Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts

01 June 2022

Anise Gallery Presents "Shrine of the Goat"

 10th - 12th June 2022 at The Old Chapel, 27-33 Malham Road, London SE23 1AH


Hidden within the bizarre dystopian world that is the Shrine of the Goat lies a fragile environment. The goats appear to have control but are they protecting it or taking it over? Tiny morsels of plant life remain in the hope that one day they will thrive once again.


Working with performance artist, theatre director and curator Jacek Ludwig Scarso, and building on previous collaborations performed at Tate Modern, theatrical live scenes are merged with music and an integrated VR Performance in response to the unique site of The Old Chapel, creating a dreamscape where visitors and performers intermingle. 

 Physically and virtually immersed in a surreal habitat, visitors are confronted with the image of goats as a poignant metaphor for stubborn resilience and an unpredictable future.

Playful, bizarre and mysterious, the piece directly responds to LFA‘s ‘act’ theme, using performance as a vehicle to interact with the idea of architecture as spectacle, and to poetically reflect on the fragility of an urbanised ecosystem.

Further information and ticket booking via Anise Gallery. Tickets are £5 for adults and free for children.


07 April 2022

Pip Tunstall − Artist in Havelock Walk

Interviewed by Belinda Evans

Can you tell us a bit about your background?
My name is Pip Tunstill − I am an artist and live in Havelock Walk in Forest Hill. I graduated from Hornsey College of Art in Fine Art − followed by a stint in the V&A − followed by a side step into an Interior Design studio − (it’s a long story!) followed by a lengthy very enjoyable career as a senior lecturer in 3D & Spatial Design at Chelsea and Camberwell University of the Arts.

Now I paint full time and when I am not in the studio, I will usually be found each morning swimming outdoors throughout the year at Tooting Bec Lido with two fellow stalwarts from Havelock Walk − and yes its bloody freezing! During lockdown, when the pool was closed, the River Thames was a pretty good alternative!

What brought you to Havelock Walk?

My husband & I moved here 20 years ago from Wandsworth. We had been looking for a property to convert or a site to build on (my husband is an Architect) and heard about a possibility in Havelock Walk. We came to visit early one morning before work on a cold rainy winter morning − we walked down the street and a cheery voice from an open workshop asked us if we would like a cup of tea − that was it! We bought the site, built a glass & steel house my husband designed and 20 years later we are still here and are part of a thriving creative community that is Havelock Walk.

What inspires your work?
I started out as a landscape painter in which the work gradually became more and more abstract as I became interested in shape and form and colour. Teaching 3D / Spatial Design has definitely influenced the way I compose my paintings − inevitably they are a square format as I find it the most satisfying form in its symmetry and its ability to multiply. Many of my drawings are sequential and using repetitive mark making − even when confronted by trees. I tend to start with a deep border of colour which usually generates the first question!

  • I find the edges of canvas /board /paper a problem
  • I realised when I was painting landscapes that I always left a border round the image
  • This has now continued into my abstract painting partly due to dislike of frames and also fear of the edge!

The colour becomes the frame. There are still landscape forms and structure which appear traced back to my earlier influences. I tend to work in layers creating a strong three-dimensional element which is the direct result of my strong interest in Architecture and Spatial Design. Intense colour drives the form and hopefully reflects my general optimism and joy in painting

What do you like about Havelock Walk?
It’s quite hidden considering how close it is to the South Circular and Forest Hill station. It is an historic cobbled mews where all the studios homes and workshops generate a very friendly and creative community. Studios are opened twice a year to the public as part of Dulwich Festival − this year May 14/15 and 21/22nd and again just before Christmas. We close the street put up the bunting, make music, serve food and welcome all and sundry!

What do you like about living in Forest Hill?
The Horniman Museum & Gardens was a godsend during the lock down. The gardeners worked throughout, and you became far more aware of nature in all its majesty. I started drawing trees which I haven’t done for 30 years which became my focus in the sameness of every day. Also, in the lockdown discovering all the green spaces which abound in Forest Hill. Excellent public transport (when the trains are running) − a station in which the Forest Hill Society, through its volunteers, maintains planters and greenly things.

