Professional Practice Field Visit.
Date: 4/10/12. Time: circa 12.45pm to 2.15pm.
Personnel: Jamie, Anata and myself.
Destinations: The Canteen and the Here Galleries, both in Stokes Croft.
Introduction:
Our group of six had originally had chosen Spike Island and the
Our group of six had originally had chosen Spike Island and the
Canteen galleries for the field work. Spike Island gallery was closed because of
extensive building work in preparation for the forthcoming new exhibition. Despite
our protestations we were not allowed access to the gallery space. The Here
gallery was chosen as a substitute by the three people who were eventually
available for the field trip.
The Canteen Gallery, Stokes Croft.
The setting for art was in a large building which served as a community hub
where a large range of activities took place such as community events,
performance, welfare rights, live music, bar and cooking facilities. There were 2
locations for visual art. One was in a main gallery space measuring 11 meters by
7meters. The other space was on the walls of a large community bar and eatery.
The main gallery space had the main reception/ admin and a door to a
welfare office on one side and on the other long side was a large glass window
opening onto the vista of vibrant Stokes Croft. The gallery was lit by a mixture of
natural light.halogen and tungsten lighting. The amount of light there was measured by an exposure meter. The reading was EV. 9. There was a photo exhibition on display at the time of the visit. Large monochrome images were hung on bulldog clips on the white washed walls. Typography and biographic details of the artist were also on the wall. The gallery was on the level and had satisfactory access for wheelchairs. Ambient temperature and smell were satisfactory. While we there we saw nobody engage with the art work although some people passed through the room while on other business. The room had facilities for some small to medium 3D work, as well as the 2D. There were also hooks on the ceiling for possible suspended work.
The wall space in the restaurant/bar was essential for poster illustration
work.There was a strong smell of cooking in the room and the ambient light reading was EV.6. The lighting was a mixture of daylight from the large window and economy lights with Chinese paper shades. The ambience was one of relaxed leisure.
To hire the main gallery, the cost is £145 per week (25% discount for non profit organisations). There is a 4-6 week wait to exhibit. To apply, there is a booking form to fill which is then vetted by Abbey who is an administrator in charge.
Here Gallery, Stokes Croft.
The setting for the art was in the cellar of an art book and magazine shop.
The had been a greengrocery shop in the past. The gallery and shop has been in
operation for the past 9 years.
Entry to the gallery space is through the shop and down some wooden stairs
to the cellar which is below pavement level. There is no wheelchair access and no signs of fire exits in the gallery space.
The room has a vaguely triangular shape measuring 6 meters from apex to
base and 6 meters across the base. The walls are made from hardboard
partitioning and have been erected in a slipshod manner. The gallery is also used to store stock. The lighting was a mixture of naked economy bulbs, halogen and
daylight coming through prisms set in 2 iron grills at pavement level. The EV.
reading was 7. The room had a freestanding electric heater and a dehumifyer.
There was evidence of damp in the cellar. The prints on the wall showed signs of
buckling. There were water stain dribbles on one of the pieces, the floor was
concrete cover by grey floor paint. The exhibition was a collection of illustrations
around the themes of subverted fairy and nursery rhymes. The prices of the pieces were in the single and double figure range. The experience of the visit was one of informality, intimacy and fun in keeping with that of the shop whose content leaned towards graphic design. There were no facilities for 3D or installation.
Exhibitors are by invitation only and they do not consider applicants. They
say that people from all over the country exhibit in this space. (including an artist
from the West Coast of America). There were no other viewers to the gallery during our visit.
In conclusion:
Although these 2 galleries were in Stokes Croft they had some marked differences between the 2. The first was part of a complex with people walking through the space and the other was in a dedicated room although it was difficult to access.
The suboptimal conditions of the Here gallery would limit the type of work that could be exhibited. The Here gallery appeared to be exclusive while in the Hamilton House and Canteen galleries were more inclusive despite the cost of exhibiting.
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