January2026No.27
WELCOMETOOURNEWSLETTER
AmessagefromourChair-
IremembermyfirstVAGweekend,Cardiff, 2016.NotanRPSmemberatthetime,Iwas invitedbyAndreasKlatt,whowasatthetime bothVAGChairand,withhissuper-efficient organisingwifeSue,hadtakenoverastrips organiseraswell.OvertimeIcameto recognisetheconsiderableamountofwork organisingtheseweekendscaninvolveandby thetimeAndreaswasseekingtopassonthe challenge–atBuxton,2021–Ialsoremember thegreatrelieffeltbythewholegroupthatMike andSallyKitchingmanhadofferedtotakeover.
MikeandSallywerealreadywell-knownwithin theVAG,particularlyasstrongsupportersofthe Rollrightgroupmeetings,andtheirseemingly effortlessassumptionoftheroleoftrips organiser(s)wasinfactnosurprise.
Overthepastfouryearstheyhavedoneus proud,totheextentthatalltheirweekendtrips havebeensell-outswithinacoupleofweeksof theirreleaseandhaveraisedthestandardof
speakers/workshopproviderstogreatheights. Theircheerfulno-problemapproachhasmade attendingthemeetingsadelightand–tocapit all,fromtheRPS’sperspective–allhave coveredtheircosts,agreatachievement.They passonthechallengewithourgreatthanksand respect.Fortunatelybothwillcontinuetotake partand,Iamsure,assisttheneworganisers, JamesandHazelFrost,towhomwearealso grateful.
SoahugethankyoutoMikeandSallyforthe wonderfulweekendswehaveallshared.
MarkDeutschLRPS
Ihopeyouenjoythefirstnewsletterof2026. Pleasewatchoutfortheemailsregardingour AGMwhichwillstartappearinginlateFebruary 2026.Wereallydoappreciateyourparticipation.
CarolPaesARPS
ROLLRIGHT-MEETINGS
Futuredates:
SaturdayMarch7th2026 Members’Showand Tell-themetofollow.£5entrancefee
SaturdayMay16th2026 SpeakersTBC
SaturdayAugust22nd Members’Showand tell
SaturdayNovember22nd SpeakersTBC
CharlesBinns
EMAIL&PRINTCIRCLES
Memberswillbesaddened–asweare–tohear thatGillDishartARPS,whohasformanyyears runtheCircles,hashadtostanddownduetoillhealth.Fortunately,FredBarringtonFRPShas agreedtotakeoverbuthehasachallenge:he isnotsurehehascontactdetailsforallhis members.
IfyouareaCirclemember,pleasecontactFred tolethimknow. fredbarrington@gmail.com
WeareverygratefulforGillforherlongand devotedservicetotheVAG.
January2026No.27
GOINGUNDERGROUNDTO PHOTOGRAPHSTOCKHOLM’S AMAZINGMETROSTATIONS
EversinceachievingmyARPSdistinctionin 2013withapanelofprintsoftheLondon Underground,Ihavebeenfascinatedbyurban transportspacesandtheirpotentialasgalleries forartandphotography.London’sTube,withits bothmodernandhistoricarchitecture,setahigh bar.ButIhadlongheardthatStockholm’smetro systemisoftencalledthelongestartgalleryin theworldandwassomewhereIhavewantedto seeforsometime.WhenIdiscoveredthatour BalticcruiseinJune2025wouldcallat Stockholm,Iknewthiswasmychance.
Kungsträdgården
Thecity’smetro,knownastheTunnelbana,is legendary.Morethan90ofits100stations featureworksbyover150artists—murals,
mosaics,sculptures,installations,andlighting design.Manystationsarecarvedoutofbedrock, theirexposedrockfacespaintedinboldcolours thattransformutilitarianspacesintoimmersive environments.Foraphotographer,itis irresistible.
Kungsträdgården2
HavingnegotiatedtheTokyometrolastyearon ourown,mywifeandIdecidedthatratherthan booka90minuteguidedtourthatwouldhave costus£95each,weoptedforaself-guided adventure.Atjust£8perpersonfora24-hour travelcard,itwasafractionofthecostandgave usfreedomtoexploreatourownpace.Alittle researchbeforehandhelpedusplanarouteto someofthemostcelebratedstations.
