For the last of my 10p Northern Rail trips, I was back to Halifax again, mainly to visit a museum that I havent visited for around 30 years. But, before that I called in the Piece Hall (see http://365project.org/fishers/365/2020-01-24 ) to see a new art installation called People Play.
An information board describes it as follows "People Play is a new site specific sculpture by Alice Irwin that responds to Halifax’s textile heritage, and celebrates it as a place of making and production today.
Irwin's practice explores themes and imagery drawn from childhood experiences to create her own cast of colourful and imaginary characters. Occupying the courtyard of this iconic building, this ambitious body of work is the artist's first sculpture commission and symbolises many aspects of the town’s personal, social and industrial history.
Ranging from 5 to 9 feet tall, the sculptures acknowledge the diversity of industry workers, including children, who helped place the town on the world stage for textile production. Whilst themes of childhood innocence and imagination are integral in Irwin’s practice, she invites us to reconsider the past, and aspects of her work often explore more unsettling themes. Whilst referencing the importance of play in childhood, the project also considers those children who worked long hours in the mills and were denied their childhood."
That's all very well, but I spent a while watching how people reacted to it. Quite a few adults looked rather bemused, but a group of seven children accompanied by three adults quickly worked it out - you crawl between the legs of the figures, or look through the holes, or run around between the figures! The children were then asked to choose their favourite and were then photographed with it, and they were putting a lot of thought into which one they chose.
delightful colourful sculptures.
Interesting narrative and description,
when I looked at this, I saw children and not adults, then your final paragraph confirmed it. Wonderful and creative Alice Irwin captured this perfectly
fav
Thank you all for your lovely comments and fav, they are very much appreciated.
I'm afraid that I tend towards the bemused end of the spectrum when it comes to some modern art, but the children there knew how to make use of it - and they were far too young to read the 'Do not climb on the sculptures' signs!
Ian
February 28th, 2020
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Interesting narrative and description,
when I looked at this, I saw children and not adults, then your final paragraph confirmed it. Wonderful and creative Alice Irwin captured this perfectly
fav
Thank you all for your lovely comments and fav, they are very much appreciated.
I'm afraid that I tend towards the bemused end of the spectrum when it comes to some modern art, but the children there knew how to make use of it - and they were far too young to read the 'Do not climb on the sculptures' signs!
Ian