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| Boscombe's
Aesthetic Detritus |
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Detritus – meaning waste, or
debris, is a topic inherent in the work of several
Boscombe based artists. Detritus is a local issue.
We are surrounded by it, in its many forms, in both
the urban, and the natural environment. It is a fact
of life that all can relate to.
Organic and geological detritus from
local nature reserve and Neolithic monument Hengistbury
Head, has been the inspiration for two local artists,
Neil Hales, and Lynne Walters. |
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| Neil
Hales’ painting Sea Man Sells Rocks
has a complex narrative which is based on real events.
It tells a simple story, in such a way it almost becomes
a form of modern-day folk mythology.
The main character wears a kind of
primeval head-dress of seaweed, to the summer solstice
celebrations at Stonehenge. The seaweed and other
entangled beach detritus, had been collected previously,
on a full moon foray to Hengistbury Head. The wearer
of the seaweed holds forth a glowing crystal, signifying
rare beauty, wisdom and magic. The juxtaposition of
the precious mineral and the decaying, waste plant
matter is interesting. Both the seaweed and the crystal
are obviously both important enough to the wearer
to be taken to Stonehenge, suggesting a spiritual
connection to certain objects, whether conventionally
“valuable” or not.
The position and persona of the main
character is like that of a beggar, but this notion
is at once contradicted by the fact he appears to
be offering something to the viewer. The title, Sea
Man Sells Rocks also has drug-culture references,
as the "Rock" could be crack cocaine, a
narrative, also, sadly, relevant to Boscombe, with
its high percentage of drug addicts.
The crystal itself had been in the
possession of the artist for around three years and
had been buried at a burial mound near Stonehenge
for a year and a day. On returning to the site, Neil
had been slightly doubtful he would find the crystal
again, but he did, as soon as he put his hand in the
earth. He kept the crystal long enough to do the painting,
then lost it on Southbourne beach a few weeks later.
Neil Hales is currently employed
as a road sweeper! ? |
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Lynne Walters’ triptych
consists of three drawings of an ironstone pebble,
also found at Hengistbury Head.
Hengistbury Head is naturally rich in ironstone.
Ever since the Bronze age, the site was known for
its resources. But the intensity of the industrial
revolution has taken its toll on the area as one
by one, most of the massive "Doggers"
(lumps of ironstone) were removed and used for their
metal content. As a result of this arguably selfish
human action, the land has become critically eroded,
radically changing the landscape around this beautiful
piece of British coastline. Hengistbury Head itself
stands not only as an important pre-historic monument,
nature reserve, and beauty spot, but also as a reminder
of how we, as humans have a responsibility to look
after the land, and treat it with respect, learning
from our mistakes.
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Sharon Ball, Mixed Media, found object
This piece is one of a series of four works
that Sharon produced whilst on a university
exchange programme, based at Athens School of
Fine Art, Greece, between January and May 2004.
"The myth of Arachne and Athena is an
ancient analogy for the relationship between
the Mortals and the Gods, the Earth and the
heavens, and this was the inspiration for these
pieces. I have used found objects as the ground
for these works, the broken integrity of their
surfaces acts as a metaphor for the broken integrity
of the relationship between Man and the structures
that control us: politics, religion, society."
Sharon Ball.
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If
a discarded drink can be interpreted by an artist
as a metaphor for social-political issues, then rubbish
dumps and land-fill sites must stand to in some way
represent wasted knowledge, as well as materials (that
could have been recycled). |
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