INSPIRED BY: Dorothy Annan

Dorothy Annan (1908 – 1983) was a painter, potter and muralist. Her paintings are in many of the national collections.

I stumbled across Dorothy Annan’s work in the form of her mural now located at Barbican, formerly adorning the outside of the telephone exchange in Fleet House on Farringdon Street.

I felt compelled to touch the mural, there are many different textures pressed into the forty tiles which make up each of the nine panels of the mural that represents the ‘white heat of British technology’ at the time they were commissioned by the Ministry of Public Works in 1960.

Dorothy Annan undertook detailed research before beginning the mural, visiting the telephone exchange and taking detailed notes and sketches. The nine frames reflect the theme of ‘communication’; you can pick out radio aerials and telegraph poles, for example.

Admittedly, the muted colours and abstract nature of the mural are totally up my street, so to speak. But more than that, the mural was created at such a vibrant, forward-looking time in the UK that it is interesting to imagine what Dorothy Annan thought the future held at the time of creating this artwork; was she filled with excitement for the possibilities this new technology could hold for the future, or was she uncertain about the pace of change, wary of circuit boards taking over the world of then and now.

I implore you to stop by and see this deservedly rescued mural which apparently cost the princely sum of £300. SO worth it! In their new home they are an English Heritage Grade II listed, which will hopefully protect them for generations to come.

INSPIRED BY: Jean-Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gaultier has an exhibition at the Barbican. When I heard, I HAD to go. It's taken me a while, but today I went and oh my days was it worth it.

A lot of the mannequins had faces projected on them; they spoke, blinked and moved their eyes to follow you. Most fun was the Jean Paul mannequin where he welcomes you to the exhibition.

It is a massively creative display of intricate, outlandish and downright spectacular couture, photographs and artwork. I was blown away by the detailing... 

There is a nod to Britain as the birth place of the punk movement, I say a nod, I mean a MASSIVE mohawk. This lady, I think, definitely approved...

Some of Jean Paul Gaultier's muses throughout his career...

I loved the creativity, juxtaposition and irony of the photographs taken of his collections. I was particularly drawn to the photograph below...

My respect for Jean Paul Gaultier as an artist and designer grew exponentially through seeing this exhibition. I was genuinely speechless for long stretches of time, staring mouth agape and glittering eyes. It was a wonderful hour or so, I know it sounds like I am gushing, I suppose I am, but in a very sincere way, I promise. It was an AMAZING exhibition.

They very refreshingly encourage you to take photographs (without the flash) of the exhibition. I apologise for the bad quality photographs, I only took my old iphone as I didn't anticipate being permitted to take any photographs. My bad!

Anyone who knows me knows that I do casual pretty much all the time, hey, I like to be comfy! This was my 'Oh my days, I WANT THIS' outfit...

Sorry, what? My dress is staring at you? I think you must be mistaken....

Anyway, what are you waiting for? Whack on your tartan kilt, blue and white stripey top, pull on your DMs and get down there!

It is genuinely VERY highly recommended and only open until 25th August, so hurry!

INSPIRED BY: Barbara Hepworth

 

Barbara Hepworth came into my world at a young age, but I really didn’t know it. You see, I spent most of my spring, summer and autumn holidays from school in St Ives, Cornwall as a youngster, and Hepworth sculptures are dotted around this seaside town. Barbara Hepworth moved to St Ives with her young family from London in 1939 to escape wartime London, and more or less stayed living and working in this Cornish paradise for the rest of her life.

 

Hepworth’s flowing forms appeal to me and draw me in. The organic structure of a lot of her early work connects with me and my style. The patina on her bronzes which she began creating a little later on just begs to have a hand brushed alongside it. Her sculptures can draw you in for huge sections of time, moving around the creation discovering it anew from each angle. They genuinely absorb you, I suppose in an airy fairy way their organic structure resonates with the human on a biological level.

I suppose I can’t not mention the part of her character and belief that appeals to me also. Hepworth saw her work as interwoven with politics, with her hope to ‘keep the good idea’. A little idealistic some may think, maybe even simplistic, but a heart true goal to be aspired to, it definitely is. Hepworth’s determination that ‘the dictates of work are as compelling for a woman as for a man’, also resonate with me and I expect most women. She was unashamed that she desired to create more than anything.

Barbara Hepworth had a very interesting life, and was driven by her passion for sculpture, though also drew extremely well. If you would like to learn more about this fiercely ambitious and talented woman, who has truly inspired me you can visit the Barbara HepworthMuseum in St Ives, Cornwall and see her studio and a good number of her works as well as learn more about her. Or, you can see 44 of her works on permanent display at The Hepworth Wakefield.

If you can’t get to Cornwall or Wakefield, you can see many of her works dotted around the UK, and further afield, here is a short list of the ones I know about!

Single Form - Battersea Park, London

Two Forms (inverted circle) - Dulwich Park, London

Winged Figure – on the side of John Lewis, junction of Oxford Street and Holles Street, London

Many sculptures displayed out of doors – Yorkshire SculpturePark (YSP), Wakefield, UK

Single Form – UN Plaza, UN headquarters, New York, USA

There is also an upcoming exhibition entitles; Barbara Hepworth:Within the Landscape, at the Abbot Hall Art Gallery in Kendal from 5^th July – 28^th September 2014

Do you find Barbara Hepworth's body of work inspiring?