Saturday 10th June - Saturday 1st July 2006
As we move around our city streets do we ever look down and appreciate the art literally under our feet? ‘Opercula’ hopes to explore the way we view art and where we expect to find it.
Barkston Gardens SW5 was chosen as having the best collection of coal hole covers in one street and artist Ivor Wolstencroft has created twelve 4' x 4' canvasses celebrating this hidden treasure.
Each company would decorate their coal
hole covers with a specific design to ensure households received the correct
delivery of coal and it is these patterns that have inspired this collection
of paintings.
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2006 is the 50th anniversary not only
of ‘The Clean Air Act’ which signalled the death of these
unique cast iron sculptures but also of the birth of the artist
Ivor Wolstencroft.
Ivor was perhaps destined to create this collection as his Great Great
Grandfather was a coal miner and his Great Grandfather was Gustav Zerffi
who taught Art History at the National School of Art - now the Victoria
and Albert Museum.
Red Biddy Gallery will recreate the coal hole covers of Barkston Gardens
on the floor of the gallery and with one sweep of the head link inspiration
and paintings together.
For those not lucky enough to view the
paintings at first hand the coal hole covers of London streets are freely
accessible to over 8 million inhabitants of London.
Accompanying artist
Richard Stainthorp
'Steel Wire Sculptures'
