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YOU are standing in a room which has been saved from dilapidation and total abandonment by art.
On a small television screen two hooded figures perform a strangely choreographed routine of ritualized walking on a pavement viewed by camera from an upstairs window. The piece ends touchingly with handshake and departure, and you wonder at the nature of the venue.
This column has featured Crewe’s Artstation on previous occasions, and when it flings open its doors in invitation, you jump at the chance. ‘Open to the Public’ is more than just an exhibition of work by the resident artists. Practitioners from ‘all over the North West and beyond’ submitted work of inclusion in Artstation’s latest venture. In the building’s gallery they mingle effortlessly with their hosts, producing an exhibition which is as challenging as it is exciting. From ceramics to installations; from sculpture to painting and photography; there are no holds barred, for at Artstation, the artists themselves rule the roost, and creativity not PR, of any sort, is the driving force.
Off the main gallery other rooms fan out, like so many grottos and levels in some labyrinthine computer game. Some will take your breathe away, like Laura Pullig’s impossibly delicate installation (described as a work in process), spreading throughout the entire room-space and even into a partially opened cupboard. A complex of threads, built up into a structure which feels like it is composed of transparent boxes, inhabited by tiny people and cows; modern architecture for spiders.
All the studios are open to public examination, with all the paraphernalia of creative action strewn happily around the shelves and tables. It’s all for real. In Kevin Rayner’s studio you will see a vast array of canvasses, and maybe the artist himself. And next door the room belonging to Rebecca Rexstraw, which is described thus (It’s all you need to know): ‘Untitled: Large installation….Beetroots, pulled back carpet, wooden floor tiles, Bitumen black paint. ‘Lone Radish’- Radish extruding form white wall…’ Unless you go in wearing steel-plated armour of cultural prejudice, you cannot fail to find a visit to Artstation a rewarding experience.
Open to the public continues at Artstation, Ludford Street, Crewe until October 13 2002, during which time the studio will be open at weekend from 10am to 4pm, and at other times during the week by appointment. For full information ring 07747 102453.
Article From 'Sentinel Sunday', 29th September 2002, reviewed by Gabriel Gregory
