Two firsts in one day, during the Saturday just gone. Chalk & cheese. Here's one of them. The second to follow.
The often rarefied, sometimes arcane, even possibly stilted world of the Canolfan Greft Rhuthun/Ruthin Craft Centre has come to life this summer, with the single most interesting exhibition since the famous inaugural one following its rebuilding. The exhibition's entitled "Smile" and it really does make you do just that. Indeed, the usually quiet galleries have come to life with impromptu giggles and chuckles, as onlookers involuntarily muse over and discuss the "crafts" within.
Yes, this is one of the best exhibitions ever at the Craft Centre. The entrance introduction talks of how craft makers have explored everyday humour. They've used a variety of media. Indeed, within are glove puppet creatures alongside a Monty Python-style glove puppet video; balls of wool sheep; recycled metal caricatures; and what looks like papier mâché rabbit families; all alongside the complementary and seemingly odd embroideries and stitched murals of Tilleke Schwarz.
And what will make you smile, too, are the prices. A most complex driftwood working model will set you back £3,800. There are a couple of works with price tags in the low four figures. A number of objets d’art at £300-£400 have already sold.
The exhibition's been on for a month and I plan to return before it closes in early September. You have to spend time with the most humorous of the exhibits to get to know them. And you have to see the reaction of others as they wonder around, enjoying the bizarre, curious, ridiculous and outright weird.
Perhaps it's an anti-élitist attitude with the local newspapers but I never seem to see anything representing a review of the Craft Centre’s exhibits with their pages. This is such a shame, especially regarding this display. If you rarely get to the Centre or find it all too regimented or highbrow, this exhibition will be for you.
The often rarefied, sometimes arcane, even possibly stilted world of the Canolfan Greft Rhuthun/Ruthin Craft Centre has come to life this summer, with the single most interesting exhibition since the famous inaugural one following its rebuilding. The exhibition's entitled "Smile" and it really does make you do just that. Indeed, the usually quiet galleries have come to life with impromptu giggles and chuckles, as onlookers involuntarily muse over and discuss the "crafts" within.
Yes, this is one of the best exhibitions ever at the Craft Centre. The entrance introduction talks of how craft makers have explored everyday humour. They've used a variety of media. Indeed, within are glove puppet creatures alongside a Monty Python-style glove puppet video; balls of wool sheep; recycled metal caricatures; and what looks like papier mâché rabbit families; all alongside the complementary and seemingly odd embroideries and stitched murals of Tilleke Schwarz.
And what will make you smile, too, are the prices. A most complex driftwood working model will set you back £3,800. There are a couple of works with price tags in the low four figures. A number of objets d’art at £300-£400 have already sold.
The exhibition's been on for a month and I plan to return before it closes in early September. You have to spend time with the most humorous of the exhibits to get to know them. And you have to see the reaction of others as they wonder around, enjoying the bizarre, curious, ridiculous and outright weird.Perhaps it's an anti-élitist attitude with the local newspapers but I never seem to see anything representing a review of the Craft Centre’s exhibits with their pages. This is such a shame, especially regarding this display. If you rarely get to the Centre or find it all too regimented or highbrow, this exhibition will be for you.
Tags:
Craft Centre