Favourite coffee / bar/ restaurant?
For the best toasted cheese ever Aga’s Little Deli. Our own Canvas & Cream with its own studios and gallery – ‘our own’ because it backs onto Havelock Walk − as does the Guava Kitchen − which both serve great food at our Open Studio weekends. Big Cheeks Thai restaurant − despite its odd name. Tea Pot for breakfast and tea.





17 September 2020

“I Am a Man”

In June this year, after the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in the American city of Minneapolis, two new artworks appeared in Forest Hill. The first, on Waldram Park Road; simply stated ‘Black Lives Matter’ ― a recognition of the difficulty Black people continue to have, even today, in being seen and treated equally.

The second artwork, created by Nathan Bowen, can be seen on Perry Vale, close to the underpass. It is a powerful image in its own right, but it is also a representation of the 1968 Memphis, Tennessee sanitation strike.



 

The Memphis sanitation strike was provoked by the death of two sanitation workers who were crushed to death in a garbage truck that malfunctioned while they sheltered from the rain. This led to strikes and marches, with the protestors taking up the placards shown in the photo, in a peaceful protest against poor working conditions and a host of other grievances.

Martin Luther King Jr was a strong supporter of the cause of the sanitation workers and led some of the marches in Memphis. It was on 3rd April 1968, in Memphis, that King gave his last speech ― “I've Been to the Mountaintop” ― and on the following day he was assassinated on the balcony of his motel room.

Bowen’s artwork reminds us of the injustice and inequality for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people, not only in 1968, but also today. "For at the heart of racism is the idea that a man is not a man, that a person is not a person. You are human beings. You are men. You deserve dignity." ― Rev James Lawson 1968.

24 March 2020

Have a Look at Havelock Walk

Havelock Walk is one of Forest Hill’s great treasures. It is a cobbled mews off London Road which is home to a diverse community of creative people, who all live and work there. Its small entrance off the South Circular gives little indication of the creative hub a few meters from our busy high street. It feels almost hidden despite the large blue and white Hello and Goodbye mural, by resident artist Supermundane.

Havelock Walk’s history is far from clear. Some suggest the name derives from the Have Lock, an offshoot of the Croydon Canal providing stables for the horses which pulled the barges. This may be more of an urban legend since there is no written evidence. Furthermore, the Croydon Canal closed twenty years before the first noted reference in 1862 to a Havelock Street on the site. Businesses then included a blacksmith, carpenter, coach-maker and zinc worker. It likely borrowed its name from the terrace of shops on London Road which now includes the Red Cross, then called Havelock Terrace.

It is much more likely that Havelock Walk is named after Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, then considered a hero of the unsuccessful Indian Rebellion in 1857. Havelock died shortly after the end of the Rebellion; subsequently, streets, building and even pubs came to bear his name. Today, a statue of Havelock stands on one of Trafalgar Square’s plinths.
While once an area of industry, fast forward to the 1980s when Havelock Walk was a grim, cobbled terrace used by mechanics and metal workers for storage. It suffered bomb damage during the war and had remained unwanted. Yet, despite the squalor, it had something that Lancashire-born artist Jeff Lowe was looking for.

Jeff Lowe FRSS was a student of the New Generation of British sculptors in the 1960s which included Anthony Caro and William Tucker. Lowe came to prominence in the 1970s winning the Sainsbury Award in 1975 and today is internationally acclaimed for his monumental architectural-inspired abstract sculptures.

Lowe had been looking for cheap warehouse space in which he could work on his large abstract sculpture and make a home. Havelock Walk fit the bill, and in 1987 he bought his first unit followed by several more over the next ten years. Each one was converted into live/work studios and often sold on to other artists. As shells, their new owners could create the spaces they needed for both their professional work and personal needs.

