Mersey Reporter - Merseybites News

WHETHER in the no nonsense documentary realism of Rory's stark black-and-white photography or the idiosyncrasy of Brenda's heavily glazed ceramics, the current joint exhibition at the ArtHouse in Southport by Rory Turner and Brenda Reeve-Turner is a fascinating pulse-check on contemporary practice by 2 local artists.

Both former senior academics at the University of Central Lancashire, retirement has offered them the opportunity to refocus on their own unfilled practice rather than promoting that of others.

A lifelong passionate photographer, Rory, has always been attracted to exploiting the medium as a vehicle for archiving what is too often taken for granted.

Rory explained:- "As a freelance photographer working in the Lake District and The Yorkshire Dales I realised that the traditional tourist postcard did not show the stunning beauty of these wild spaces and I was one of the first photographers to capture the Lakes and Dales in all their many different and spectacular moods."

Prior to his appointment at UCLan, Rory's entrepreneurial nature had already seen him swing into action to address the commercial drawback at source.

"I founded my own Fine Art postcard company 'Country Visions' in the 1980's selling over 1 million Fine Art postcards of both the Lakes and Yorkshire Dales. The postcards were sold through the English Lakes Tourist Boards, The National Trust, Fine Art Galleries, and various other retail outlets."

The success of the venture quickly secured global appeal:- "I was originally sponsored by both Leica and Bronica Camera systems which lead to solo exhibitions all over the world, including London, Canada and Germany."

In a world too often saturated with colourful imagery, Rory's atmospheric black-and-white camerawork harks back to an era when photography was an alchemy of light and silver:-:Rory added:- "I use a Canon 70D digital Camera with a:- 24 to 105 f/4L IS USM lens. This is a specialist lens that gives extra high definition results."

A poignant reminder of the enduring power of simplicity, through his emotive monochromatic photographs currently on display at ArtHouse, Rory showcases the celebrated Victorian wrought-iron architecture of Southport as silhouetted urban vegetation brimming with a nuance that skillfully emphasizes the form, texture, and interplay between shadow and light.

"'Faded Glory' continues on from a project that I started whilst working on my MA seeking to visually examine the decline in our coastal resorts since the heydays of the late Victorian era through to the 1950's to 1960's. The view presented by our holiday resorts is vastly different now than it was in the past." said Rory.

By artfully avoiding the distraction of fun loving holidaymakers, the intrusive:- 'Kiss Me Quick' culture of the British seaside has been replaced in Rory's photographs by a nostalgic visual grunge aesthetic that freeze-frames the timeless elegance of an unpopulated coastline resonating with the authority of its own a silent eloquence.

In contrast, Brenda; a graduate of the prestigious Royal College of Art in London; draws upon her subsequent career in fashion to drape wet clay like fabric in order to articulate the natural undulations of seashells in her flamboyant ceramic souvenirs:- "My current ceramic work looks closely at tourist ephemera and the objects and experiences that make seaside holidays so special. These objects and impressions remain with us throughout our lives and are as equally an important and treasured part of the tourist experience as the tourist gaze."

Brenda regularly attends Southport Contemporary Art's pottery workshops:- 'ClayWorks' where working in clay provides her with a playground for unlimited artistic expression.

Brenda commented:- "Finding ClayWorks was just perfect, giving me the chance to develop my 3D embroidery and illustration skills in a new medium. The sessions provide excellent technical staff with professional practitioners. This experience enabled me to meet some lovely new people in my retirement. That's a bonus isn't it?"

Certainly, this will be an exhibition that is not to be missed for local art lovers, this collaborative display by Rory Turner & Brenda Reeve-Turner will be on show at the:- ArtHouse, Eastbank Street, Southport, Merseyside, from:- 17 September to 5 October 2024.

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