A Construct of Time
A site-specific exhibition at The Ancient House Gallery, Ipswich. Curated by Steve Joyce.
28th June to 12th July, 2003

This exhibition uncovers aspects that are a construct of time in a particular place. It aims to reveal hidden characteristics or processes, like the nature of materials, or the imposition of order and the intervention of change. It also explores the relationships between places and people, as time and space interweave in a memory re-inventing itself over the years.

The artists become yet another construct of time as they develop their site-specific artwork in response to the place, the history, the architecture or the presence of the Ancient House. Site-specific artwork, whether approached intuitively or conceptually, means that the artists have to identify with some aspect of the place that allows them to work personally, but it also means they have to give up something, so that the work emerges from the place, rather than being imposed on it.

Steve Joyce reveals connections between time and place, as he questions the meaning of a building as a monument. Buildings, books and monuments suggest permanence, but what fleeting moments might have escaped notice, and who defines what is significant and why? This artistís concern is to find connections, or propose alternative histories. In this way his work offers new perceptions about the land, habitation and people.

Chris Summerfield investigates the growth of architectural diversity in the area, as it organically developed through history. The key aspect is the incongruent presence of buildings and spaces existing outside their own times to create a vibrant present. The organic and man-made processes of structure in the architectural environment echoes his interest in 'natural' and 'manufactured' forms.

Margaret Wyllie explores the history of the house in terms of the occupancy, and the diverse livelihoods of those who through the centuries shaped it into its present form.

Emma Reynolds integrates the history of the ancient house with a parallel personal history of growth, adaptation and change of her own. She creates metaphors from these histories conveyed through the metamorphic cocoons created by the ever-present insect inhabitants.

--Steve Joyce, Curator
May 2003