Art & Culture

ARTIST AT WORK

No. 49 Andy Rollo, Out of Bounds

Mixed Media on Canvas, 150 x 100 cm, £2,000

‘Every work of art is the child of its time, often it is the mother of our emotions.’ Wassily Kandinsky

Time and place have had a significant influence on my creative practice; whether the paintings are abstract pieces in response to the geology, maps and the history of human habitation etched across the Dorset landscape or my more recent works that pay homage to the woodland and light around Sherborne and the county.

The striking landscape of our local area became a place of sanctuary over the last couple of years and began to symbolise for me (as for others perhaps) strength and protection, steadfastness, and long life. The tree withstands whatever nature throws at it, and we have had to do the same whilst continually being reminded of our own mortality and the passing of time.

The transformational quality of light has enabled areas of woodland to take on an almost cathedral-like quality for me; awe-inspiring and magnificent with their juxtaposition of grandeur and the spiritual. It is this that I so often have attempted to convey in my paintings.

andyrollo.com adrolloartist

ON FILM

Andy Hastie, Yeovil Cinematheque

Milena Smit and Penelope Cruz in Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers

With people now needing to return to public spaces for post-Covid emotional and mental well-being, Cinematheque’s audiences are slowly building to pre-lockdown levels. We had always hoped that if we could continue to provide quality films at a great venue our members would come back eventually, and so it is proving, thank goodness. Now well into our stride with the current season, we have two films coming up this December.

On 7th we are showing Petite Maman (2021) which I reviewed last month, and one week later on the 14th we have Parallel Mothers (2021), another wonderful film from our favourite Spanish director Pedro Almodovar. This marks the eighth reunion with Penelope Cruz and reaffirms their status as one of modern cinema’s great director-actor collaborations. Almodovar says of Cruz, ‘Penelope is a film actress and the camera loves her – the film actress needs to be photogenic. When she gets a grip on the character she’s incredible. She takes risks with me that she won’t take with other directors.’ No wonder she’s happy to work with him.

Penelope Cruz plays Janice, a heavily pregnant forty-something photographer, sharing a room with Ana, a teenager, in a Madrid maternity hospital. This different generation-intertwined storyline cleverly runs in parallel with Janice’s dealings with the legacy of the Spanish civil war on her family, particularly a part of history that has been kept out of sight; over 114,000 civilians killed by General Franco’s forces during the war, disappearing into unmarked mass graves all over the country. It is through the two women’s stories that Almodovar combines issues of life and death – the newborn babies, and Janice’s work in getting permission for a mass grave to be dug up in her home town – and the polarised position of the two Spains. Ana represents the new, continued amnesia, refusing to engage with history’s injustices, whilst older Janice is determined to call for the state to exhume the bodies so that they can be reburied with dignity and respect. These two parallel narratives of the women’s lives are so masterfully linked, by a director determined to draw attention to Spain’s unresolved relationship with its bloody 20th-century history, and that connection with the theme of the women’s unresolved issues. This clever, engaging film is Almodovar at his finest, confronting the injustices of Spain’s recent history at both a micro and macro level. One definitely not to be missed.

If you have never been to a Cinematheque screening at Yeovil’s Swan Theatre, this is a great film to start. Come as a guest for only £5 to see what we offer. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed; all details are on the website below.

Finally, may I wish everyone a joyous Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

cinematheque.org.uk swan-thatre.co.uk

___________________________________________ Wednesday 7th December 7.30pm Petite Maman (2021) U

Wednesday 14th December 7.30pm Parallel Mothers (2021) 15 Cinematheque, Swan Theatre, 138 Park St, Yeovil BA20 1QT Members £1, guests £5

CONFESSIONS OF A THEATRE ADDICT

Rosie Cunningham

David Tennant in Good at the Harold Pinter Theatre Image: Johan Persson

Ifinally saw David Tennant in C.P. Taylor’s play, Good, which had been delayed for two years due to Covid. As we queued to go into the theatre, the staff put stickers over our mobile phone cameras, same as Cabaret, ‘out of due consideration to future audiences’ and, to be fair, very little information has leaked out about the play. This is a story about how a German professor, whose best friend is Jewish, gets sucked into the build-up towards World War II, Nazism and the SS, undergoing a gradual horrifying transformation. The key to understanding John Halder, played by David Tennant, is that he is a lonesome man, with a single

friend, a chaotic unsatisfying home life with a reliant and needy wife and dependent mother, and a total lack of personal empathy. The attraction of joining the Nazi party is the offer of companionship and the opportunity to be part of something tangible, and he is good at obeying orders. Snatches of music, of every variety, subliminally accompany and distract Halder throughout and he struggles to understand their meaning.

