George Morl: Electrum Spektrum

‘Electrum Spektrum’ is an installation at Chelmsford Museum by Basildon born artist George Morl. The installation has grown from a series of projects and evolving conversations with students in Cornwall and Essex. It features artworks by Morl and the students, and work from their collaborative collection of art. The works trace the evolution of social and technological networks and reflect on conversations about their experiences of online spaces.

Since 2020 Morl has been working in partnership with students from Elm Class, Nancealverne School in Penzance as well as support centres in Essex: two regions linked by the development of wireless radio. This ongoing collaboration has also explored fiction in gaming and art, the development of communication history, as well as creating artwork and their own workshops.

In 2022 they began to build an art collection together centred on the needs of disabled people and encompassing a broad range of sensory engagements. They have acquired artworks by artists such as Grayson Perry with the selection based on their own interests and accessibility needs.

Earlier this year at St Andrew's Wickford Morl spoke about their experience as collector and in an exhibition called New Town, New Collection showed work by Grayson Perry, Elsa James, Madge Gill, Rosie Hastings & Hannah Quinlan, Uma Breakdown, as well as a selection of their own work. Through founding a collection which reflects on the communal legacies of New Towns, Plotlands, and the possibility of human connections across the virtual world, Morl visions a future art collection centring support. In their talk Morl shared the joy of acquiring art, and motivations for building a collection to share for others.

Morl identifies with Perry’s use of imagination and construction of identity in his art, and sees parallels with using virtual spaces as a young person. It was Perry’s work that inspired Morl to study art at South Essex College in 2013.

A selection of works by Perry can be seen in the Ceramics Gallery at Chelmsford Museum. These include the 'Chelmsford Sissies' pot, the 'Julie Tile', the limited-edition print ‘England as seen from Lockdown in Islington’, which was created in 2021 during the Channel 4 series ‘Grayson’s Art Club’, and an 'Untitled' drawing depicting a hybrid of rural and urban Essex – a unique portrait of Perry’s hometown of Chelmsford.

Also to be seen at Chelmsford Museum is Behind the Rainbow, a collection of personal stories and experiences from the LGBTQ+ community, showing the creativity, complexity, and humanity of its members. This exhibition recognises the relationship between self-expression and identity and invites visitors to connect and empathise with the people behind the stories. 

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Joy Oladokun - Keeping The Light On.

Unveiled and Messy Church

 

Messy Harvest, 2-4pm, Saturday 8th October 2022
St Andrew’s Church, London Road, Wickford

Mess! Fun! Food! FREE Kids crafts, activities, games, stories, & songs! plus FREE tea for each child. Kids must bring an adult. ​

Messy Church is a way of being church for families and others. It is Christ-centred, for all ages, based on creativity, hospitality and celebration.

Unveiled
A new, regular Friday night arts and performance event at St Andrew’s Church, 7.00 – 9.00 pm, 11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN

Exhibitions, open mic nights, performances, talks and more!

• Unveiled – a wide range of artist and performers from Essex and wider, including Open Mic nights (come and have a go!).
• Unveiled – view our hidden painting by acclaimed artist David Folley, plus a range of other exhibitions.

Initial Autumn Programme

• 7 October – Conversing with composers – Hear Classical composer Ho Wai-On speak about her work and view videos of her work - https://www.howaion.co.uk/aboutme.html.
• 14 October – Exhibition viewing evening with Runwell Art Club.
• 21 October – ‘Wickford Famous’ – a talk by Ken Porter (Basildon Heritage).

Unveiled’s Autumn Programme will continue to 25 November.

Advance notice: 18 November – Rev Simpkins in concert. Sinner songster, guttural gospeller & pop-poet-priest, Rev Simpkins’s music is an unholy brew of bruising freak blues, string-snapping finger-twanged folk, and sanctified psychedelia.

Unveiled on Friday 7 October, 7.00 - 9.00 pm, at St Andrew's Wickford features composer Ho Wai-On in conversation with Jonathan Evens. 

The evening will include audio and video clips from her work. Wai-On will speak about her compositions and cross-cultural combined arts work.

Ho Wai-On (surname: Ho, aka Ann-Kay Lin) is from Hong Kong but has lived most of her life in or near London. She is best known as a composer, and creator/director of cross-cultural combined arts projects. She has written more than one hundred compositions for various combinations − vocal, choral, instrumental, ensemble, orchestral, electro-acoustic, music theatre, dance, music for the stage, multi-media, and the scores for three short films. Her works reflect different cultures including Western, Chinese, Japanese and Indian; and span various art forms including music, dance, theatre, design, multi-slide projection and music videos. She has lectured and received numerous commissions.

