Words, thoughts, images from Alan Dearling
Ann Hamilton at Salts Mill: We Will Sing
This set of installations is wonderfully thought-provoking. Cutting edge. Inspired even. I made the journey on buses and trains to Bradford and then Saltaire, over towards Keighley, to arrive at the vast Salts Mill complex for 11 o’clock. This was in order to arrive nice and early in the three-galleries at the top of the building which is home to the three thematically linked installations curated by American conceptual artist, Ann Hamilton, with additional contributions from Emily Eagan and many craftsmen (particularly H. Dawson and William Halstead). There have been many local children and tradesmen involved in the year-long gestation of the project which is also intrinsically linked to the historic roof space at Salts Mill. Collectively, they have provided many elements of the rich tapestries of visual images, soundscapes and connectivity with Bradford and Yorkshire’s past heritage of textile industries of wool and cotton, arts and more.
The sounds emanate from revolving loudspeakers crafted from re-purposed horns found in the mill. These sounds echo and bounce around the massive empty mill space creating almost Gregorian monk-like humming, whistling and chanting voices. It’s almost like Plainsong. The recordings are then replayed in a second space from a series of linked turntables, located around a gallery loft space. Sounds and words, singing of: “We Will Sing”, come at the visitor from all angles and in strange sequences. Mesmerising stuff. My little rough videos of two of the installations:
https://www.facebook.com/591491513/videos/pcb.10163998122876514/1275198000493469
https://www.facebook.com/591491513/videos/pcb.10163998135661514/792258396895064
The large middle gallery houses lots of Ann’s massively enlarged photographic-art images on felt hangings. These images have been created from tiny ceramic figures discovered in Salts Mill. They are called feves and were originally baked figurines, celebrated as symbols of good fortune. I believe that they were often hidden in cakes, a kind of ‘fortune cookie’. In between the felt hangings are interspersed gowns and clothing made by local craftsmen from a mixture of textiles. And in the large gallery space, the voices of local, community ‘readers’ and singers provide another sonic cacophony that adds further ambience to the space. A monumental space which visitors weave and wend their personal routes through, many picking up double page spreads from Ann’s ‘newspaper’ rendering of the almost-pilgrimage journey through the making of the ‘We Will Sing’ experience. Overall, it is an inspiring and epic adventure and space. Empty, yet filled. Many resonances.
The Making of ‘We will Sing’: https://www.wewillsingfilm.com/
David Hockney: 20 Flowers for 2025 and some bigger pictures:
All the usual, populist slogans fit the latest Hockney show: such as ‘a national treasure’, the UK’s most popular living artist’. His new show at the Salts Mill in Saltaire, which is his artistic Yorkshire home-base, is no exception. It’s bright, lively, makes many visitors feel good, smile, and cheers people up in these troubled and troubling times.
The entrance into the show is dominated by one of his striking videos, a gradually unfolding filmic montage. Hockney refers to his style as ‘photographic drawing.’ A bright, highly lit scene of a pond and farm building. Six segments of what transforms into a single image, but is projected in out of time sequence , gradually evolving in front of the viewers’ eyes. Apparently it is getting its first showing in Europe. He created it in 2021, with the title of, ‘Water Lillies in the Pond with pots of flowers’. I liked it. In fact, the whole show is full of playful fun. This is now the hallmark of late-period, David Hockney. It’s an artistic tonic. A lesson in positivity. One suspects that his creations, which I think he works on using an i-pad, are done quickly. There’s certainly a lot of exuberance and spontaneity. Here’s my little camera phone video of the creation:
https://www.facebook.com/591491513/videos/pcb.10163998167931514/681524101626281
A couple more images from the highly colourful exhibition. It’s not exactly cutting edge, or even remotely edgy, but it is enjoyable and easy on the eye.
And then there’s all the rest of Salts Mill to discover…
Spread across four floors, there’s a lot more of Hockney’s works to discover, many other exhibitions, shops with art materials, cafes, a home and kitchen show-room, works by other artists, even antiques and clothing… you can quite literally spend a couple of days there, and it’s free! And it is less than half an hour serviced by frequent buses from the massive Bradford Interchange Rail and Bus hub. Salts Mill: https://www.saltsmill.org.uk/
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