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!                              

From studio to Lit and Phil

After a few final touch ups, the sculptural forms were ready to be wrapped and transported to their new home: the Lit and Phil.

For the past week, the studio has been inundated with triangular MDF forms. The other MFA students  with whom we share the studio have been extremely accommodating of our need for rather a lot of space as we worked on the sculptures - thanks folks!

One by one we wrapped the triangles and then negotiated our way with them from the 4th floor to the ground floor through many a set of double doors!

Our initial plans to move the sculptures in Jodie's car now seems like a joke given the size and number of items we had to move.

We hired Robert, a man with a van to transport the work to the Lit and Phil in one easy trip. The van could not have been more fitting for the sculptures - it was as though he had chosen the colour to complement our artwork!

On the journey to the Lit and Phil I asked Robert what was the most unusual item he had moved. He then began telling me of the item of furniture that had been adapted on one side and turned into a snow scene with lots of miniature people and models. From the outside the item of furniture looked inconspicuous, but when the doors were opened, a miniature snow scene was revealed.

It turned out that he was a regular art handler, and it is not unusual for him to transport paintings by Damien Hirst around the country. At one time, he had over £3 million in the back of his van!

Once we had unloaded the items from the van, we put them in the Librarians office for unwrapping, and peeled off the film protecting the reflective surfaces from getting chipped or damaged.

We then began placing the forms on the tops of the bookcases. There are a number of different styles and sizes of bookcases in the main library and we had made specific forms for specific bookcases. We followed our plan of the positioning of the shapes, but made a few adjustments once they were installed.

The bookbinding group meet on Monday evenings and take a break around 8pm for a cuppa and biscuit. As they sat at the round table, with interest they watched us climb up the ladders and install the work. Their engagement was very encouraging, and they responded positively to the work. 

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

Soaking in the atmosphere of the Lit and Phil

I will be taking part in a 3-person exhibition at the Literature and Philosophical Society (Lit and Phil) in March, and I am eager to get a sense of the place, how it is used and who uses it. I spent the afternoon soaking up the atmosphere and talking to people in the Lit and Phil.

On arrival I headed straight to the oval table towards the back of the main library room. The table is positioned in close proximity to a coffee machine, biscuit tin and 'the hatch', one of the features that distinguishes this building from other libraries. The hatch is run by volunteers who take it in turns to serve tea and coffee and biscuits. When the hatch is not manned, there is a tea and coffee machine and a biscuit tin that people can help themselves to.

As I sat at the table eating my packed lunch (yes, eating in the library is permitted!), I soon realised that there was no way that I could concentrate on reading the book that I had picked up as there were interesting conversations taking place around me.

Over the next few hours, a steady stream of people, ranging from a 3-year old to a 93-year old came and sat at the table. When asked what his favourite thing about the Lit and Phil is, Peter, the 3 year old boy, answered 'biscuits!' The importance of biscuits became clear as every person who came to sit at the table brought with them a packet of biscuits of some shape or form, and shared these. I was fortunate enough to meet Paul, the current Chair of the board of governors, who gave me a potted history of the Lit and Phil, from its conception in 1793 through the centuries to today.

Throughout our conversation other members sat at the table would interject and give their own anecdotes and offer other information to add to my understanding of what is obviously an important society to many people. There are not many places of this kind where one is given such a genuine and personal welcome, be offered food, partake in interesting conversation and be given a tour of the building by one of the members. This place is unique.

Over the past 15 years the society has experienced severe financial difficulties and at one point its existence was on tenterhooks. It is apparent that its survival relies on the passion and determination of the members and this drive ensures that the society retains its core functions - as a 'conversation club' and library.

The two functions exist simultaneously, although not always without tensions. In the most recent comments books, an abundance of glowingly positive remarks are punctuated by expressions of frustrations at the lack of silence in the library. Mike, (a current member) spoke about he regards the society as a social space, somewhere to talk about issues and ideas. In the 25 years that he has been a member, he has only borrowed 3 books. For him, the library aspect is not what attracts him, but the homely and comfortable atmosphere.

The society organises an impressive events programme, including musical events, lectures and art events. For example, in 2013 Dawn Felicia Knox, along with Irene Brown, Sally Madge, Iris Priest, Isabel Lima, Stephen Livingstone, Katy Cole and Benjamin Lawson were involved in Returning to the Philosophers’ Table, an integrated arts project that featured art exhibitions at the Lit & Phil and the Gallery of Wonder: Great North Museum along with cross-disciplinary collaborations and events.

For more information about Returning to the Philosophers’ Table, visit http://philosopherstable.org

I asked some of the members for their thoughts on some of the previous art exhibitions and installations that have taken place in the Lit and Phil. Positive comments were made in relation to Returning to the Philosophers’ Table. I get the impression the members I met were pretty open and are keen to attract new people. Tony mentioned that he would like to see a tandoori kitchen installed downstairs!

As much as I am excited about the space, I am also a little daunted by the challenge ahead. I feel, rightly or wrongly, a sense of responsibility to the members who regard the place as home. The context is already so loaded and full, and the atmosphere is very unique, and I want to use this to its full potential. How I will do this is unknown...

Watch this space!