Unveiled: Exhibition viewing evening with Runwell Art Club
Friday 14 October 2022, 7.00 – 9.00 pm
St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN

View the exhibition by members of Runwell Art Club featuring animals, children and nature, a heritage display on Wickford’s children from Basildon Heritage, Nicola Ravenscroft’s mudcub sculptures of children intimately connected to the earth – reminding us of our duty of care to life, to love, to planet Earth – and St Andrew’s hidden painting, ‘The descent from the Cross’ by David Folley.

The evening includes presentations on Runwell Art Club, Nicola Ravenscroft’s mudcubs and the hidden painting at St Andrew’s.

Wickford Famous, Friday 21 October, 7.00 pm, St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN
A talk by Ken Porter of Basildon Heritage on famous people from Wickford.

Rev Simpkins performs Saltings
Friday 18 November, 7.00 pm
St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN

Part of ‘Unveiled’, the new Friday night arts and performance event at St Andrew’s Church
No ticket required – donations requested on the night

Rev Simpkins & the Phantom Folk

Rev Simpkins’ music mixes the colourful folk tradition of Appalachians Mountains with the melodiousness and carefully-observed lyrics of the Kinks. Close harmonies intertwine with banjo, French horn, and bass.

At this concert the band will perform the Rev’s acclaimed fourth album and book, Saltings in its entirety.

Created with the Illustrator, Tom Knight, Saltings is a loving portrait of the mystery and beauty of Essex's salt marsh wilderness, and a meditation on the real human cost of the wilderness time of the pandemic.

Found within 50 miles of London, the saltings are one of England’s last natural wild spaces. Working as a parish priest a few miles away, Matt came to the saltings to retreat and compose these compelling and compassionate songs about his community’s real-life experiences during the pandemic. Saltings portrays hope found amid wilderness.

The Reverend Matt Simpkins is the fourth generation of his family to be ordained priest in the Church of England. Prior to ordination, Matt was a professional musician having been a choral scholar at Oxford University and a Lecturer in Music. He collaborated with Kenney Jones of the Small Faces to reconstruct the orchestral parts of their 1968 psychedelic masterpiece Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake. In 2019 a diagnosis of cancer and a period of illness brought an opportunity to make new music and the Rev released the hope-filled album Big Sea in 2020, which was selected as one of Louder than War’s albums of 2020.

‘a triumph…hypnotic and compulsive listening’ Fatea on Saltings

‘tender...magnificent...outstanding’ Vive le Rock on Saltings

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Rev Simpkins - Hail To The New King Of England.

Alys Tomlinson & Markéta Luskacová: Ex Voto & Pilgrims

My latest review for Church Times compares and contrasts Alys Tomlinson's Ex-Voto photographic series on the theme of Pilgrimage with the Bohemia-born British-based photographer Markéta Luskacová’s documentary series Pilgrims, currently on show at Tate Britain.

Mike Trow, chair of judges for the Sony World Photography Awards 2018, says that Ex-Voto is a sensitive illustration of the “idea of pilgrimage as a journey of discovery and sacrifice to a greater power” through “quiet images, beautifully produced, with a calm, spiritual feel that is at odds with so much of our frenetic lives”.

'Luskacová wanted to record the pilgrims’ way of life, because she thought that it would not survive for much longer. Tomlinson’s fascination with contemporary pilgrimage and the warmth of reception for her images reveal the enduring strength of pilgrimage as a human endeavour that has not been lost in the period from 1967 to 2018. Tomlinson’s images reveal the endurance of faith in the 21st century.'

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Norah Jones - Sunrise.