Fast forward to today, and Havelock Walk is now home to a vast array of artists, sculptors, ceramicists, architects, photographers and craftspeople. They include Royal Academician David Mach, who is now one of the UK’s most successful and respected artists, and known for his large-scale sculpture, collages and installations. His 1989 installation Out of Order, of fallen red telephone boxes, dominates the centre of Kingston. Supermundane’s (aka Rob Lowe’s) geometric images and typography are instantly recognisable, playing with line, colour and optical illusions. Another resident is visual artist and mental health advocate Liz Atkin. Atkin’s work is in part a response to her  compulsive skin picking condition and she can often be found giving away work to passengers on the Overground. Resident photographers Wayne Parker and Lenka Rayn produce haunting landscapes (Parker) and portraits (Rayn) from their unit at the end of Havelock Walk.

In the 30-plus years since Jeff Lowe bought his first unit, Havelock Walk has become more than a street of live/work spaces. Havelock Walk is now a thriving community of artists, often collaborating with each other; and a community of families, many with children born and raised there.

Throughout the year, visits to studios are often by request only. But twice a year the studios’ doors are opened, and this creativity explodes onto the street with Havelock Walk’s popular Open Studio Weekends. Colourful bunting leads visitors to original art and crafts for sale, alongside street music, street food and the families of Havelock Walk.

For further information, visit www.havelockwalk.com

The Streets are Filled with Art


Forest Hill and surrounding areas have seen a growth in the use of public art to better address the needs of 'dressing the street'. These works do more than brighten up a drab area, they also play a role in our sense of collective purpose. But what constitutes public art and how is the commissioning process able to support community goals?








With momentum building behind interest in these questions, the time is right to capitalise on the trend. The “Lewisham School of Muralism” is a proposal by Artmongers. A Spacehive crowdfunding-campaign has been launched to fund this initiative to teach participants the process of creating murals.

To find out more or to donate, visit www.spacehive.com/lewisham-school-of-muralism

18 September 2019

First Lewisham Sketch Crawl

By Simon McCormack

Please come and join us on the first Lewisham Sketch Crawl, which will take place on Sunday 29th September 2019.

Meet at 10.45am at the Horniman Museum and Gardens Bandstand for an 11.00am start.

A sketch crawl consists of six to eight stops at a range of locations. At each location you get half an hour to complete a sketch, watercolour or pastel — it's up to you. All the locations are fairly close to each other. Each sketch crawl will have a designated starting point, but you can join or leave the sketch crawl at any point. We will also publish where we will be and at what time for each stop.

Bring a packed lunch or you can eat at a local café. There will be time at the end of the day to share your work, if you wish. All ages and abilities are welcome.

We will be organising future Sketch Crawls around Lewisham and South London, mainly during the spring, summer and autumn months.

Please join our Lewisham Sketchcrawlers Facebook group page for further details and updates at http://tiny.cc/n70jaz.

28 April 2016

Havelock Walk Open Studios

7th,8th & 14th,15th May from 11am - 6pm

Hidden in plain sight, Havelock Walk is home to a community of artists, designers and musicians in the centre of Forest Hill. Come find them and you will discover a cobbled mews with a delightfully incongruous mix of buildings. Wander through the studios, chat with the artists and designers; relax in the sunshine while you take in a live music set or sample some street food.

Havelock Walk is located off London Road, between Santander and M&Co.

19 November 2015

118 Stanstead Open Studios

http://www.118stanstead.com/inhabitants

More open studios for the weekend of 28-19th November.
Situated behind Topps Tiles on the South Circular.

17 November 2015

Havelock Walk Artists' Open Studios

Sat 28th - Sun 29th November. Havelock Walk is located off London Road, between Santander and M&Co.

19 August 2014

Watercolour - at Devonshire Road Nature Reserve

Suitable for the terrified and the gifted this is a uniquely inspiring course. Watercolour will be explored in the natural beauty of the reserve. Personalized and friendly tutoring will enable everyone to gain experience, confidence and direction. You will experiment; gather knowledge, and paintings as you progress.






