Looking At Things - launch edition

LOOKING AT THINGS

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Previous page, collage of repeat outline illustrations of the Cavalier figurine by Brendan Hopkins

LOOKING AT THINGS An exploration of objects that make us go WOW! Led by art students from Hastings & Bexhill MenCap and ExploreTheArch Theatre Company with Teddy Tinker’s Emporium and Hastings Museum and Art Gallery

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INTRODUCTION ExploreTheArch theatre company began this exploration of what happens when we look at something that makes us go “Wow! I love that!”. A conversation with the artist Laetitia Yhap inspired us to think about the relationship between a person and an object that they are attracted to. We then worked with artists from Hastings and Bexhill Mencap’s Active Arts group – asking them to look closely at objects that they were drawn to.

Part of that process was drawing the objects and making models of them.

Lockdown 2 began during this exploration. We opened up the invitation to anyone in lockdown to share a photograph of themself with an item that they cherish. Some of these are also included in this catalogue.

The objects that the Active Arts group worked with were from a selection of twenty objects from Teddy Tinker’s Emporium. Only six of those objects were really popular with the artists.

This catalogue accompanies the on-line exhibition and gives the opportunity to share many more of the beautiful artworks that the Hastings and Bexhill Mencap artists produced as a result of the time spent looking at these six special objects.

Brendan Hopkins with his portrait of Sylvester the Cat 5

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THE ARTISTS JOHN BENFIELD IAN BLIZZARD MARCUS CAREY HANNAH GABRIEL STEVE GODFREY GLENN HARRIS BRENDAN HOPKINS IAN MORRIS SANDY MOSS TOM WINGATE

John is the holder of natural rhythm he is a talented Artist and Dancer at Active Arts. Thinking about what means the most to John, the honest answer is to go out on car rides and to go to lovely places to have tea and cake.

There is no pressure, nothing to do or remember, just able to be himself and simply enjoy life. A cup of tea outside on a winter’s day.

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THE GOLDEN CAT Both Marcus and Brendan loved the golden cat This figure of a cat is only about 5cm tall.

Kate Rosie from Teddy Tinker’s Emporium says: “The shiny gold-coloured cat figure (not brass) is fairly modern – probably from the 1980s or 1990s. Cats of all descriptions are always popular collectable items. This one is particularly good quality and small enough to easily find a spare space for.”

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Marcus Carey Marcus loves working by applying lovely thick paint on to paper, letting it dry and collaging it together.

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Above: Cavalier figurine Kate Stevens from Teddy Tinker’s says: “The cavalier figurine is what we would class as a ‘tourist piece’.

There would have been many of them made. A colourful ornament to bring back from your holiday. Most likely found in a tourist’s street market.

European – possibly French. 1950–60s.”

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Opposite: drawing of the cavalier figurine by Glenn Harris

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Above: Ceramic model of Sylvester the Cat. About 11 centimetres tall. Made by Warner Brothers Kate Rosie from Teddy Tinker’s Emporium says: “This salt cellar would have been paired with a Tweety Pie pepper pot – possibly sitting on his bird cage. They were originally produced in the 1960s. Warner Brothers re-launched them in the late 1980s and again in 2002. This one is from 1989” 14

Above: drawing of Sylvester by Hannah Gabriel 15

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Above: drawing of the Sylvester the Cat figurine by Brendan Hopkins 17

Above: Ceramic sphere to hold potpourri.

Several objects depicting flowers were included in the original selection of 20 objects from Teddy Tinker’s Emporium, but this was the only one that attracted the art students. Kate Rosie from Teddy Tinker’s Emporium says: “The pot pourri holder is fairly modern (somewhere between 1960–80s). It’s a really nice one but not got a lot of age to it. It would be classed as ‘vintage’ these days – as anything pre-2000’s is vintage unless it’s 100 years old – then it’s antique.”

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Above: papier-mache hemisphere that was assembled by Sandy Moss using flowers which were drawn and painted by all the Active Arts students.

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Above: Glass figurine of Mickey Mouse This glass mouse is actually only 6cm tall and very delicate!

Kate Rosie from Teddy Tinker’s Emporium said: “The small glass Mickey Mouse is pre-1950s and may have been bought from a glass maker on a pier – a popular thing to do if you visited the seaside.”

Opposite: Mickey Mouse drawing by Ian Blizzard The tiny Mickey Mouse figure was a favourite object for Ian who produced an enormous drawing in soft pastels.

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Above: Ceramic owl string dispenser.

The most popular of all the objects that our artists worked with was this ceramic owl string dispenser.

Kate Rosie from Teddy Tinker’s Emporium says: “The Toni Raymond Owl dates between 1960–1979.

His pottery was originally in Torquay – established in 1951, later taking over the Babbacombe Pottery in 1967.”

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Above: papier-mache owl made by John Benfield

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Above: papier-mache owls by Tom Wingate

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Above: drawing of owl by Steve Godfrey

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Above: Yellow owl by Ian Morris

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THANK YOU! ALL OF THE ARTISTS AND ANN AND ANTONY FROM HASTINGS & BEXHILL MENCAP KATE ROSIE FROM TEDDY TINKER’S EMPORIUM GAIL BORROW AND THE EXPLORE THE ARCH TEAM ESPECIALLY ESME FISHER ALEXANDER BRATTELL PHILIP HADLAND, ELEANOR LANYON AND ALL OF THE STAFF AT HASTINGS & BEXHILL MUSEUM THE ARTS COUNCIL FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE COVID-RELIEF FUND

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ExploreTheArch’s investigation into ‘Looking at Things’ started with a selection of twenty items from Teddy Tinker’s Emporium.

The Active Arts students at Hastings & Bexhill MenCap were asked to choose an item and draw and make models from it.

Six of the objects were very popular, and this catalogue features these and some of the artworks that they inspired.

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