Angels for Peace

We do hope you'll be able to join us on Tuesday evening, 25th October, to celebrate the finissage of The Shadow of Angels. Our musical programme for the evening features Syrian concert pianist Riyad Nicolas and up-and-coming singer/songwriter Katya DJ. For those who couldn't make it along to the opening you'll find a link below to a short film of what was a memorable evening of art, music and dance! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raRin_Kt40I&feature=youtu.be The finissage will open at 6pm with the concert at 7.45. The concert is in support of those in crisis in Syria - see Christian Aid's Syria Crisis Appeal. CONCERT PROGRAMME St. Stephen Walbrook 25th October 2016 KATYA DJ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ RIYAD NICOLAS – Piano Sonata K466 in F Minor Domenico Scarlatti Sonata K455 in G Major Domenico Scarlatti Sonata No 31 Opus 110 in A Flat Major - Moderato Cantabile Molto Espressivo - Allegro Molto - Adagio Ma Non Troppo / Fuga; Allegro Ma Non Troppo Ludwig von Beethoven Polonaise Fantasie Opus 61 in A Flat Frédéric Chopin ‘Scarbo’ from Gaspard de la Nuit Maurice Ravel Katya DJ is a 22 year-old London based singer/songwriter. Influenced by artists such as Amy Winehouse and Beth Hart, her sound incorporates elements of jazz/ blues influenced pop and she has been described as "... the best new artist I've heard since Adele." She has performed at various venues around London including The Troubadour, Chelsea Arts Club, The Pheasantry and Ronnie Scott's and also at Somerset Series at Somerset House and other festivals this summer. Katya graduated from the University of Oxford in 2015 with a BA in Music and has recently completed a Masters (MMus) in Popular Music Performance at BIMM (British and Irish Modern Music Institute) in conjunction with the University of West London. Riyad Nicolas is one of the most exciting young artists to emerge from the Middle East. “Syria’s leading young pianist” (International Piano Magazine 2012), was born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1989, and has already established himself as a leading figure of his generation on the international performing circuit. He has won numerous international prizes and awards including First Prize at the Norah Sande Award in the UK, the Christopher Duke Recital Prize in the UK, the Ciutat de Carlet International Piano Competition in Spain, and First Prize, with a recording contract, at The Francaix International Piano Competition in Paris, Top Prize at the 1st Syria National Piano Competition and was selected to be a Tillett Trust Young Artist in 2012 and an artist at the Countess of Munster Trust Concert Scheme in 2014. Riyad graduated with a distinction in a Master of Performance course at the Royal College of Music, studying with Dmitri Alexeev and Vanessa Latarche, as a Steinway Scholar supported by a Frederick Johnston Award. He first came to London in 2005 when he was awarded a two-year scholarship to study at the Purcell School of Music with Sulamita Aronovsky, continuing to work with her at the Royal Academy of Music, where he graduated in 2011. He has participated in masterclasses and was complimented by such musicians as Daniel Barenboim, Vladimir Ashkenazy and John Lill. His first appearance as a soloist with an orchestra was made at age ten in Aleppo. Since then he has performed with many orchestras, including the London Chamber Orchestra at the Cadogan Hall, Emirate Symphony Orchestra in Dubai, Young Musician Symphony Orchestra at St. John's Smith Square, the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra at the opening of the new Damascus Opera House, as well as with the Gomidas Chamber Orchestra of Aleppo. Riyad has given solo recitals in many prestigious venues in London, including The Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, Wigmore Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, St. James’s Piccadilly, and Leighton House. He is regularly invited to give recitals hosted by the Beethoven Piano Society of Europe and the Chopin Society UK and has also been invited to perform in numerous UK musical festivals such as Harrogate, Norfolk-Norwich, King’s Lynn, Brighton, Devon, Darlington, Stratford-upon-Avon, Lincoln, Crediton, and Eastbourne. Concert performances have also taken him to France, Spain, Switzerland, USA (including a debut at Kennedy Centre in Washington) and some Arab States. He has been invited to play for many fundraising concerts especially for Syria from various prestigious organizations such as The International Rescue Commitee, The UN refugee Agency,The Arab British Centre amongst many others. “... this paragon of pianistic prestidigitation ... setting a new gold standard", “… he had given a prodigious recital which rose head and shoulders above everything else we have heard this year”, “... every aspect of his performance ... melding all together into an indissoluble unity of conception.” Beethoven Piano Society of Europe. *Riyad gratefully acknowledges the support of Said Foundation, Asfari Foundation, Countess of Munster Trust, Talent unlimited and Help Musicians UK Fleming Award. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Riyad Nicolas - Emperor Concerto 1st movement.

Zi Ling & the Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize exhibition

Zi Ling's watercolour entitled 'Cigarette Break' (2015) is in the Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize 2016 at the Mall Galleries. Ling creates portraits or explorations of relationships by working from photographs with which she feels an intuitive connection. Previously Ling has had work in the Columbia Threadneedle Prize exhibition, the Sunday Times Watercolour Competition exhibition, and Society of Women Artists (where she won the Rosemary & Company Art Prize); all at Mall Galleries. Click here to see examples of Ling's work.

