Phyl Payne

Reviews

Art in Every Nook and Cranny

As part of the annual May Days Arts Trail these remote corners and secluded spots have been appropriated as art space by nine local artists and filled with paintings, photography and installations. Staircases, hallways, skylights and internal windows have all been requisitioned, extending the number of artists involved in this annual art extravaganza and blurring the boundaries between white space and everyday walkways and corridors. The remote and private has become public and accessible.

These themes of appropriation and revealing the hidden are extended through the work on show where things are not quite as they might first appear.

A closer look at Lyn Unsworth’s self portraits reveals that they owe their bright, attractive colours to a conglomeration of processed food and Marjorie Thomsen’s xxx NEED MORE INFO ABOUT THE OTHER ARTISTS’ WORK xxx
And whilst it would appear at first glance that the theatre foyer has escaped the artists attention, a closer look reveals that the signs and images have been subverted to spotlight life’s choices and dilemmas. This work also points the way to the work of Kate Saunders in the vestibule and Phyl Payne on the theatre staircases. Kate’s work explores the similarities of the audience and cast while Phyl’s continues the theme of all the world’s a stage with a study of birth and death.

So the visitor is invited to look closely into every nook and cranny and to discover the secrets of these shadowy spaces. Then, like Cinderella figures, when the show ends they will revert to their former practical use and return to obscurity. So enjoy the spectacle while you can.

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