Category: Art
If you're walking along Bath Road in Marlborough, it's hard not to stop and peer into the Mount House Gallery; the exhibition space for 'Heart in the Hand of the Matter'. Joe Doldon, this year's new Artist in Residence at the College, has put together a thoroughly impressive selection of works, dealing with the relationship between man and nature, the natural and the man-made. The most striking thing about this exhibition is the extensive variety of sculpture; ranging from wall-mounted artworks, to light projections.
Curiously twisted forms, supported by wooden beams, encircle the main room which accommodates the most artworks. On closer inspection, these sculptures are in fact books, manipulated into contorted shapes. It's a wonder how these delicate pieces do not fall apart and I was curious as to how their construction came about. Joe reveals that the method is simpler that expected. Taking a large book, sometimes an atlas, or a novel, he freely cuts through them with a band saw, creating new curvilinear shapes. Leaving two sections of the books binding intact, he then secures it safely and fashions it into his desired form. Fluid configurations are a recurring theme in this exhibition, and like the sheets of his destroyed books (man made creations from a natural source), he 'instigates a more diverse visual language which is then more richly layered in interpretation'.
There are two additional rooms to the main exhibition area and the three complement each other in containing different atmospheres and subject matter. The most intriguing room for me was the one featuring illuminated sculptures. 'Ideas pertaining to human progress, particularly technological and scientific and their repercussions' feature prominently in his works.'A Perfect Marriage', which uses clear sheets of plastic and a video projection of a gas heater's grill, juxtaposes a glacial landscape with the harsh human production of plastic, to create a new image of 'global warming'. A series of separate projections on a wall, displaying concentric circles of light are displayed within the remaining room, maintaining the organic feel of the exhibition.
I was truly impressed by Joe's artistic ingenuity. The diversity of the features pieces, as well as the mounted photographs all showcased Joe Doldon's exceptional talent as a visual artist.
Charlotte Dawnay (SU U6)