Industrial Landscapes23 March - 24 May 2013The Coffee Stop Cafe, St Mary's Market, St Helens.An exhibition of works by Platform members at the Coffee Stop Cafe, St Mary's Market, St Helens.
The latest exhibition at the Coffee Stop Cafe in St Mary's
Market features work by 8 artists from our network who have taken the
industrial landscapes of the region as their subject matter.
Angular structures punctuate the landscape of St
Helens and other towns and cities of the North
West. Whether
it be the chimneys of glass factories, chemical plants or textile mills, the
relics of a mining industry or curvaceous towers of power stations, these
recognisable landmarks are part of our everyday experience. Joan Birkett, Hannah Bold, Kevin Eccleston and
Philip Wilkinson have all used this architecture in their works. The angles and how they fit together and the
stories they remind us of are of interest to the artists, who here have all
worked in different media.
These industrial structures are a constant in the landscape,
a fixed point to measure the changing weather and skies against, something that
comes across in the works of Tony Glover and Frances Heyes. They feature colourful, expressionistic marks
referencing natural features of the landscape which are framed by sharp,
architectural, man-made outlines.
With the passing of much of our industrial output in this
area comes the stories of the people whose lives were shaped by working in the
factories and mines. This personal
message comes across in the works of Neal Moran and Isabel O'Rourke. Neal's digitally created artwork features
elements of the mining landscape with the figure of a lone miner whose
livelihood is no more. Isabel's painting
is of houses in Liverpool that were once homes to people
who worked in the docks. These homes are
no more as the new industry of demolition tears them down.
Image: 'Up in Smoke' by Neal Moran
