Wednesday 10 March 2010

Leeds - Henry Moore Institute.


Last friday Amber and I found ourselves at The Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, it is well-known for it's award-winning exhibitions, being a fantastic research centre and also a sculpture archive. In it's latest exhibition, the definition of sculpture has been adapted, in which Alan Johnstons' drawings give a new perspective on a familiar space. The exhibition, named, 'Drawing a Shadow: No Object', see's his drawings all over the walls of the Henry Moore institute and is placed in the main gallery.

It was interesting to see how this guy had been given a space to fill by the museum and then how he had interpreted the space. Without reading about the exhibition before you go, it is hard to recognise what the exhibtion actually is when you first walk in, you find yourself looking for work on the walls. It was not what I thought it would be, assuming it was drawings in the most literal sense. Where as, this exhibition displays and communicates the ideas of a structures shadow being formed against the walls of the gallery. The shadows are in fact the shadows of former buildings which stood before The Henry Moore Institute, so with the exhibition is formed a bit of historical knowledge.

It was good to see an exhibition that had been interpreted this way because It opened up my eyes to the idea of what an exhibition can be and that it's just as much about the space you are working in or putting work in as the work you are actually doing...It has been an eye opener also because as part of one of my briefs with The Big Issue In The North, Amber and I are putting on an exhibition at the end of it.

1 comment:

Nick Cass said...

I went to this on monday and I agree with you; I had expected something different based on what I had read before I went.

I found myself wondering whether the work was too subtle and all the light fittings, shadows etc dominated the work.... I actually enjoyed the exhibition about Art Education at the Art Gallery more!