Newlyn Art Gallery

On Monday 12 June 2011, we had another college trip where we visited the Newlyn Art Gallery. This trip was very different tot the minack theatre trip because this art gallery is very small and the exhibition that they had on at the time was very limited and didn't show a lot of work or provide enough stuff to look at. 


Newlyn Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Newlyn, Cornwall, UK. Opened in 1895, designed by James Hicks of Redruth and financed by John Passmore Edwards the gallery was conceived as a home and exhibition venue for the Newlyn School of Art the works of which are now largely located at Penlee House Gallery and Museum in nearby Penzance. The building is dedicated to the memory of John Opie, a famous Cornish artist; a plaque to the memory of John Opie made from Newlyn Copper now forms part of the building.


In 2006 Newlyn Art Gallery announced a major programme of works including the extension of the current building and the creation of a new art gallery in Penzance, Cornwall known as The Exchange, located on the site of the former Penzance telephone exchange building. The two galleries, designed by MUMA (McInnes Usher McKnight Architects), opened in July 2007. John Pearson was the craftsman who made the four large copper plaques, earth, air, fire and water, that decorate the facade of the Gallery.


I didn't really learn a lot from this gallery, however I did like the different work that I seen. The exhibition which was being shown when we visited was called ' Down There Among The Roots' which featured sound recordings from BAFTA Award winning, Chris Watson and the clay models by the V & A artist Phoebe Cummings. Through the exhibition both of the artists investigate the passage of time in relation to specific geographical locations; revealing aural and visual elements that are often overlooked. The lower gallery space was filled with the haunting sounds of Chris Watson’s recordings of telegraph wires, sounds which were captured by burying equipment below the ground. The room was completely dark except for a spotlight illuminating Phoebe Cummings’ miniature landscape, intricately crafted by the artist from un-fired clay. The upper gallery’s light, airy space has influenced the second of Phoebe’s specially commissioned pieces. There was a large, clay installation comprised of exquisite small scenes and life-size fragments informed by details from the Cornish landscape, such as satellite dishes and palms. I think that the clay models which were being exhibited were very unique and very cleverly made. However I have not been influenced by this gallery because it is just four different rooms with one piece of art in each.