The Yellow Wallpaper at Danson House
Iris, Tom Gallant, 2012, digitally printed vinyl wallpaper. Photo: Sophie Mutevelian.
A black floor-length laser-cut dress (Dress 09) by fashion designer Marios Schwab, made in collaboration with artist Tom Gallant, will form the centrepiece of a Crafts Council exhibition in partnership with Bexley Heritage Trust, at Danson House in Bexleyheath, from 1 April to 29 October 2012.
The Yellow Wallpaper explores the inspiration and influences that led to the creation of Dress 09 by presenting a range of pieces including furniture, photography and film, within the historic setting of the 18th century Danson House.
In 2011 the Crafts Council acquired Dress 09 from the Marios Schwab and Tom Gallant 2008/2009 AW collection and asked Tom Gallant to curate an exhibition that would reveal some of his creative inspirations.
Gallant used the1892 gothic novella The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman as a framework through which to do so. By taking seven quotes from the novella Gallant presents his own work and work by others that include silhouette animator Lotte Reiniger’s 1926 film The Adventures of Prince Achmed, furniture maker Gareth Neal’s Anne table (2009) and photographer Nick Waplington’s image Faustian Nightmares (2007).
Two new site-specific installations have been commissioned connecting Gallant’s chosen pieces and Dress 09 to the historic setting of Danson House; A Delicious Garden by Fiona Curran will see a magnified 18th century floral pattern of icing sugar climb up the walls of one of the rooms within the house, and The Adventures of William Morris Man by Ligia Bouton will present a superhero clad in William Morris wallpaper fighting the excesses of Victorian fashion.
The Yellow Wallpaper will be the first exhibition at Danson House, occupying the entire second floor of the building for the duration of its open season.
Quotes
“This exhibition shows connections, both literary and artistic, that influence my making, from the analogue to the digital.” Tom Gallant, artist and curator of The Yellow Wallpaper
“The Crafts Council is very excited to be working with Danson House and Tom Gallant to bring the Yellow Wallpaper exhibition into this venue. This exhibition marks a new approach to our Collection Exhibition programme by placing the show in a non-traditional gallery venue – that of a historic house. For this show it has a particular resonance, and in general we hope to continue to develop working with similar venues in the future.” Annabelle Campbell, Exhibitions and Collection Manager, Crafts Council.
“We are delighted to be working partnership with the Crafts Council for the first time to bring contemporary art and design back to Danson House for the 2012 season – just as the Boyd family did in the 18th century.” Caroline Worthington, Chief Executive, Bexley Heritage Trust
ENDS
For press images and more information please contact Jill Read in the Crafts Council Press Office on Tel: +44 (0) 20 7806 2549, Email: media@craftscouncil.org.uk
Notes to Editors
Visitor Information
Danson House
Danson Park
Danson Road
Bexleyheath Kent
DA6 8HL
Tel: 01322 621238
Dates: Open 1 April – 31 October
Times: Sunday – Thursday, 10am – 5pm
Tickets*: Adults £7, concessions (over 60, under 16, registered disabled)/ English Heritage Members £5 and children (under 16) in family groups free. No unaccompanied children
*If you Gift Aid you pay once and visit all year (this applies to the whole group if someone buys multiple tickets for adults and/or children). Everyone that Gift Aids their ticket will be issued with a season ticket.
About The Yellow Wallpaper exhibition
• The Yellow Wallpaper was originally an online exhibition and it can be seen at www.onviewonline.org.uk
• The featured makers and artists in The Yellow Wallpaper are; Ligia Bouton, Fiona Curran, Tom Gallant, Gareth Neal, Lotte Reiniger, Marios Schwab and Nick Waplington.
About Tom Gallant
• Artist Tom Gallant draws on a wide range of historic and contemporary sources to inspire his work, from literature to pornographic magazines, Japanese paper-cutting to laser-cutting and printmaking to Victorian decorative crafts. These inspirations shape both the ideas his work explores, as well as the techniques used to make individual pieces. Gallant is fascinated by visual representations of our society, most particularly ways in which women are objectified within western culture. He likens the objectification of women to the fetishising of objects within collections. He has shown his work internationally and it is included in a large number of private collections all over the world. Recent exhibitions include Craft at Pertwee Anderson & Gold, London and Kalliphilia at Vegas Gallery, London. For more information visit www.tom-gallant.com
About Danson House
• Danson House boasts a suite of rooms created for Sir John Boyd, a man besotted with his young bride. This superb example of 18th century architecture has classical proportions, elegant interiors and rich symbolism celebrating love and marriage. Designed as a retreat from the hustle and bustle of central London, Danson House was completed in 1766. Sir John Boyd was a sugar merchant and vice chairman of the British East India Company. Together with the notable architect Sir Robert Taylor, Boyd created this homage to the Golden Age of Antiquity, filling it with art and sculpture from his travels on the continent. Today his home gives us a fascinating insight into fashionable Georgian life. Danson house is managed by Bexley Heritage Trust, a registered charity which also runs Hall Place. www.dansonhouse.org.uk
About the Crafts Council Collection
• The Crafts Council Collection was established in 1972 and covers the whole range of contemporary craft practice with 1,400 objects from both established figures and upcoming names. Objects in the Collection are available for loan. For more information on borrowing from the Collection, please visit the Crafts Council website or contact Renée Pfister, Collections Officer, Crafts Council, tel: 020 7806 2525, email: r_pfister@craftscouncil.org.uk