New term Starts September 10th 2014
Wednesday evenings 7 – 10, Pay per class £8 or £80 per term. All day Saturday sessions to be confirmed.

Tea and coffee provided, anything stronger – bring your own!
Led by Artist Naomi Leake – A regular watercolour tutor for Tate Britain.

Some materials will be provided but please bring student quality paints and brushes.
To book a place and for more information on all classes contact naomi@naomileake.co.uk

20 June 2014

Free - Meet the Artist event in Forest Hill


Sunday 29th June, 5pm at DoopoDoopo. Art show from Adelina Iliev and Martin Lea.

20 May 2014

The 23rd Annual Friends of the Horniman Art Exhibition



14-15 June will see the 23rd Friends of the Horniman Art Exhibition in the Conservatory of the Horniman Museum and Gardens.

More than 30 Artists will be showing work over the weekend, in a wide variety of styles both contemporary and traditional. We will have oils, acrylics and watercolours but also drawings, prints, textile art and sculpture. Many artists will be familiar to previous visitors but we will also have a number of new artists this year. This is a great opportunity to purchase a unique, original art work while also supporting the museum. Even if you feel that you don’t currently have the wall space many of the artists will also be selling greeting cards.


The Sunday is Father’s Day so we are hoping that many people will incorporate a trip to the Museum and the Art exhibition into the weekend, perhaps including a trip to the Extremes exhibition, the Aquarium or your old favourites. 

Where: The conservatory, Horniman Museum and Gardens
When: Saturday 14 June 10am-5pm and Sunday 15 June 10am-4.30pm

24 February 2014

February Newsletter: The Montage

A new arrival at 33 Dartmouth Road, The Montage is true to its name - a hotchpotch of cafe, antiques shop and art gallery.


Heading for tea and cake one Sunday afternoon, we were greeted with a room full of enticing shelves and tables stacked with eye-catching things to see. These ranged from old Ordnance Survey maps rolled up into two umbrella stands, to some bookends constructed from vintage Kellogg's cornflake packets, and a old-fashioned blue enamel pan stand that with some love would look quite happy again. Another wall held a beautifully arranged display cabinet with second-hand hardback books and small dolls in national costume - odd but somehow entirely at home in their setting.

Once I'd been persuaded to stop looking at all these intriguing things, it was time to eat - although there were more goodies to discover, through the rooms and down the stairs - leather armchairs, formica tables, stools, wooden furniture all ready for upcycling, so we made quite slow progress to our table! The Montage, it turns out, is a small warren of different spaces. There are a couple of rooms at the back (one wallpapered with those OS maps we'd found - what a brilliant idea) where you can sit and eat.  Beyond these, if the sun's shining, there's a peaceful small garden with tables and chairs, and a dog bowl for canine companions. The garden's newly planted but looks set to become a little green haven, edged by a fence with flowers growing wild on the other side. When we were there, a couple had ensconced themselves at a table spread with books in the garden and another man was inside working on his laptop - very tranquil.

In addition, they have devoted a whole room to a children’s play area which means kids are well catered for too. It's downstairs so ideal as it's out the way and parents don't need to worry about their kids disturbing other customers. The room is filled with a variety of toys which should keep little ones occupied for a while!

In the main café area there was a very inviting selection of homemade cakes and biscuits on the counter. We sampled a fresh scone with a generous dollop of cream and jam in the middle, and a delicious square of summer berry cake (though the lemon drizzle did also look very tempting). They have proper coffee and tea including ten different kinds of herbal tea, which the lady behind the counter patiently listed for me! Plus the tea comes in individual teapots.

After tea, it was time to investigate the art gallery upstairs. There's a good selection of art scattered about the rooms, but in the gallery space there's a bigger exhibition of work by a single artist which tends to change every month.

