AAA WEEKEND 101
March 28-29, 2015
arts Email stephen.bevis@wanews.com.au
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Intimate images by the sea Striking aesthetic: Windswept, by Holly Story. Picture: Nic Ellis
Disintegrating: Entitlement 1, by Simon Gilby, depicts humanity at the mercy of the elements. Picture: Roel Loopers VISUAL ARTS
Sculpture at Bathers Bathers Beach, Fremantle REVIEW LAETITIA WILSON
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F
or an intimate experience of art on the beach, Sculpture at Bathers is a welcome contrast to the recent grandiosity of Cottesloe’s Sculpture by the Sea. There are 77 works dotted around the grass, along the path to the Roundhouse, inside Kidogo Arthouse, on the beach and even in the water. It is more intimate than its sister show in that the works are generally smaller and there is less of a fuss made about touching them.
The use of space in the exhibition is ambitious, with three works out among the waves. One is Simon Gilby’s Entitlement 1, where the figure of a man created from salt and stainless steel stands on a rock. Over the course of the exhibition the effects of the wind and the waves have become apparent on his body and he is gradually disintegrating, leaving only a meagre wire-frame structure as the ideal image of humanity at the mercy of the elements. A work that immediately captures the attention is Geoff Overheu’s Gates of Reason. Generic, ugly, orange plastic traffic barriers at first look insignificant and it is only when taking a closer look that the
madness in the detail reveals itself. The artist has cast scenes out of bronze based on Radio National reportage and wedged them into the side crevices of the barrier. It is an enormous, highly fastidious and somewhat excessive amount of work. There are less complex ways of using found materials on display. This can be seen in Accumulus by Kathy Allam, where numerous clear-plastic drink bottles are repurposed to form a cloud underneath the canopy of the gazebo. They are embedded with LEDs to further enhance their ethereal quality. Similarly, Natalie Williamson crafts a large Sea Pod from recycled plastic, in one of the better uses of such material I have seen.
The importance of being frivolous
Contrasts: Thomas de Munk-Kerkmeer’s Bathers Boogie Woogie. Picture: Nic Ellis
There is less emphasis on abstract minimal forms here than at Cottesloe but there is a geometrically cut, stainless-steel pod form by Akio Makigawa. It is clean and harmonious but it could be seen anywhere. This could be said for many of the works, whereas others are more attuned to the specific site. For example, Holly Story’s Windswept is a zinc and rope structure that resembles fishing baskets and nets, while also being a striking aesthetic object through the use of red. Tied to the historical context then, is Ship of Stories — Anzac, by Tony Pankiw and Sue Codee. Here, a deftly crafted ship is made from welded and water-jet cut aluminium. Cut-out images detail its sides,
Wordy: Miriam Margolyes hopes her stories are funny.
Miriam Margolyes takes a lighthearted view of her latest show, writes William Yeoman
‘T
he language is good and the sentiments are elevated but the stories are disgusting.” That’s Miriam Margolyes’ succinct description of The Importance of Being Mirian, the follow-up to her previous highly successful stage show Dickens’ Women. It is a refined if somewhat naughty romp through Margolyes’ life in literature, in which she plays various characters from the page and the stage, with only pianist John Martin on hand to assist. “There’s Lady Catherine de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice, Mrs Malaprop from The Rivals, Lady Bracknell and Miss Prism from The Importance of Being Earnest,” Margolyes says. You can also add Mrs Corney and Mr Bumble from Oliver Twist, a couple whose amorous antics were such a hit in Dickens’ Women.
“And, rather daringly, Juliet,” she whispers. “Only one speech. I just thought ‘I’ve always wanted to play Juliet but no one was ever going to cast me’, so . . .” Margolyes, 72, says she had an idyllic childhood, born to Jewish Belarusian parents and sent to a traditional school in Oxford which led to a place at Cambridge University alongside Australians Clive James, Barry Humphries, Germaine Greer and later British comics John Cleese and Bill Oddie. She became a successful stage and screen actress, appearing in films such as Ladies in Lavender, End of Days, Yentl and two Harry Potter movies, as well as on TV in Blackadder, Merlin, Doc Martin and The Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries. Stage credits include Romeo and Juliet, The
Importance of Being Earnest, The Vagina Monologues and Wicked. She was awarded an OBE in 2002 for services to drama and in 2013 became a dual UK/Australian citizen. She says The Importance of Being Miriam is a very personal journey. “It’s not important at all, it’s just an egotistical romp,” she laughs. “I tell people if you don’t like Miriam, then don’t come. There are moments of my intimate sex life which are revealed, as well as some very dirty stories. They will offend, there’s no question, but I hope they’re all funny.”
Margolyes emphasises the importance of pianist John Martin and director and deviser Peter J. Adams. “I’ve left all the music stuff to them,” she says. “I’m just grateful to have John with me because I don’t like one-woman shows and I think of this as a two-person show. John does speak as well, and sing. “And I sing, which is the most frightening thing of all — frightening for the audience. Not for me so much because I know how bad I am. But they will be expecting a certain level of competence which I definitely cannot
featuring both Australian and New Zealand animals and content. It is a handsome piece, appropriately timed to coincide with the Anzac centenary. There are both contrasts and points of conversation with the exhibition up the coast and both shows have been compelling on their own merit. The cultural setting for this exhibition is inviting, with an ideally positioned pop-up bar out the back of Kidogo that makes for a welcoming place from which to gaze on the vista of art against the port background and the expanse of the Indian Ocean. .................................................................................
■ Sculpture at Bathers ends
tomorrow.
provide. I imagine that a lot of people will leave at that point. But I hope some will be brave and stay.” In highlighting the smutty stories and bad singing Margolyes is, of course, being self-effacingly facetious. It’s literature and words which are at the very heart of The Importance of Being Miriam, which is dedicated to Margolyes’ mother, who instilled a love of literature and language in her from a very young age. “I love words,” Margolyes says. “I’ve always loved them, ever since I was a little girl. And this is about words, it’s wordy. And that’s deliberate.” Even when the language is “impenetrable”, as with Gertrude Stein’s poetry, the character of the author shines through. “Her character is adorable,” Margolyes says. “She’s the most delightful woman.” But, she warns again, The Importance of Being Miriam is not a family entertainment. “I don’t think anyone under 70 should be admitted. No, I think grown-ups can come. But it is definitely not for children. It is not a Harry Potter sequel.” ..............................................................................
■ The Importance of Being Miriam is
at the Heath Ledger Theatre from April 7-11.