WAVENEY SPRINGS ART TRAIL 2010
“Tell those who doubt the value of the Waveney Springs Art Collective, that I don’t know why art is necessary – only that it is. All who in the 1940’s braved bombs to see one painting in the National Gallery knew it too.” – Brian Sewell, art critic, Sunday 04 April 2010.
At a time when our coalition government is implementing drastic measures for drastic times, we artists are supporting local business to ride the waves of economic difficulties by the simple act of placing artwork in local shop windows.
Our opening exhibition reception is planned for Saturday 04 September at The Old Stables Gallery. However, due to constructional renovations, the gallery may lose space to the main Corn Hall building, so we plan to collaborate and display artworks with retail outlets as part of our 3 stage art trail:
I called art critic Brian Sewell for a quote referencing our local art group. I told him I want to highlight the importance of art in the community; as stated by the founder of modern day Turkey, Ataturk: “A nation without art has lost one of its lifelines.”
Brian explained that during WWII, national artworks were protected underground in Welsh mines, though a painting at a time was then sent for display in London for members of the public brave enough to go see it. Thus he says:
“Tell those who doubt the value of the Waveney Springs Art Collective, that I don’t know why art is necessary – only that it is. All who in the 1940’s braved bombs to see one painting in the National Gallery knew it too.”
After living in cities such as London, Kuala Lumpur and Istanbul over the last 25 years, I have returned home to the East Anglian countryside where my closest towns are Diss, Thetford and Bury St. Edmunds. I like the pace of life here and have no wish for drastic change, however, at a time of economic uncertainty and parliamentary coalition, it can be to all our benefits for Diss to enjoy a little raised profile and attract some extra business. We artists of the Waveney Valley offer an opportunity for collaboration with local business by the simple act of placing artworks within local shop premises. In addition we wish to attract younger members to our art collective for 2011: today’s youth are tomorrow’s future. Our collective includes painters, printers, fabric designers, sculptors, a furniture maker and mixed media artists. We are all pushing together to highlight our region: our local countryside and our local town and invite you to join us because as you approach, Diss appears, then as you leave, it Diss appears!
The visual connotation of the slogan not only lends itself to the visual arts, but the concept can conjure up science, space, time, dimensions; theories of Hawking, Einstein and Nikola Tesla. If you doubt it, go to our website and find the number of our member Ben Platts-Mills, visit him at Heaven and ask him about conceptual time and the holographic universe. Alternatively, I quote our member Peter Knights who should be invited to such outlets as BBC Radio Norfolk to talk about his beloved Diss:
“I am enormously proud of ‘my’ Diss and having lived here all of my 47 years I have no desire to live anywhere else. So I say, let them talk about it, let them talk about us, let them argue for and against. While they’re talking about Waveney Springs, that’s good for us all and gives me ammunition to sell another painting.
“Incidentally, in all my years, I had never heard the slogan mentioned before… I am looking into the possibility of having a T-shirt printed with the W.S. logo and slogan, so that I can wear it during September and people will ask and I will tell them with pride: when you leave Redgrave and Lopham Fen and travel eastwards along the route of the River Waveney, THE CLOSER YOU GET, DISS APPEARS!”
Ned Pamphilon (Completely English artist)
Public Relations for the Waveney Springs Art Collective 2010
Tel: 07522 032 765