Myfirstimpressionwashowcleanandspacious thesystemfelt—noneoftheclaustrophobia oftenassociatedwithundergroundtravel.We startedat T-Centralen,themaininterchange.Its deepbluewallsaredecoratedwithwhitefloral motifs,makingyoufeelasthoughyouare standinginsideavast,airycave.Thenatural rocksurfaceprovidesadramaticcounterpointto thepaintedwalls,andIfocusedoncapturingthe repeatingpatternsofescalatorsandarchways.
T-Centralen
Nextwas Kungsträdgården,perhapsthemost theatricalstation.Itsgreenandredcheckerboard floorandwhimsicalstatuesgivetheimpression ofsteppingintoanarchaeologicaldigcrossed withastageset.Themoodylightingwasperfect forhigh-contrastimages.Tripodsarenot permitted,buthandheldshotswereeasythanks tomoderncameratechnology.
Stadion,bathedinacheerfulsky-bluewashand featuringahugerainbowmuralattractedmany peoplelookingtopostonInstagram!
SolnaCentrum isperhapsthemost recognisablestation,itsglowingredrockvaults makingitfeellikethecentreoftheearth. Originally,theartistdesignedthisspacetobe solelygreenandred,buttheartistscontinuedto addlittlenewdetailsoverperiodsoftime.Little houses,treesandevenriverswereadded.
RådhusetStation.Thisstationlocatedbeneath theStockholmcourthouseresemblesan undergroundgrottowithorangerockandgrand columns.
TekniskaHögskolatn isagorgeousstationthat showcasesscientificadvanceswithintheart itself.
TekniskaHögskolatn
Whatstruckmemostwasthesheervariety:each stationfeltlikeadifferentartinstallation.Some wereplayful,otherspoliticalormeditative—but allofferedsomethingworthphotographing.
Asourtimeundergroundcametoanend,Ifelt bothsatisfiedandregretful—satisfiedatfinally seeingandphotographingthisuniquepublicart project,regretfulthatIcouldnotspendseveral daysexploringeverystation.
ForanyphotographervisitingStockholm,I cannotrecommendthemetrohighlyenough.Itis notjustawaytogetaroundbutadestinationin itsownright—andfor£8,oneofthebest-value photographicexperiencesinEurope.
PeterHumphreysFRPS
NORWICHDEBRIEF
OurNorwichweekendstartedoffwithabangthis time.Justaswewereleavinghometopickup theequipmentfromMagenta,ourstoragefacility, IgotaphonecallfromAstridMcGechan,oneof ourworkshopteamleaders.
She'dcontractedaverybadvirusandwas unabletojoinussomyfirsttaskwhenwearrived wastodisappointthememberswho'dsignedup forherworkshops....but,truetoform,theyall tookitingoodpartandwemanagedtoarrange alternativeworkshopsorarefundofthe workshopcost.
Therestoftheweekendrancomparatively smoothly,wehadsomereallyinspiringtalksfrom ourtwoworkshopteamleaders,JustinMinns andMarkReeveswhoareveryknowledgeable
ontheareaparticularlyJustinwhohaswritten someexcellentbooksontheNorfolkandEast Angliancountryside.
Asitwasourlaststintastheresidentialweekend organisersitwasparticularlyenjoyablemeeting upwithsomeoldfriends,alltheusualwonderful crowdalongwithVandaRalevskawhocame alongtogiveatalkandwewerealsojoinedby DavidandJoanJordanandNatandRuth CoalsonforourfarewelldinneronSunday evening.
It'sbeenarealprivilegeforSallyandmeto arrangetheseweekendsandneedlesstosay youwon'tbegettingridofus(lessofthemoans please)andwe'llbejoiningyouallbutas ordinaryrunofthemillmembers.
You'llallbeinexcellenthandsasHazelFrost FRPSandJamesFrostFRPSaretakingoverthe reins.Wecouldn'taskforabetterpairandI'm surethefunwillgoon.
