Famous for being the oldest surviving public library in the English speaking world, Chetham’s is a thrilling place to visit at any time. But starting from Monday 16 October, there’s more to enjoy thanks to a site-specific installation of artworks by Brass Art collective. Artworks are hidden among the books and secret spaces of the labyrinthine library and reading rooms and the installation has come about via the artists creative responses to the notes and drawings of Elizabethan alchemist John Dee. Themes of alchemy and transformation are explored through artworks such as sculptural hands supporting objects, fabrics and prints, colourful forms in illuminated glass and hand-made ‘alchemical vessels’ reproduced from historical images. Glass is a recurring theme and the show takes in all manner of media, including sculpture, film and sound. Brass Art are Chara Lewis, Kristin Mojsiewicz and Anneke Pettican, a group of artists who have worked together since 1999 and have exhibited widely throughout Europe, the USA and Australia. Their trademark, if you like, is combining old and new media using both optical illusion and cutting edge technology.
Mon 16 Oct – Fri 8 Dec, Chetham’s Library, Long Millgate, Manchester M3 1SB. Mon-Fri: 10am-12.30pm & 1.30-4.30pm www.chethams.org.uk
- Words:
- John Stansfield
- Published on:
- Sun 3 Dec 2017
