It feels like an ExLab day today!
Overlay by Mat Chivers, photo by Andy Whale
This weekend sees Mat Chivers show opening at the Millenium Gallery in St. Ives. As well as being Producer for ExLab, I also supported Mat as his Commission Manager, which was a pleasure to do. Mat hails from a sculpture background and is as comfortable with stone carving as he is with exploring contemporary processes, such as rapid prototype imaging.
Mat’s commission was supported by the Purbeck National Trust team, as part of the wider, UK programme of National Trust contemporary art – Trust New Art.
We want to create unforgettable experiences for our visitors to National Trust places. We will only support art projects that enhance the our places and the stories that are found there. We are prepared to challenge people and their expectations – and we want to know what you think.
There’s a video about New Trust Art here and they also commissioned one specifically about Mat’s work, Overlay, in Purbeck, which you can watch here.
The outcome was Overlay – a film made from a boat just off the coast of Purbeck, looking back towards the cliffs that were fractured when tectonic plates collided millions of years ago.
What’s unique about these projects are the people you meet and the audiences that see the work. We worked alongside National Trust, earth scientists from the Jurassic Coast WHO, a tenant farmer who allowed us to use Spyway Barn, a boat-trip company Poole Sea Safari, local contractors and Trust volunteers.
And the audiences? I wish I had some photos – people in wetsuits on their way to and from the cliff path. Dog walkers, ramblers, school groups doing orienteering, rock climbers, kayakers, a fantastic mix of people who are unlikely be popping into the Tate!
Carolyn Black 