You'llbehearingfromtheminthenearfuture (that'siftheyhaven'tbeenintouchalready)and theyhaveagreatweekendplannedinSheffield. I'llsaynomoreotherthankeepyourfingers poisedasit'ssuretobeanotherselloutweekend.
MikeKitchingmanARPS
ARTMURALS2023and2024
Background
In2022ArtUKapproachedRPSforvolunteer photographerstohelpwithasculptureproject.As yetundocumentedsculptures,monumentsand plaquesintheWestMidlandshadnotyetbeen photographed.IrespondedtothisappealasI hadjustretiredandwaslookingforaprojectto getinvolvedin.Iwaswithseveralothersinthe RPSacceptedfortheworkandwebecame knownasthe‘sculpturevultures’.
Iwasgivenalisttoworkthroughandwasgiven guidelinesastohowthephotographsweretobe taken.ThisIdulydidandcompletedthiswork satisfactorily.In2023anewmuralsprojectwas identifiedandfundingavailable.Again,Iwas givenalistthatwasconcentratedinthe Birminghamarea.Theapproachwasslightly differenttothesculpturesinthattheobjectswere notthreedimensional,butusuallyonwalls.After completingthisproject,itwasextendedinto2024 withmuralsintwospecificareas:Birmingham centreincludingDigbethandoutersuburbs includingMoseley.
Iamalifelongartistandphotographerandhave alwaysbeeninterestedinthevisualarts.This projectshouldbeofinteresttomembersofthe group.Muralsgenerallyarecommissionedart worksandnotgraffiti.Thestandardofartworkis generallyverygoodcomparedtograffitisprayed onartworks(Bankysnotincluded).Thisisvery poignantinDigbethwhichthereisaproliferation ofgraffiti.Businessescommissionartworks becausetheydonotwanttheirwallsgraffitiedon. Acommissionedartworkisgenerallyrespected bygraffitiartists.Also,therearesome commissionedartworksthatadvertiseafamous orwell-knownprogrammeassociatedwiththe westmidlandssuchasPeakyBlinders:thiswas onmy2024listandisshownbelow.
OneofthemuralswhichIphotographedin DigbethwastocelebrateJohnFKennedy, AmericanPresident.Thiswasamosaicoftiles andalthoughitwasnotincludedontheArtUK website,becauseithadapparentlybeen photographedpreviously,Ispentsome
timeremovingextraneousdistractingobjects fromthemural.Unfortunately,somegraffitiartists hadnotrespectedthismuralandhadsprayedon thesurroundingmetalworkbutnotonthemosaic itself.
LastyearIenteredtheRBSA’sphotographic competitionwithfourofmymuralswhichwere acceptedasanentry.Iincludethisentrybelow:
OneofthingsIlikedaboutdoingthemurals projectwasthatsomeofthecommissioned muralscelebratedsomeone’slifewhohad contributedtothecommunityinsomeway.This wasoneoftheonesthatIphotographedin Moseley.Itwasadifficultshotbecausetherewas nodirectaccesstoit,inthatIhadtoshoot acrossabusyhighstreetandpointthecamera uptothemuralwhichwasonawallabove shops.
January2026No.27
ThemostcolourfulmuralswereinDigbeth,and thecreativityoftheartistsistobecelebratedand thevisualaspectofartinthecommunityis somethingtowhichIcloselyalignasanartist.It isfreelyavailabletolookatandenjoyand enhancesthelivingspaceofthepeoplelivingin thatspaceandthosewhocomeintothearea.A goodexampleofthisasmallnightclubwhohad commissionedtheartworkshownbelow:
Themostinterestingmuralswerethosethatwere therefornootherreasonthantheywere showcasingsomedisciplineratherthana commercialpurpose.Onagableendofa residentialpropertyinBirminghamacelebration ofthestarsandthewiderastronomicalinterest wasoneofthefirstthatIphotographedlastyear. Usingawide-anglelensandmyexperienceof doingpropertyphotographyprofessionallyIwas abletocapturethisshotwhichIthinksumsup muralphotographyatitsbest.