Now in its eleventh year, the Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize is an open competition, which encourages the very best creative representational painting and promotes the skill of draughtsmanship. Created in 2005 by The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers and The Lynn Foundation, the competition is one of the most prestigious awards for artists in the UK, this year offering total prize money of £30,000. The exhibition features the very best in British figurative painting, showcasing work of both established and young contemporary artists, as chosen by a panel of highly regarded art world figures.

This annual exhibition is held at the Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1. The 2016 exhibition is there until 13 March followed by a touring exhibition to Guildford House Gallery from 25 June – 17 July 2016. Approximately 100 paintings are selected for exhibition and all works are for sale.

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Candi Staton - Even The Bad Times Are Good.

Icons of Loss: Samuel Bak

'Viewers joining the six-decade-long journey of Samuel Bak’s works, as presented in this exhibition, are presented with a multi-faceted experience – an encounter with an artist dealing head-on with the basic question of “how” underlying the language of art, with an artist debating with himself about the abstract, the figurative and the gamut between them. His varying stylistic periods reveal an artist capable of producing fine pencil drawings in the classical tradition, on the one hand, and thick, layered oil brushstrokes of pasticcio color on large canvasses. Every period reveals a little – the configurative response of the artist’s journey in a sea of expressive artistic possibilities – but conceals twice as much about the inner burden. Thus until the decisive juncture, where artistic expression and inner truth meet. The journey and burden are shaped into a single identity, which, while it may be paradigmatic, is nevertheless unique and private - the arduous road of Samuel Bak spanning sixty years of creativity.'

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Zbigniew Preisner - Labirynt.

Assemblance

Two Christian artists, John Espin and Tim Harrold, are holding a joint exhibition of their work at the newly opened Well House Gallery in Horndon on the Hill.

The gallery is run by Lisa Anderson of the 24-7 Prayer Boiler Room in Stanford-le-Hope. She is an arts graduate who attended Thurrock Technical College's Art Foundation Course and Art College in Ipswich.

For more information about the gallery, please see http://www.wellhousegallery.co.uk and https://www.facebook.com/wellhousegallery.

The exhibition is called Assemblance. It ends on Friday 21 November.

Opening times:
Monday - Tuesday: 10-12am and 1-5pm
Wednesday - closed
Thursday - Saturday: 10-12am and 1-5pm
Sunday: 2-4pm

On show at Assemblance is a piece John and Tim were recently commissioned to make by ENAS (Essex Network of Artists' Studios). It is called The Doors of Perception and was shown in September at the ENAS show Traces in Hadleigh Old Fire Station, and then at the High House Artists' Studios in Purfleet as part of the Thurrock Art Trail.

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MxPx - I'm Ok, You're Ok.

Modern Art Oxford: Barbara Kruger

Barbara Kruger at Modern Art Oxford until 31 August 2014

'Through ironic appropriation of specific slogans and imagery, Kruger deploys the visual strategies of mass communication in order to challenge the often manipulative logic at work in the language of advertising, television and other media and the role of Western consumerist culture.'

'Kruger’s investigation of rhetoric is further intensified by the work’s loud graphic style of which the artist says “I attempt to investigate the complex inter-relationships between power and society, but as for the visual presentation itself, I try to avoid a high degree of difficulty. I would like for people to be drawn directly in the work.”'

'While the exhibition addresses ideas of value and consumerism, this work also presents a more philosophical trajectory, confronting the viewer with questions and declarations such as, “IS THERE LIFE WITHOUT PAIN?” “IS THAT ALL THERE IS?” and “THE BRUTAL RELENTLESS FEARFUL END OF IT ALL.” The repeated motif of an emoticon – a hallmark of smartphone and social media communication – references the explosion of digital culture across online and mobile platforms and the influence of these technologies on our lives.'

'Kruger’s work is primarily concerned with the machinations of power in contemporary life. Through ironic appropriation of specific slogans and imagery, she deploys the visual strategies of mass media in order to subvert the often manipulative logic at work in the language of advertising, television and other media. Kruger’s use of both declarative statements and the imperative, what she terms ‘direct address’, is a consistent tactic throughout her work. This mode of address is utilised not only to grab the viewer’s attention but also to implicate us in the work’s content, forcing us to confront and question familiar social and cultural orthodoxies.'

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Barbara Kruger at Modern Art Oxford.