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Review Jul 21 2009 « | »
Bold Tendencies III A look into Hannah Barry Gallery's sculpture park on the roof of a multi-storey car park in the ascendant......

Donald Eastwood

The irresistible setting of the obsolete multi-storey car park: monument to the fallen retailer; layer upon layer of functional uniformity; eyesore ripe for reinvention; access for huge works onto the roof and, oh yes, handy for visitor parking.

Such is the context for Bold Tendencies III, the third and doubtless boldest of sculptural exhibitions by the brilliant Hannah Barry Gallery. The ambition, the sheer scope and the obvious media delight for this show have given it a somewhat mythical status. Attendees at the sunny launch have swollen from a probably conservative 700 to 1500 and The View is fast becoming the best in London.

Arriving on foot from the neighbouring Peckham Rye station (ten minutes / £2.40 Victoria or London Bridge) the entrance is a ropey elevator that smelled of somebody else's urine. 'Heaven' was written on the stainless steel. It was so good I wondered if one of the curators had pissed in the corner themselves.

I didn't catch the previous two Bold Tendencies, at least one of which was in the same location, so the place was inevitably going to override my impressions of the art - but that was fine. It is simply a very impressive, unique environment. Walking along 'level 6', the concrete rung out to a passing train into Peckham Rye station and rain whipped in on a cross wind.

Four other Peckham-related projects occupy the levels below the roof: Lucky pdf, The Field, New Model Army and The Sunday Painter. Each takes a different approach: Lucky pdf exhibit in a single advertising lighbox; The Sunday Painter have built a white cube, the Field go quite heavy with a multi-media meditation on space and systems, while New Model army do trashy, colourful, escapism. Revved up about how the work will interact with the space, the lightbox takes my fancy.

The advantage of outdoor sculptures over indoor ones is that they, like us, are constantly interacting with the fundamentals of nature. Today was rain, which heightened several of the more monolithic pieces, such as Bayley Shelton's 'Rock of Ages, Sands of Time' and James Balmforth's 'Failed Obelisk', but was less good for Hannah Barton and Xavier Poulton's sunset-related headliner.

It was also not the best weather to enjoy what is honestly a very impressive panoramic or the 'Cafe and Campari Bar' either. There is perhaps an unfortunate metaphor to be seen in quaffing an arty Campari cocktail ten floors above the bustle of Rye Lane's market, but this would be unfair to the pioneering role that this gallery, just returning from their Peckham pavilion in Venice, is playing in the emergence of Peckham as London's most current art area.

Josie Breese

Excited rumours circulated last week of up to 1,500 visitors flooding the opening of the third 'Bold Tendencies' exhibition staged on top of a ten-storey car park. It's hard to imagine such a peaceful venue from the bustle of Peckham's Rye Lane below.

The project is highly accessible, well-signposted and hinted at by the incongruous calligraphic lettering, 'Heaven', printed across the mirror of the dingy industrial lift. Crossing the desolate car park indicates the vastness of its dimensions and nearby buildings disappear from view as you climb higher.

The uppermost floors house the neatly curated works of eighteen artists and four guest projects. Emerging onto the top floor completes the impression of the stunning space. A panorama of London's iconic architecture is laid out across the vista, sandwiched on by leafy, residential Peckham, converted Victorian factories and a bird's eye view of rooftops of the nearby high street shops. Monumental sculptures give way to 'Frank's Cafe', a glorious, three month long, licensed venture.

It's tempting to concentrate solely on the unexpected venue, which has the potential to surpass a weaker show than 'Bold Tendencies III'. However, the strong multimedia arrangement manipulates the luxury of the extensive space afforded each piece, while resisting the impression of isolated contributions.

The collection organised by Field of video, painting and kinetic works at the darker end of the penultimate floor interact well. A dramatic spotlight illuminates a twitchy, trembling string piece by Natasha Bird. The site-specific work suggests empty musical scorelines, open to creative interpretation. Complementary to Bird's piece is the precariousness and precision of Nicole Morris' video A Part of You, musing on the manipulation of perspective. Resonance is added by the unlikely spectacle from this viewpoint of St Paul's Cathedral, dwarfed by the central London skyline beyond.

Other works also thrive in their new environments such as Theo Turpin's work Between You and I, a diving board suspended over a mirrored 'water line' at eye-level. The exhibition recedes as the inverted image flips visual priorities with the diving board above and the sky below.

Since 2007 the Hannah Barry Gallery has fostered emerging artists with the aim of attracting attention to Peckham as publicly achieved with the Peckham Pavilion in Venice this year. Looking back at the car park from the train station, Jesse Wine's twin totemic sculptures are visible over the tracks, hinting at the ambitious experimentation and changes wrought by co-founders Hannah Barry and Sven Münder in the area.

Bold Tendencies III and Frank's cafe are open from Tuesday 30 June - Wednesday 30 September 2009, Thursday - Sunday 11am - 10pm.

Address: Level 7-10, Peckham Rye Multistory Car Park, 95A Rye Lane SE15

    Comments

  • [...] … Such is the context for Bold Tendencies III, the third and doubtless boldest of sculptural exhibitions by the brilliant Hannah Barry Gallery. The ambition, the sheer scope and the obvious media delight for this show have given it a somewhat mythical status. Attendees at the sunny launch have swollen from a probably conservative 700 to 1500 and The View is fast becoming the best in London. Arriving on foot from the neighbouring Peckham Rye station (ten minutes / £2.40 Victoria or London Bridge) the entrance is a ropey elevator that smelled of somebody else's urine. 'Heaven' was written on the stainless steel. It was so good I wondered if one of the curators had pissed in the corner themselves. . the pioneering role that this gallery, just returning from their Peckham pavilion in Venice, is playing in the emergence of Peckham as London's most current art area. read more… [...] Posted by: Peckham Vision Blog » Blog Archive » Peckham as London's most current art area

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