Library of yellow

I am delighted that Jill Arthey has responded to her experience of Out of Kansas by writing a poem. Jill saw the exhibition poster at The Hatton Gallery, and was intrigued so came along to the preview where she met me and Jodie for the first time. She talked to us at length, sharing her love of yellow with us Anne recommending a number of books for us to read, including The Culture of Yellow. 

Jodie and I invited Jill to the discussion event, and it was at this that she began to write this poem

Library of Yellow

Morticia's mould of mellow hue

Geometric jive

Yellow fellow of mirrored edge

Drones in their hive

Triangular trap of mind freedom

Structured box, told tales

Rectangles receding

Zebra striped for style

Creamed edge crevice

Wound healing

Loud lemons expose luddite minds

Located lexicon design

Looting the literary of the philistine

Refraction, reflected roles.

Jill Arthey 

A poetic response to 'Out of Kansas'

Artist Holly Weaver attended the Out of Kansas discussion event at the Lit & Phil, and following her visit she wrote to us about her experience.

"Going upstairs to see your work truly made the difference, I enjoyed the fact that from where we were sitting downstairs you could only see a slither of colour, on some of the shelves I was unsure if anything was there and then going upstairs I was really overwhelmed and inspired by the structures. On the way home I wrote a piece about the work and thought I would share it with you:"

As happy coincidence would have it, this surface is yellow.

Golden, invisible, but Gold. This was unexpected. 

I had the urge to conquer each of them,

to jump over the rail and hop from each like tiles on a path.

 

They are chunks of cheese, unreachable from the ground much like,

the episode of Wallace and Gromit on a grand day out, crackers at

the ready to sample the cheese on the moon in their makeshift

spaceship.

Exhilarated and otherworldly.

Monuments born out of wood. The Gold though.

Post from Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen

I regard it as a real treat to receive a personal letter, note, postcard or parcel from a friend. Items of post such as these make a welcome change from the usual bank statement, bill or piece of junk mail.

I have received a package from Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen, the collaborative duo of artists who gave a talk the other week as part of the Newcastle University visiting artist lecture series, and with whom I had a wonderful tutorial with.

In the tutorial I was discussing the Out of Kansas exhibition at the Lit & Phil, and that Jodie and I were going to host a discussion event. I explained that we wanted to engage Lit & Phil regulars and those who visited the exhibition, and talk about issues around the work such as site responsive art, the changing role of libraries, and gather some opinions.

I then mentioned that Jodie and I are considering producing some form of material that could prolong the life of the artwork, and act as a document of what happened.

They then told me about one of their own pieces of work in which they had produced a set of beer mats that captured some of the conversations that happened in the pub.

I was delighted to find that in the brown A4 envelope there were a few beer mats as well as a postcard, a friends forever badge and a publication. Huge thanks to Edwin and Tracy for sending me such a thoughtful piece of post. Much appreciated!                              

Out of Kansas destall

Today was the day we had to destall Out of Kansas from the Lit and Phil. How time has passed so quickly. 

Thankfully, taking the forms down from the top of the bookcases was easier than it had been to get them up. We carried them downstairs out of the way, and dismantled them. 

There were a number of reasons why we did not keep them intact. Most importantly, the forms had been made specifically for the Lit and Phil, and they would not work in the way we wanted them to work if they were sited in another context. 

    

We also have very little/ no room for storage of work. 

Thirdly, having spent hundreds of pounds creating the exhibition, we had no money to pay for another van to transport the work back to the studio. 

With the seats down and some careful positioning, we were able to fit the components of the forms in Jodie's car, but not when they were fully constructed.

The moveable forms were not so easy to transport, and involved us pushing them from the Lit & Phil through a bustling Newcastle city centre on a sunny day at lunchtime. Despite the number of people around, no one offered to help, even when the wheels of one of the forms got stuck on a kerb of a busy road! Half-way on the journey, two of the wheels fell off one of the forms, making it even more difficult to manoeuvre! It must have been a rather funny sight, seeing two small women pushing two large shiny silver geometric shapes along the busiest street of Newcastle! 

As we approached the University, a friend spotted a moving triangle, and knew it had to be me! He stood outside the cafe and laughed as he took a few photos!

Out of Kansas discussion event

Thanks to those who contributed to the Out of Kansas discussion at the Lit and Phil today. It was really interesting to talk about some of the issues surrounding the exhibition and hear your thoughts on the work. When I think back to all of the things we covered, it is easy to see where the three hours went!

- The apprehension that some artists have about using colour, and the reasons for this

- Chromophobia

- The Luminous and the grey


- The Culture of Yellow


- The Wizard of Oz


- Bookbinding
- Marbling
- The history of the Lit & Phil
- The role of libraries and how this has changed
- The library as a site for art
- The Cubby hole
- Viz magazine
- The Ladies Room
- The Smoking Room
- The comments book
- Site specificity

I look forward to following up on some of the recommendations and am excited to read the poetry being written in response to the artwork.