Ienjoyeddoingthemuralsprojectoverthetwo yearsandhavetheattributionontheArtUK website.
NEXTMEETING-7th February2026
TheGroup’smeetings,heldatTheOldDiorama ArtsCentre,NW1,arebecomingverypopular with35membersattendingourlastMembers’ Dayon27th September.
WewereshowntwosuccessfulARPSpanelsby StevenGalvinARPSandNevilleMorganARPS andaFellowshippanelbyMartinSearleFRPS.
January2026No.27
Thesepresentationswereverywellreceivedand theprintswerealsoavailabletosee.Thesewere followedbyseveralmembersshowingtheirwork duringthe‘Show&Tell’session.
DavidTownshendFRPS
Thenextmeetingwillbeon 7th February2026 withapresentationbyDavidTownshendFRPSin themorning,followedbya‘ShowandTell’ sessionintheafternoon.
Thelinkforbookingyourticketis:
https://events.rps.org/en/visual-art-group-londonmeeting-feb-2026-5a2NN2AzW8T/overview
Ilookforwardtoseeingmanyofyouatour meetings.
LindaWevillFRPS VisualArtLondonOrganiser e-mail: lindawevill@gmail.com
THEBARBICANESTATEAND COMPLEX THESITE: CRIPPLEGATEANDTHEBLITZ
AerialbombingbytheGermanLuftwaffeduring theBlitzdestroyedmostofthelocationwhere theBarbicannowsits,itwasonceoccupied mainlybytheCity’sragtrade:tailors, dressmakers,furriers,leatherandfabric merchantsandmanyyearspreviouslywasthe siteofaRomanencampmentandfort. TheBarbicaninitspresentformisoneofthe stalwartsofBrutalistarchitectureandis characterisedbytheuseofreinforcedconcrete–cheapandwidelyavailableinthe1960sand 1970sandusedbymanyarchitectsofthat period.ThewordcamefromSwissModernistLe
January2026No.27
Corbusier’sdescriptionofthematerialusedfor hishousingdevelopmentinMarseille-‘beton brut’,meaningrawconcrete–andwasthen popularisedbythecriticReynerBanham.
ConstructionfortheBarbicanEstatestartedin 1965andtook11yearstocomplete.Thecomplex, designedbyarchitectsChamberlin,Powelland Bon,wasGradeII-listedinSeptember2001and oncompletionaswellashousing,itcomprised twotheatres,aconcerthall,alibrary,anart gallery,threecinemas,aconservatory,offices, restaurant,shopsandfoyers.
TheBarbicancomplexbecameGradeIIlistedon 5September2001.Ithassincebeendesignated asiteofspecialarchitecturalinterest,thereason beingthedesignconceptsemployedbythe architects,theplannednatureoftheestate,the formofthetowersandtheirdistinctivesilhouettes,
theformandrelationshipbetweenthelowerscale housingblocksandtherelationshipbetweenthe buildings,spacesandusesallcontributetothe estate'sspecialinterest.Thedetailingofthe buildingsisalsoimportantandtheBrutalist qualities,suchasthescaleandrhythmofthe columns,edgebeamsandtheuseofbushhammeredconcrete,areparticularlydistinctive.
Throughoutthevariousphasesofitsplanning, theBarbican’sappearancewentthroughmany iterationsthatwould’vecompletelyalteredits appearancefromtheroughconcretefinishthat it’snowfamousfor.
Originally,Chamberlin,PowellandBonintended theBarbicantolooksimilartotheirdesignsfor theneighbouringGoldenLaneEstate,with colouredpanelsandmoredelicatedetailing,and ina1959report,thearchitectsoutlinedplansfor theterraceblockstobecoveredwithwhite marble,thetowerstobecoatedwithhighly polishedconcrete,andthecolumnstobe finishedinsmooth,colouredconcrete.Itwas evenproposedthatthebalconiesbesurfaced withmosaictiles. Perhapsunsurprisingly,thisratherlavishand costlyselectionofmaterialswasturneddownby
January2026No.27
theCityofLondon,resultinginthecheaperalthoughincrediblylabourintensive-hammered concretefinishweknowandlove.It’s architecturecanbeviewedalsoasareaction againsttheonce-popular,lightweightquirky colourfuldesignaestheticofthe1951Festivalof Britain.
