Review: Trace Elements 1971 The Factory, Thameside Industrial Estate.

 

On the 18th of October 2021, I was able to go on a trip to London to The Factory, Thameside Industrial Estate in order to see the “Trace Elements 1971” pop up exhibition.1 The artist involved responded directly to buildings or contexts, scraping back layers of history, materiality or indeed reality, to create new or alternate spaces, objects and environments. Luckily the curator, Rosalind Davis was there and we were able to hear the behind the scenes of the show, its meanings and some information on the artists which was so interesting. I find it easier to retain information when it’s spoken and rewritten compared to reading off a screen. It also adds a personal touch with the ability to ask live questions. Aside from the whole idea of time and experience that was weaved throughout one artist and artwork stood out to me. Hermione Allsopp’s artwork consisted of what I instantly thought of as orbs of memories and experiences.  She happened to be there as well for a visit and explained that she made the sculptural works by collecting objects and furniture and re-creating them into new forms or compositions. These items, which were discarded in charity shops, became her materials. 

You can find more information about the artists involved here.2 I would highly recommend seeing these artists live if you can, there is also something special about seeing artwork live compared to in a book or on a screen.

Above are the photos that I took of two of my favourite cultures. I was drawn to them because of both the colour and the materials used, especially the black one whose garish colours caught my eye and created a busy, hectic aura compared to the calming controlled aura of the blue one. Each one had had a life of its own, layers and layers of memories from family dinners, gifts, the style of the times (like a snapshot of someone’s life and thoughts), creating a narrative that the audience could add to. The character and the world that I would “create” based on these items would be totally different to someone else in my class and that makes the artwork even more enjoyable for me. My work is involved in creating narratives, both with words and visuals, that are bought to life with the imagination and experiences of the audience. I also thought about the items themselves, they were second hand when Allsopp got them, but in reality, they could be third, fourth or fifth hand, handed down before being given up. Who has eaten off the plates, who has washed in the bowls, who has slept on the mattress that was used, what was done under the lamp, what words were shared, and so on and so forth? It was as if I could physically “see” this person through their belongings and the traces they left behind. This reminded me of my mum’s fountain pen at home, it belonged to my nana and is only used for “important/neat” writing, but I can imagine the letters that that pen has narrated. In the same way, one of Allsopp’s plates could have served hundreds of meals, the pen had the history of thousands of words and emotions. While you can’t record the experience of the pen (unless you kept all the papers, but once the ink is used it cannot be returned to the tube), these sculptures contain them. Although that being said when I practised writing in colleges and I pressed hard on the paper it dented the paper below and collected the “scars” [read traces] of the narration that came before, which turned out to be rather aesthetic. I also found the size of them to be interesting. I’m 4ft 9 and they came up to just below my knees, to me, the interaction I had with them was reminiscent of a parent to a child (or me to my cat) - intimate and small enough to suggest it needs protecting even if the items are held together with expanding foam. It was as if the memories needed to be protected so they don’t shatter (Which they would have since the materials are real).  

1 https://www.rosalinddavis.co.uk/trace-elements-1971-the-factory 

2 https://www.insidethefactoryproject.com/rosalind-davis