Out of Kansas discussion event - Thursday 21st May 2015 - 1-2pm - The Lit & Phil, Newcastle

As part of our exhibition, Out of Kansas, Helen Shaddock and Jodie Dunnill will be hosting a discussion event on Thursday 21^st May 2015 between 1-2pm at the Lit & Phil in the main library. 

The event will be a way for library users, and visitors to the exhibition to join in a discussion around the work. 

We are eager to generate an honest discussion, and are inviting a number of people from different backgrounds to share their experience. 

 

We would be delighted if you would join us for what will be an insightful mode of engagement, and a positive way to conclude our exhibition. 

 

Refreshments and biscuits will be served.

Trimming the reflective vinyl

With one day to go before the install of Out of Kansas at The Lit and Phil, Jodie and I had a busy day finishing the work in readiness to be transported to The Lit and Phil in the afternoon.

Trimming the excess vinyl off one of the moveable sculptures

Sculptural forms for tops of bookcases are assembled

As we move closer to the install of Out of Kansas at the Lit and Phil, we are now working on the final aspects of the work. Today I have assembled the remaining sculptural forms for the tops of bookcases and left them clamped overnight.

Adding reflective material to the bookshelf sculptures

We were relieved to find that our mirrored vinyl was delivered to us this morning and so we've been able to add the reflective material to some of the surfaces that form the sculptures for the tops of the bookshelves. 

Painting by numbers, and letters and pictures

Jodie and I are in the final stages of preparation for our forthcoming Out of Kansas exhibition at the Lit and Phil which opens on Tuesday evening.

Part of the exhibition will consist of sculptural forms sitting on top of the existing bookshelves in the library. These forms are constructed with 3 pieces of MDF which have been painted according to our colour scheme. Each form is one of three heights: high, medium and low, and one of 3 surfaces: yellow matt, warm yellow matt or/and acrylic mirrored.  

With lots of similar shapes and sizes, it is easy to get them confused with each other. This is problematic because we have chosen the colour combinations carefully and there are specific pieces that need to go against each other in order for the tapered edges to join neatly.

We developed a methodical system of labelling (using numbers, letters and pictures) and worked our way through painting all of the sides in a logical manner. It was satisfying to leave the studio tonight with the forms painted and propped up in their groups around the room. The next step is to apply the vinyl to the surfaces to be mirrored.                                                      

Out of Kansas - a collaborative exhibition by artists Jodie Dunnill and Helen Shaddock - Preview: 6pm-8pm Tuesday 12th May 2015 - The Lit & Phil, Newcastle

PRESS RELEASE Out of Kansas Preview: 6pm-8pm Tuesday 12th May 2015 Exhibition continues: 13th – 21st May 2015 Monday – Thursday : 9:30am - 7pm Friday : 9:30am – 5pm Saturday : 9:30am – 1pm The Lit & Phil 23 Westgate Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1SE Out of Kansas is a collaborative exhibition by artists Jodie Dunnill and Helen Shaddock, in which they have responded to the architecture and atmosphere of the Main Library in the Lit & Phil. This is the first time that the artists have collaborated with each other, encouraging them to use unfamiliar materials and work on an ambitious scale. Out of Kansas is a sculptural installation that incorporates the upper and lower levels of the main library. Made from reflective and coloured surfaces, the work acts as a device for the audience to view the space differently, exploring it in new ways from different perspectives. Both artists recognised that the Lit & Phil is a library with a difference, and time in the library revealed particular aspects that help create this distinctive space. The artists sought to capture the essence of the library in their artistic response, as oppose to change it. Jodie Dunnill and Helen Shaddock are currently studying at Newcastle University on a Master of Fine Art course.  Dunnill completed her BA degree from Liverpool John Moores in 2014.  Recent exhibitions include 8BA2, St Helens (2014), and Snippet, Newcastle (2015).  Shaddock graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 2008 with a Degree in Fine Art: Environmental Art. Since 2014 Shaddock has been based in Newcastle. Shaddock has been involved in exhibitions nationally and internationally, and her work is in a number of public and private collections. Recent exhibitions include a solo exhibition of new work at 1 Royal Terrace, Glasgow (2014) and Snippet, a group exhibition at Newcastle University (2015). Forthcoming exhibitions include a group exhibition at the Hatton Gallery, Newcastle as part of The Late Shows this May. Out of Kansas is supported by the Alumni Association Student Initiative Fund through Newcastle University. Note to editors: For more information contact: Helen Shaddock, 07845 579706, out.of.kansas.exhibition@gmail.com To find out more about the Alumni Association Student Initiative Fund visit http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/nclplus/funding/fund/

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