On the road with Souvenirs from the British Isles
An exhibition by artist and practice-led PhD alumna Dr Louise Atkinson has recently opened at the Outpost Gallery in Portland, Dorset.
Louise’s work is on show alongside that of Christian Edwardes under the exhibition title Souvenirs: Migratory Objects.
Atkinson and Edwardes explore the souvenir — that beloved pocket money treasure, traveller of kitch and memento of a unique encounter that can never be revisited in its ‘original’ sense.
Louise Atkinson’s collection of forty-eight iconic sculptural ‘souvenirs’ represent cities in England. Vibrant and colourful creations inspired by heraldic imagery, cultural landmarks, mythology, and historical and contemporary figures from the respective regions.
Her work is the culmination of her practice-based PhD research into the relationship between art and ethnography, Souvenirs from the British Isles. It was originally exhibited in Project Space in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, University of Leeds, in December 2016.
Louise’s collection was also recently shown as the inaugural exhibition at the Studio Morland gallery in the Eden Valley from 3 June to 8 July 2017.
Louise said of her current exhibition in Dorset:
“Unlike the previous exhibitions where each object was displayed separately akin to a museum cabinet, here objects are huddled together in groups on top of tall plinths. As the gallery looks out onto a busy thoroughfare, the consumerist influences also become more prevalent, as passers by stop to look through the window at the objects on display.
Souvenirs from the British Isles, Louise Atkinson“I hope to show the objects in further cities across the UK to continue collecting responses to the work and discussing the ways in which cultural heritage is determined.”
Souvenirs: Migratory Objects runs at the Outpost Gallery, Portland from 15 July to 5 August.
For more information about Souvenirs from the British Isles, or to discuss exhibiting the work, please contact Louise at sianlouisegriffiths@gmail.com
