Bath’s Victoria Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition featuring the celebrated Jurassic Coast as seen through the eyes of local landscape artist Jeremy Gardiner. He is well known for his unique portrayal of the British coastline.
The exhibition from 17 January to 1 March 2015 links two UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Jurassic Coast and Bath, with the aim of inspiring visitors to explore another World Heritage site just an hour’s drive away.
Gardiner, who lives in Bath, has borrowed real specimens of fossils from the area – ammonites, plesiosaurs, brittle stars and plant-like forms called crinoids – all of which occur in his artwork. Also included is an accurate 3D map displaying the locations of the pictures.
Jeremy sees the coast as the complex outcome of natural processes over vast periods of time. The pictures span 20 years and reflect a unique relationship with this rich and exceptional site, parts of which are protected by the National Trust.
He said: “For several decades I have been exploring the ancient history of the Jurassic Coast in Dorset and Devon, on long walks, boat rides and flights, forever seeking out new points of view for my landscape painting. Erosion by sea, weather and human activity has resulted in a huge variety of landforms; cliffs, beaches, landslides, arches and caves, providing an incredibly rich resource.”
Cllr Ben Stevens, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: “World Heritage status is so important to Bath and to our near neighbour, the Jurassic Coast in Dorset.
“Visitors to the Victoria Art Gallery exhibition will hopefully feel inspired to explore our ‘sister’ World Heritage site, as it is just an hour’s drive away, whilst discovering a highly-significant contemporary artist from our own World Heritage site in Bath.”
Jeremy Gardiner maps patterns of information into his pictures – taken from science, geomorphology, new technologies as well as physical engagement with the Dorset coast. In an attempt to emulate the effects of geological time, his working method involves scouring, building up layers of paint, collaging and sanding down. He penetrates the outer crust in order to explore underlying structures and history.
Also included in the six-week show are monoprints, their images suggesting a downward slice through the landscape, like the view of layers of time often found on the Jurassic Coast. The notion of a single view is something Gardiner seeks to dispel. Instead, he considers his prints to be like a musical score, composed of themes and variations.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION……..
The Jurassic Coast is a 95-mile long stretch of coastline running from Orcombe Point in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks in East Dorset. Its geology spans the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, 185 million years of earth’s history.
Jeremy Gardiner was awarded the prestigious Discerning Eye ING Purchase Prize in 2013, at the Mall Galleries, London. His book ‘The Art of Jeremy Gardiner: Unfolding Landscape’ launched a major survey of his work at Kings Place Gallery, London in 2013. Other recent solo exhibitions have taken place at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, Paisnel Gallery, London and ING, London Wall.
Gardiner’s work is held in numerous private and public collections including ING, BNP Paribas, Glaxo Smith Kline, Government Art Collection and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. He is a graduate of Newcastle University and the Royal College of Art, a former Harkness Fellow and Churchill Fellow.
A Page in the Book of Time, a short film by local award-winning filmmaker Jesse D Lawrence will be showing alongside the exhibition. In the film Gardiner talks about the brevity of time in geological terms and his lifelong relationship with Dorset.