Asanaside,thesiteoftheBarbicanisalsoclose tositesusedasplaguepitsduringtheBlack Death.Barbicanstaffmembersworkinglate shiftshavereportedstrangesightingsand goings-on,withsomerefusingtoworkonLevel -2aftersightingsofghostlyCenturionslingering wheretheRomanfortoncestood.
It’saplacefullofphotographicopportunities,with itstunnelsandtexturesateveryturnit’sajoy.It lendsitselfparticularlywelltoblackandwhite photographyandI’vealsotakenmanyinfrared shotsintheSummerwhereonecancounterpoint theorganicsoftnessofthefoliagewiththestark concreteandgeometryofthestructures.
It’swellworthavisitasitsintricacywilloccupy youforhoursandyou’llprobablyfindyourself returningmorethanonce.
7MARCH2026(10AM–4PM)
WOODBURYVILLAGEHALL,FLOWER STREET,WOODBURY,EX51LX
Fee:£12
ThenextRPSSWVisualArtEventwilltake placeatWoodburyVillageHall.Ourguest speakerwillbeVivecaKohFRPSFIPFwithher presentationentitled“ACollectionofMoments”. Asusual,theafternoonsessionwillbededicated totheparticipantsshowingtheirwork(digitaland print).Ticketsarenowavailableonline-https:// events.rps.org/en/visual-art-south-west-meetingmarch-2026-5a2NN2B0xpl/overview.
Cost£12(Refreshments–Coffee/Tea/Biscuits) included.
January2026No.27
Formoreinformationaboutthisevent,contact MarijaLeesatvisualartsouthwest@rps.org.
MarijaLeesLRPS
RPSSWVisualArtOrganiser
2026EXHIBITION PROGRESS……
YouwillallhaveseentheGroupCommunication emailsentoutinearlyDecemberlastyear, notifyingyouofanExhibitionupdate.Thisisjust alittlepostscripttoletyouknowofprogressto date.
Thewinnersandacceptedimagesforthe exhibitionhavebeenpostedtotheVAGgroup webpagesandlinkstotheonlinevideohavealso beenpostedonthewebandsocialmediapages, butjustincaseyoumissedthem:
https://rps.org/groups/visual-art/
TheExhibitionCataloguehasbeendesignedand haditsfirststagechecksdone,soit won’tbelongbeforeit’sofftoprint!Itmaybea bitlaterthanusualbutit’soutofmyhands fornow-itstillneedsfinalapprovalfirst,butit shouldbesentoutinearlyFebruary. Congratulationstoallthosewhohadtheirimages selectedandespeciallytheawardees. I’mstilllookingforareplacementco-ordinator,so letthecommitteeknowifyou’dlikea shotatit!
HappyNewYear,
TomLeeFRPS ExhibitionCo-ordinator.
COMMITTEEMEMBERS
ThefollowingmembersmakeupyourVAG Committeefor2025/26:
Chair
MarkDeutschLRPS
Secretary&Newsletter CarolPaesARPS
Treasurer BarryBarkerFRPS
Membership ValGlennyARPS
ExhibitionsCoordinator TomLeeFRPS
MagazinesCoordinator SamanthaRuthARPS
SocialMediaCoordinator StevenGalvinARPS
ExhibitionsMember MartynPearse
WebEditor MichaelButterworthLRPS
CirclesCoordinator GillDishartARPS
Residentialweekends HazelFrostFRPS
CommitteeMember PaulBullockLRPS
CommitteeMember MikeKitchingmanARPS
Therearealsothreesub-grouporganisersand oneVisualArtGrouprepresentativefortheTyng Collection.Theyare:
VisualArtRollright CharlesBinns
VisualArtSouthwest MarijaLeesLRPS
VisualArtLondon LindaWevillFRPS
TyngCo-ordinator RobertHerringshawARPS