Showhouse
PM Gallery and House
Paula Mettler's slightly larger than life photographic portraits of contemporary women in period costume haunt and disturb, within Soane's (once) rural retreat. In the Upstairs Drawing Room, David Mabb's large paintings, overworking a William Morris fabric called 'Bird and Anemone', will create confusion, clamouring for attention against the vigorously patterned wallpaper. In line with Soane's eccentric delight in the Folly, Peter Dukes places a model Folly in the Gallery, furnished in the style of the House, with peepholes, through which video imagery will show 18th Century inhabitants enacting rituals of self adornment, giving a 'what the butler saw' quality. In a 3 hour performance, (date to be confirmed), Duke's will undertake similar rituals, appearing throughout the House.
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Of those artists working in both spaces, Simon Morley will place 7 books of English Romantic poetry throughout the house, each cover inscribed with a word from the final line of Wordsworth's 'The Prelude' and also reproduces the signature of William Hogarth, (whose work 'The Rake's Progress' was hung at Pitshanger Manor during Soane's residency - prints hang in their place today), in a frieze-like pattern on the walls of the Gallery Kathleen Mullaniff will set a plaster tablet embossed with lace on the mantlepiece of the Bedchamber, whilst the Gallery will house her large scale series of 'rose' paintings, 'The Storyteller', which explores the relationship between ornamentation and memory. Nicky Hirst's series of highly crafted vinyl filigree cut-outs will obliterate reflections from mirrors in the two Drawing Rooms. Rachel Bracha's photographs will mimic the tradition of still life painting and draw on the interior of the House, period textiles, dress, flowers, food and ceramics. Gary Simmond's seemingly processed 'pattern' paintings signal their modernity in the sombre setting of the House but are liberated by the white space of the Gallery.
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In the House, Kate Scrivener's dainty snake-skin gloves, will be casually discarded in an alcove and Finlay Taylor's 'Gift' will descend, a billowing shroud-like skein of silk from the top of the stairwell. Jennifer Wright will remake the very 'feminine' four poster bed in the Bedchamber, creating a simulacrum of a silk brocade counterpane from photographs of a luminous image of brocade, made from children's plastic beads. Jane Langley shows four intimately scaled oval paintings, appearing simultaneously as embroidery and painstakingly detailed paintings. Finally, Miranda Whall will make erotically shaped, hand-made, felt rugs, incorporating images of flora and fauna from the English countryside, to depict a 'garden of delight'.
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| Showhouse is an entirely fitting start to the PM Gallery & House's new programme, reflecting as it does Soane's own obsession with the collection of Art and Antiquities, many of which were housed at Pitshanger Manor until he returned to live exclusively to Lincoln's Inn Fields. Jane Langley recently curated SPIN at the V&A. She is the Visiting Lecturer at The City & Guild's, Goldsmiths' & Byam Shaw School of Art. In 2002 she will also curate LOOP for the Bankfield Museum, Halifax.
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