that document her thoughts about the exhibits alongside the jewellery that was inspired by them.

Angela Elsom lives and works in Gosport, has a BA in Fine Art and an MA in Art, Design and Media from the University of Portsmouth, is a member of Art Space Portsmouth and a regular contributor to the arc crit group.

CHANTAL POWELL

We are really pleased to have work by Chantal Powell on show in ARC until the end of April.  

The three works on display reference intimacy and secrecy. The Collector is Chantal’s latest work and was inspired by John Fowles’ novel of the same name in which a reclusive collector of butterflies kidnaps the object of his obsession – a beautiful girl called Miranda.  The piece explores the idea of passions transforming into obsessions, of secrets collected and admired in the darkness of our minds.

Image 1: The Collector, 2011, Furniture, mirrored glass, printers plates, paint, light fittings, extension lead.

Image 2:  

The Dance, 2009, Digital print, vintage frame, paint.

Things Left Unsaid, 2010, Ring boxes, gold thread.

Chantal Powell creates objects and installations that powerfully and intimately explore the universal emotions that connect us.

Responding to objects and spaces as her starting point, Powell interweaves conceptual threads that exploit the inherent vocabulary of her chosen materials. She presents the viewer with a seductive invitation to explore myths and meanings through; “engaging installations . . . and found objects that explore the boundaries between reality and imagination” (Salon Contemporary). The resulting works have a playful duality between things disclosed and things kept hidden and the viewer is drawn to place their own secrets and stories inside that imaginary realm.

Chantal Powell was born in the West Midlands, UK in 1977 and currently lives and works in Southampton, Hampshire. A PhD focusing on the psychology of human relationships informs her work as an artist. Chantal’s work has been featured on the front cover of a-n magazine.  She has exhibited throughout the UK and internationally, most notably at the 53rd Venice Biennale.

www.chantalpowell.com

art@chantalpowell.com

PHIL ILLINGWORTH IN THE ARC SPACE

We have been looking forward to having some of Phil Illingworth's finely crafted work in the arc space for some time now and so we are delighted to have not just one but five pieces on show for the next few weeks.  

Why not combine a visit to see Phil's work with this week's preview of the new aspex show - S Mark Gubb, How Should I live? (Maybe That's not the Question?) - this Friday 14 January from 6pm.  And join me for a complimentary glass of wine!  Phyl

Dust, 2009

Phil has exhibited in the UK, the USA and at the 53rd Venice Biennale.  He has recently had work in the John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize 2010 exhibition at the Walker art gallery in Liverpool and in Austerity Xmas Bogoff at WW Gallery, London.

Phil was born in 1955 in Yorkshire.  He studied at Portsmouth College of Art (1975 - 1978), and spent much of his earlier career as a graphic designer.  He is now living and working in Portsmouth.

Phil Illingworth, A drawing of a room, 47.244m3, 2010

Exploring the boundaries between two and three dimensions is a core element of my practice.  Recently I have been experimenting with methodologies which integrate the fourth dimension into drawing; not just time taken, or the inevitable passage of time, but as a critical element.

I hypothesised that a housefly can define any enclosed space with absolute precision, given sufficient time: the height, the width, and length; as well as all nuances of contour and impediment, simply by continually flying back and forth and making random contact with the surfaces of that space.  It will continue to do this until it leaves through an opening, or dies.

For three consecutive days, in July 2010, the external door to a room was left open during the morning and afternoon, allowing flies free passage.  In the evening of each day the door was closed, and all the flies remaining within the room were killed and collected in a jar.  At the end of the third day the process was stopped.  The volume of flies in the jar was measured, and estimated at (coincidentally) approximately one cubic inch.  The flies were then built up in layers, in a 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm rectangle, until all were incorporated.

The flies are a tangible record of the formation of an impression of the space, and therefore a drawing of it.  The assembled shape is merely a clue.

Phil Illingworth, 2010

philillingworth.com
www.aspex.org.uk