History of the Lit and Phil

The Literature and Philosophical (Lit and Phil) Society was founded early in 1793 as a ‘conversation club’, with an annual subscription of one guinea. The subjects of the conversations - and the books that supported them - were wide-ranging, but religion and politics were prohibited.

From its outset, the Society had an enterprising, inquisitive and liberal nature: the first women members were admitted by 1804, various groundbreaking demonstrations of new technology took place, such as George Stephenson’s miners’ safety lamp in 1815. In 1820, The Newcastle upon Tyne Society for the gradual abolition of Slavery in the British Dominions was established at a meeting held in the Society’s rooms. The society’s lecture theatre was the first public room to be lit by electric light, during a lecture by Sir Joseph Swan on October 20th 1880.

In 1822 the foundation stone of the current building was laid by the Duke of Sussex, followed by a grand celebration and meal with 35 toasts and 53 speeches; it was finally opened in 1825.

Books were always at the heart of the Society’s interests, even though some early practices seem strange today. The first catalogues were sorted by the size of books, and it was only in 1891 that the decision was made to purchase novels; nobody seemed any the worse for this radical move excepting possibly, as one distinguished member pointed out, “those unfortunate enough to read them”. Novels now form a significant part of the collection of 150,000 books, and an active bookbinding and restoration programme manages the condition of the older volumes.

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the Society became involved in other spheres of activity. Chief amongst these were it's active contribution to the University Extension scheme and the establishment of a thriving lecture programme that continues to this day. Over the years it has attracted many eminent speakers; a scan through the list reveals names such as Oscar Wilde, Edith Sitwell, F.R. Leavis, Mary Kingsley, Dorothy Sayers and John Betjeman.

The Society also has a heavy involvement with music. Some one hundred years ago the library started to acquire scores, and in 1942 an official gramophone library was created that formed the basis of the current collection - one of the finest in the North of England.

The Society has been at the heart of activities in the region for over two hundred years - with interests in the arts, music and science. In 2012 membership of the Society reached over 2000, and there have been tens of thousands of visitors.

Notable members include:

W.G. Armstrong
President of the Society 1860-1900
Inventor, industrialist and businessman.

Sid Chaplin
Vice President of the Society 1976-1985
Prize winning writer and founder member of Northern Arts.

John Dobson
Architect.

Ruth Dodds
Author, councillor and the first woman 'Freeman' of Newcastle.

Richard Grainger
Architect

Robert Stephenson
President of the Society 1855-1860
Mechanical and structural engineer.

Joseph Wilson Swan
President of the Society 1911-1914
Pharmacist, chemist, electrical engineer and inventor.

http://www.litandphil.org.uk/history.shtml

Visit to The Mining Institute and Lit and Phil Society

As part of our Professional Practice or Exhibition module, this morning we went to visit The Mining Institute and The Literary & Philosophical Society (Lit & Phil). Both of these could be potential venues for our group exhibition which will take place at the beginning of next year.

"The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers is often abbreviated to “the Mining Institute”.




The Mining Institute owns one of the finest buildings in Newcastle, Neville Hall, a Victorian building built at the time when high-Gothic architecture was coming into fashion. The outside of the building is known to hundreds of thousands of people, it is next to the Central Station, but few people realise what is inside. Neville Hall houses the memorial to the Institute's first President, Nicholas Wood, an outstanding Victorian Library resplendent filled with superb stonework, redolent with exquisite carved stone, wood and paintings with a beautifully decorated ceiling, a vast glass roof and filled with furniture designed for the library in 1872. Below the Library is the Edwardian Lecture Theatre, modeled on the Royal Institution in London and constructed in deep red Cuban Mahogany."




The librarian was ever so helpful and was enthusiastic about working with Art students from the University. She mentioned that the building had been used in the past for exhibitions and once a circus had a trapeze in the library.

We then went to The Literary & Philosophical Society (Lit & Phil); the largest independent library outside London, housing over 150,000 books. A wide selection of current fiction and non-fiction can be found alongside historical collections covering every field of interest.



The music library is without equal in the North of England, including 8,000 CDs and 10,000 LPs.

The Grade II* listed building was opened in 1825 and the magnificent reading rooms remain largely unchanged. The collection is coupled with an extensive set of periodicals.

When thinking about making work in such loaded spaces, I have a feeling of dread as I feel as though there are already so many existing things of interest in the building, that I feel as though my work would be overlooked, and question whether it would have a meaningful presence. 

One way of tackling this would be to create an event in which something happens, emphasising the qualities of the space, or drawing upon what happens in the space.

For example, Irene told me that the Lit and Phil society used to hold events called 'The Philosophical Table' at which members of the Lit and Phil would discuss ideas. The only topics which were banned were religion and politics. Unfortunately these discussions no longer happen, and one idea that I have is to reinstate them. I would want to add my own take on the 'Philosophers Table', in order to differentiate it from what used to happen.

I was taken by the fairly large group of readers who were sat eating their sandwiches whilst reading books and chatting as a group. There was a little kitchenette in the library at which one could purchase tea, coffee and biscuits, creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere. I imagine that there is a regular group of individuals who spend hours in the library, and it could be interesting to hear about their lives and experience of the library.

Perhaps I could hold a 'Philosophers Table' event at which members are invited to talk about one book in the library that particularly interests them. Rather like a show and tell event, this could be a great way of getting to know both the individuals and the content of the library.