If you're wandering along Dartmouth Road in search of somewhere new to explore - and if you love St David's, Canvas and Cream, Doopo Doopo and Aga's Deli - then this is definitely a place to add to your list. There's a lovely unhurried atmosphere for reading, working, and meeting with friends, in between poking around for treasures. I'll be going back for some of those maps…

Review provided by Catherine Wood

01 August 2013

Louise House - A Hub for Art

We are delighted to say that we have finally heard who will be running Louise House for the next three years (and beyond, if successful).

V22 Collection is an art organisation, with a shared ownership structure, which specialises in the collection of contemporary art, the production of exhibitions, events and educational initiatives, and the provision of artists' studios and artisans' workshops. V22 currently runs three studio buildings in London, providing affordable workspace for over 400 tenants.

The first property, which they have managed since 2006, provides for 27 artists and is situated at the heart of Dalston’s creative district on Ashwin Street. The second, V22 Workspace, is a massive 142,000 sq. ft ex-industrial space in Bermondsey which they moved into in October 2010 and has over 380 artists and creative professionals working in the building, a large exhibition and events space, a community café and workshop space. They are proud of the collaborative and friendly community that has arisen there. Their third property opened recently in De Beauvoir, London, N1.

V22 believes that artists will always be at the forefront of contemporary thought. They aim to enable better connections into the wider art ecology through their shared ownership structure.

Louise House is situated on Dartmouth Road between the library and the swimming pool and is Grade 2 listed by English Heritage. The involvement of V22 in this site is another exciting opportunity for the development of Forest Hill and we look forward to working with them.

10 June 2013

Horniman Art Sale 13 - 14 July

The 22nd Friends of the Horniman Art Exhibition will take place in the Conservatory of the Horniman, over the weekend of 13th and 14th July 2103.

Opening at 10am on both days, the exhibition will close at 5pm on the Saturday and 4.30pm on the Sunday. Entry is free and there will be 36 exhibitors with all the paintings, prints, sculptures and greeting cards present for sale during the event.

15 April 2012

Saatchi and Nigella come to Canvas & Cream

Press Release from Canvas & Cream:

Canvas & Cream a new concept art space and dining experience in Forest Hill were host to Charles Saatchi and Nigella Lawson yesterday, there was a bit of something for both of them in Canvas & Creams’ unique Up-Cycled dining room which adjoins their Gallery/Project Space where artist Raf Zawistowski is exhibiting his new work.

Saatchi......

Raf Zawistowski’s solo debut show was bought outright by Saatchi before the show has opened.
Raf Zowistowski’s show Halo curated by Juan Bolivar is showing at Canvas & Cream Gallery/Project Space from Thursday 19th April until 1st June.
Zawistowski’s exhibition focuses on the relationship between materiality and his use of religious iconography, what Zawistowski refers to as existing between "the sublime and the anti-sublime".
In this new body of work comprising of twelve paintings derived from the imagery of the 265 Popes to have reigned to date, Zawistowski hints at the Apostolic connection they have with the Christian faith, and the succession of spiritual authority embodied by these religious figures.

Contact:
Joanna Gore at info@canvasandcream.com
+44(0)208 699 9589 / +44(0)7745 899462
Gallery Opening Hours: Thursday to Sunday 12-5pm (or by appointment)
Canvas & Cream, 18 London Road SE23 3HF
www.canvasandcream.com

Above photo by Annie Nilaker ©



Nigella........

After viewing the artwork in the Canvas & Cream gallery Nigella, wowed by the eclectic selection of cakes tweeted... ‘Fabulous Cakes at Canvas & Cream SE23 ‘You Must Go’,  after being presented with an Up-Cycled gift box made from a cigar box, two glass trinket boxes and fairy lights, containing homemade cakes she sent out a picture saying ‘My enchanting parcel of takeaway cakes, why haven’t I, of all people ever thought of fairy light giftwrap’.
Canvas & Cream casually offers a fine dining cook to order menu and/or a tea with ‘fabulous cakes’,diners are surrounded by a creative Up-Cycled environment as they eat. See www.canvasandcream.com for details and events