The three actors remain on stage throughout, with Elliot Levey playing Halder’s friend Maurice and other roles, and Sharon Small playing Halder’s wife and mother, and other roles. This abrupt change of character is sometimes confusing to follow, as the actor turns around, assumes a different accent and stature, and begins to speak. The stage, designed by Vicki Mortimer, resembles a concrete bunker, relieved only by two sliding doors that, when opened, hide destructive secrets. Pieces of music come and go throughout, interspersed by the sound of planes flying overhead and other unsettling noises. I won’t explain the monstrous ending, because it would ruin the play for future audiences, however, it is the persistent presence of the music which provides the clue. My companion was not impressed and left at half-time, but I stayed to the end, and I admit that I have been turning over the play in my mind, seeking further meaning. How can a ‘good’ person be so totally corrupted? Powerful rhetoric, flattery, and the desire to find fellowship. It makes you think about comparable modern-day examples. On until 24th December at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

Letters Live, which first began as an event in 2013, attracts outstanding actors to perform remarkable letters, written over the centuries and from around the world, in front of a live audience. You never know who is going to appear on stage or what letter they are going to read and at the Royal Albert Hall recently the line-up included Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Jones, Jonathan Pryce, Julian Cleary, Graham Norton, and Dolly Alderton. Some of the letters are poignant, others comic or unbearably sad, all brought to life by seasoned performers. All the proceeds from ticket sales go to a nominated charity, and this year it was Choose Love, supporting refugees. To find out when and where the next event is, sign up to the Letters Live Family on the website. These evenings are like gold dust and the atmosphere is magical and celebratory.

haroldpintertheatre.co.uk letterslive.com

FIFTEEN ARTISTS 2nd - 21st December 2022

TOM HOAR AFRICAN QUEEN

BRIDGET LANSLEY THREE MEN AND FRIENDS

www.jerramgallery.com

THE JERRAM GALLERY 01935 815261 Half Moon Street, Sherborne, info@jerramgallery.com Dorset DT9 3LN Tuesday – Saturday

AN ARTIST’S VIEW

Laurence Belbin

A little while ago I had the opportunity to produce a piece of artwork somewhat different from that which I normally apply myself. It took the form of a map of Over and Nether Compton. I was approached firstly by Three Pigeons Press, a local publisher in Long Street, asking if I’d be interested. I was. I then spoke to Barbara Elsmore, the author of a wonderful book titled Over & Nether Compton Snapshots in Time. It follows the story of the Collings family from mid-Victorian times through to the year of the coronation of our late Queen Elizabeth II.

The map I produced is a stylised version based on others, some old and some not so. Having done a map of the mills of Sherborne for the Museum a few years back I followed a similar approach, creating an aerial three-dimensional look, this one being in watercolour rather than oil. Using the field lines and noting where orchards, woodland and pastures were I tried to bring to life an area that was lived in as well as providing a guide to the various houses etc which appear in the text. It has a good selection of photos and my illustrations and map are there to help identify the properties whilst walking around the two villages.

Reading the book and knowing and seeing the locations mentioned really does bring

history to life. A good local read and it can be obtained directly from Barbara via her website comptontales.uk

Still on a historical theme, I went to Shillingstone Railway one Wednesday and did some drawings and watercolour sketches of the new boiler being lifted and placed on the bed of a loco being restored. It’s not something you see often these days and I thought it worthy of capturing in a medium other than photography. There were many ‘high viz’ clad chaps, all very keen volunteers with a wealth of knowledge of engineering and the like, making it all happen.

I found the orange jackets just as interesting to paint as the boiler itself!

The drawing here is A5 in size and I used pencil and pen and ink. I had to work quite quickly and moved the crane a little closer so as to tell the story. Health and safety isn’t shown in my drawing but it was all done proper! I had more time later on to draw/paint, as the last few inches before the bolts were inserted seemed to take ages. It reminded me of the golden shot, down a bit, left a bit!

