All Things Considered

Mark Hearld in BBC Homes & Antiques
Posted by Simon Lewin

Regular visitors to our website will be aware that Mark Hearld will be exhibiting at our North Norfolk gallery from Saturday 12th June 2010. If you'd like an invitation to the opening and details nearer the time, please sign up for our e-mail newsletter.

Mark also features in the June 2010 issue of BBC Homes and Antiques in an interview with Charles Farahar...

"The briefest glance around Mark Hearld’s York flat tells you that this is the home of an artist, an animal lover and, clearly, a hoarder. Everywhere you look, something catches the eye. Stuffed animals nestle next to Staffordshire figures. Piles of books – mainly artist’s monographs, Picasso is a particular favourite – crowd the shelves, and paintings and drawings from artist friends decorate the walls. An imposing, rabbit-shaped cushion occupies a chair, birds flutter endlessly after each other in a paper mobile overhead. There’s even an enormous 3D duck hanging from the ceiling."

Read the article in the June edition of BBC Homes and Antiques. Photo below by Jane Sebire courtesy of BBC Homes & Antiques.

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 28th, 2010

Museum of British Folklore
Posted by Simon Lewin

On Saturday 3rd April the first of the Museum of British Folklore's mini exhibitions opened. The owners of Port Eliot, Lord and Lady St Germans have kindly loaned the space in one of the Gatehouses for the summer period while the main house is open to the public and also for the Port Eliot Festival period.

The exhibition looks at the Padstow May Day tradition and features a replica of the current Old Oss mask which is flanked by fabric designed by Mark Hearld and sponsored by St Jude's. There is also a small display of Corn Dollies which are specific to Cornwall.

The upstairs space has cabinets looking at curious remedies and cures, such as wearing the key of a church around the neck whilst sleeping to cure heartache. The legend of Dando, the dissolute 14th-century priest of St Germans, who is said to haunt the area, is told with an engaging film piece. Lastly, a fairy bower is displayed with a piece about the Cornish Piskies.

The exhibition runs at Port Eliot in Cornwall until 30th July 2010. Open every day except Friday from 2pm-4.30pm. Find out more about the Museum of British Folklore.

Posted by Simon Lewin on April 27th, 2010

Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2010
Posted by Kate Sullivan

The line-up for this year's lively 239th Norfolk & Norwich Festival is very impressive. It boasts 350 performances at 50 different venues, some of which are not usually open to the public. The festival is also billed as the International Arts Festival of the East of England - so expect a brilliantly varied choice of entertainment, including some world premieres.

It's difficult to know which events to buy tickets for, as there are circus acts, classical music, dance, jazz, street theatre and much more, and I'm hoping I've not left it too late to make my choice, as I hear tickets are selling fast.

Thankfully, not all events are ticketed. The Festival Garden Party was loved by my girls last year, and is back this year on Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th May. I'm also keen to see NoFit State Circus at Eaton Park and Kurt Perschke's 15 ft inflatable RedBall (see below). These will be squashed into 13 locations across the city during the 13 day long festival. I'm also planning to get my 6 year old daughter's hair cut by children of the same age, as part of Mammalian Diving Reflex Haircuts by Children at the stylish Flint hairdressers. It can't be worse than her 3 year old sister could do, can it?

The festival runs form 7th - 22nd May 2010. For further information and to buy tickets, visit nnf10.org.uk

Posted by Kate Sullivan on March 31st, 2010

David Gentleman
Posted by Simon Lewin

This week sees the opening of a new exhibition at the Fine Art Society on Bond Street.

'David Gentleman at Eighty' celebrates the 80th birthday of this artist and designer who has worked in a range media - wood engraving, watercolour and lithography.

The exhibition also sees the launch of a new edition of 'Ask The Fellows Who Cut The Hay' by George Ewart Evans (Gentleman's father-in-law) which is illustrated throughout by 60 of the artist's beautiful watercolour paintings and drawings. David worked on the images all through the summer, autumn and winter of 2009 in Blaxhall, the Suffolk village on which the book is centred.

The exhibition runs at the Fine Art Society, 148 New Bond Street, London, during March and April 2010. You can find out more about the book via the Full Circle website.

Posted by Simon Lewin on March 23rd, 2010

More from Toby Morison
Posted by Simon Lewin

Just back from Toby Morison's exhibiton of Indian watercolours at The Coningsby Gallery. Highly recommended.

If you're in London, you can visit the exhibition until 13th March 2010 at The Coningsby Gallery, 30 Tottenham Street, London W1T 4RJ. Visit their website to view further images.

Posted by Simon Lewin on March 9th, 2010

Dieter Rams
Posted by Simon Lewin

We're hoping to get along to the Dieter Rams exhibition at the Design Museum in the next few days. First became aware of his work through Vitsoe (we've developed a bit of an addiction for his shelving system) though as a kid I remember Dad having one of his Braun alarm clocks.

Particularly like Dieter Rams' Ten Principles of good design:

Good design is innovative.
Good design makes a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic.
Good design makes a product understandable.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is honest.
Good design is long-lasting.
Good design is thorough down to the last detail.
Good design is environmentally friendly.
Good design is as little design as possible.

The exhibition runs at the Design Museum until March 2010 (if you visit before the end of January you'll also be able to see the show about the work of architect David Chipperfield). Here's a film about Rams' work for Vitsoe:

Posted by Simon Lewin on December 30th, 2009

Bawden and Fortnum & Mason
Posted by Simon Lewin

Here's another piece by Edward Bawden for Fortnum & Mason, this time for Christmas 1955.

Posted by Simon Lewin on December 23rd, 2009

Bow Gamelan Ensemble
Posted by Simon Lewin

All of these autumnal pyrotechnics put in my mind of the Bow Gamelan Ensemble who I saw a few times in what must have been (from memory) the mid-late 80s.

In 1983 Paul Burwell, Richard Wilson and Anne Bean formed the Ensemble, described in Burwell's 2007 obituary in The Independent as "a multi-media urban-junk-and-pyrotechnics percussion trio".

Here the Bow Gamelan Ensemble reunite with others to perform on Wilson's boat the Slice of Life (a slice of a tug boat on the river Thames in London). More about the Ensemble

Posted by Simon Lewin on November 7th, 2009

Old Town
Posted by Simon Lewin

Graphic designer and photographer Nick Hand has been cycling round the coast of Great Britain to raise funds for the Parkinson's Disease Society. Along the way he has been recording a series of 'soundslide' films, documenting the work of artisans he meets.

On the Norfolk leg of his journey he called in at our friends Old Town in Holt to make this short film about their British workwear range. Find out more about Nick's journey.

Posted by Simon Lewin on August 28th, 2009

Bob and Roberta Smith
Posted by Angie Lewin

Here at the Edinburgh Festival the nomadic Grey Gallery has taken up residence in an elegant Georgian townhose and is exhibiting one of Bob and Roberta Smith's largest works to date 'This Artist is Deeply Dangerous'.

In 2008 the arts and sports writers at The Guardian were asked to swap roles. The resulting clear, enthusiastic and personal review of a Louise Bourgeois exhibition by tennis correspondent Steve Brierley caught Smith's attention - and he has painted the text onto a series of 9 panels of reclaimed wood.

The Grey Gallery @Hawke and Hunter, 12 Picardy Place, Edinbugh EH1 3JT
www.thegreygallery.com. Ends 5th September 2009. Open daily from 11am-6pm. Free admission.

Posted by Angie Lewin on August 27th, 2009