Visit to Birmingham
Thursday, August 04, 2016
Hello,
I am back. Sorry about the lack of content but there hasn't really been much I wanted to share as I am pretty boring at the moment.. But anyway, yesterday me and my mum partook in a little expedition to Birminham. I have recieved a summer project from my Uni course leader which told me I had to visit a major UK gallery. Now, living where I do (the land of sheep and drizzle) I am centrally out of the way of any major gallery. So my mum suggested we make a day trip to the second biggest city in the country.
With a 6:30am train we set off for the city. This bearing in mind I haven't actually got up that early nevermind been ready to catch a train at that unholy hour since finishing college. We got into the city and to a nice coffee shop for breakfast at roughly 9:00am. With a morning view and mocha I felt ready for my artistic excursion.
Following our little break after the train journey had a little look around the shops while we waited for the galleries to open (10:00am). This not only gave me the chance to pick up some bits in H&M but also a chance to snap some of the gorgeous architecture in the centre of the city. We visit the Ikon Gallery first but after unsuccessfully locating it we decided to stop at Birmingham Museum & Gallery first.
Once I got up the stairway I checked my brief and started photographing and recodring pieces I liked and disliked. There was a particular piece that caught my eye the second I entered the room. 'Monte Civetta seen from Lake Alleghe, Italy' by Eliah Walton, 1867. I just found it's dreamy pastel scene was such a contrast with the dark, bold and uniformed appearence of the gallery. I really am looking forward to writing about this piece.
After recording this piece I moved through the gallery and became a little starstruck. This was due to me coming across a sculpture by Barbara Hepworth. I studied her work during my art foundation and really fell in love with her style and ideas. In front of me stood 'The Cosdon Head,1949' and I just couldn't get enough of this gorgeous marble work. I think I photographed it and every possible angle as well as sketched for my recording. I could talk all day about this piece but I think I'll spare you for now!
I took so many photos of both the artwork and the building itself. This wonderland of creativity really is a haven for someone like me and I could have spent all day in this gallery. Here's a few photos of what I found the most interesting (without going on forever hehe!).
Following this visit I could have continued forever, we decided to try for the second time to find the Ikon Gallery. On our very odd route the the gallery I managed to snap a few shots of the scenary as we went. Though there was so much development going on with the city's buildings and roads it was possible to see the remaining jewels from it's prior success. I loved the way the older buildings and structures still held their own against their modern counterparts.
After asking two people and the power of GPS we finally managed to reach the Ikon Gallery (and tried to enter through the back..). I found this place to be much more simplistic to the last gallery i visited but it really allowed me to fully imerse myselv in the work. The first floor was an exhibit featuring artist Jesse Bruton.
I the participated in an installation by artist Patrick Killoran. It featured a wooden board that the observer is the strapped to (wait for it) and then gentle slid partially out of the window of the second floor tower room. Though this sounds totally nuts I was more than excited to experience it. My heart pounded as I put the straps over my arms, and though it was only my shoulders out of this window, it was exhilarating. The piece uses the fear of the observer to allow them to see the sky and upper building whilst creating a sense of vulnerability and self awareness that hightens their sense of awareness. To me it was thoroughly enjoyable and if you ever get the chance to experience this don't pass on it, it is so worth it. Here's the view I had on emerging from the window:
I then explored the Kan Xaun exhibition on the second floor. All of her work consisted of single screen video pieces so was difficult to capture in good photos. Her work is based on very philisophical and personal grounds and I would recommend looking into her work. Below is the piece 'I will be happy, 2007' which was a 2 minute video.
As we left the gallery I thought it wouldn't be right to visit Birmingham without taking a photo of the famous canals that run through the city.
So that's it for my collection of photos for this trip (finally ;) ). I hope you liked my compilation of artwork, architecture and general adventures around the city of Birmingham. I think this has allowed me to collect plenty of material for my summer project which I will hopefully share a little sneak peek of in the near future! This place just made me want to create sculptures, paint and design ornate architecture as there was so much inspiration around me. It's got me excited about sharing my findings at university and settling into city life too. Onward and upward.
That's it for now then,
Bye bye!
9 comments
your photography is great!
ReplyDeleteenchantedclub.blogspot.com
Aww thank you 😁
DeleteThese pictures are absolutely beautiful, I really enjoyed going through the pictures and your post! I look forward to seeing more posts from you, especially about your work as an art student! :)
ReplyDeletethe-emo-wolverine-writes.blogspot.com
Thank you so much! I'm trying to include more of my own photography to break up my ramblings 😁 don't worry, with moving to uni ill be writing about EVERYTHING ☺
DeleteSuch a great trip! I didnt know Birmingham has canals, so cool!
ReplyDeleteBtw, I saw you signed up for teenage blogger central pretty recently. Welcome to the blogging community! If you would be interested in any sort of collaboration with me (a guest post on either of our blogs, interview, etc) feel free to leave me a comment at majesticgoldenrose.weebly.com
Also, I am reviving my blog chain and just posted a favorite-songs prompt here: http://majesticgoldenrose.weebly.com/golden-gang.html. If you would like to participate, feel free to sign up. There will be a second prompt (I think we will discuss travel) released August 15 and I have a form on that page where you can submit your own prompts if you would like.
Your photography is just amazing! I don't go to art exhibitions very often but this really makes me want to go to one soon. I'd love to read what you write about art pieces. It'll be interesting to look at art from an art student's perspective :)
ReplyDeletex Envy
Lost in Translation
Thanks so mich, attempting to photograph more so that's really encouraging 😁 I noticed there is a distinct lack of blogs by art students so a nice gap in the market 😉 when I finish my trip sketchbook I will put a few pages in a post so stay tuned, thanks again
DeleteI love posts like this because I get to feel as if I just went through a museum. Looks like a really lovely time and lots of fun. The pictures are wonderful as well
ReplyDeleteI personally love follow me posts so I wanted the same effect, I would definitely recommend visiting if you can 😁 thank you!
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