The station and cafe are open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. A great place where you can go back to a time when train travel was an adventure, at least for children, and promised an enjoyable day out.

laurencebelbin.com

COUNTER CULTURE

Paul Maskell, The Beat and Track

No.16 Sub Pop - ‘Going Out of Business Since 1988!’

For those of us of a certain age with a love of punk/indie music, Sub Pop will mark the musical revolution that would shape our tastes for years to come. Originally the brainchild of Bruce Pavitt, Sub Pop started as a fanzine in the early eighties, documenting local bands and gigs. As the fanzine developed, Pavitt began to include compilation cassettes with the magazine highlighting the regional punk scene that was on the increase. After relocation to Seattle, Pavitt hooked up with a local promoter and radio host Johnathan Poneman. Ironically at the time, on 1st April 1988, Pavitt and Poneman jacked in their jobs and formed Sub Pop records. Within a month the company, being run on minimal capital, was on the verge of bankruptcy. As full partners the duo still pushed on and proceeded to release material from local bands who Pavitt was convinced would become great if only they could be heard. The label’s first releases were by the likes of Green River, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Nirvana. These releases proved that Seattle had a sound and that it was a sound that everyone needed to hear. The duo of Pavitt and Poneman forged ahead and developed a label identity based on the success of labels such as Motown. Using a bold logo and a consistent recording engineer/ producer (Jack Endino) to create a sound and attitude, the label became a go-to place for a new form of punk

rock christened ‘Grunge’.

Consistently on the brink of bankruptcy, the label made its first masterstroke that would help keep them afloat. In late 1988 the Sub Pop singles club was launched. Customers would pay a yearly subscription of $35 and receive a monthly single through the post. Customers would not know what singles by which bands they would receive, only that it would be typical Sub Pop music. The first single to be released by the club was Love Buzz/Big Cheese by Nirvana. A limited run of 1000 numbered copies and 200 unnumbered promos were pressed – if you’re lucky enough to own an original copy it’s worth anything up to £5000. The single helped propel the singles club and the label into the industry spotlight and spurned classic singles by Mudhoney, Tad, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Fugazi, Babes in Toyland, Dinosaur Jr and too many more to mention without me nerding-out on the merits of bands such as Rein Sanction, Earth, Godflesh, Sebadoh and Codeine. I’ll save you from that.

The second masterstroke, although it was somewhat forced upon the label, was the signing of a label contract by Nirvana. On the recording of their debut album Bleach it is reported that Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic accosted Bruce Pavitt while on the way home from a party demanding that the label gave the band a contract. This was something that the label, up to this point, had never considered with any of their rosters but an agreement for a three-album deal was agreed.

Fast forward to the summer of 1991. Sub Pop wasn’t delivering on its promises to some of its top bands. This saw the desertion of Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Nirvana to major labels. The label had laid off most of its staff and had run out of money. Cheques for promo photography were bouncing, and Pavitt and Poneman were paying bills by spending their savings to keep the label alive. Then came the revolution.

That summer saw the release of Nevermind by Nirvana. I was 17 and bought the album the day it came out. By the end of December, 2 million more people had bought the Geffen-released album. The contract Pavitt was forced to provide Nirvana suddenly raised them from being bankrupt and unable to pay the phone bill to receiving a cheque for $500,000. With the huge success of Nevermind came the renewed interest in Nirvana’s debut Bleach. This only helped to steady the Sub Pop ship and put them back on the industry map. The contract also ensured a slice of the In Utero pie when this album was released in 1993.

With the cash procured by the release of the Nirvana albums and ongoing interest in previous Sub Pop releases, the label began to rapidly expand. This resulted in the purchase of 49% of the company by Warners. The corporate culture that was introduced to the label went against everything that Pavitt stood for and culminated in his resignation. The label spent the next few years trying to find some stability in the post-grunge world. These years were somewhat barren and the label began to lose some of its kudos within the industry. This was rectified by the discovery of the band The Shins. With the release of their debut, Oh, Inverted World, the label gained newfound respect in a post-Nirvana world. The label has since grown in stature and has gone on to release more than 800 singles, EPs and albums. It is again a hive of great taste and innovative music from bands like Low, Father John Misty, Band of Horses, Orville Peck, Weyes Blood, Metz, Clipping, Postal Service, Kiwi Jr, Squid and so many more. Not bad for a label that’s been ‘Going out of business since 1988!’.

thebeatandtrack.co.uk