Contemporary Arts in Bristol

My second visit to Bristol was on a decidedly damp Saturday afternoon, so we were looking for places to spend some time inside. Having walked down the steep slope of Park Street and not being in any hurry to go back up, I suggested that the Arnolfini arts centre might not be too much further to walk. Situated on Bristol's Harbourside, it is easily reached by walking along the quayside from The Centre. From the south you can get there by crossing the swing bridge on Prince Street. Admission is free, so it is definitely worth a visit if you are interested in the arts.

The Arnolfini has no permanent collection of artworks, so exhibitions change from time to time. At the time of my visit there was a display described as an 'interactive shopping experience' entitled 'Far West'. Although not exactly my cup of tea, there was a degree of variety and an opportunity for visitors to participate in certain sections of the show – a particularly good idea during the school holidays. On the ground floor, for example, visitors could create paper fruits from templates; these could then be purchased or exchanged for a real piece of fruit. The paper fruits were exhibited in a stall similar to the way they would be in a market. In the same gallery, a number of unfinished paintings by artist Lui Ding are on sale at a price of £100 each; the idea was to complete the painting at home in whatever way you wished. Most of them featured trees or parts of a landscape. I'm afraid we didn't buy one, but it's a fascinating concept.

One of the busiest and apparently most popular areas of the exhibition was Yoko Ono's 'Mend Piece – for Merry England' on the first floor. Donations of unwanted or broken crockery are handed in by visitors, who are then invited to create a new item or miniature work of art from the fragments that are available. A gift is offered in exchange, although I'm afraid I don't know what this would be. The creations made by visitors are put on display and are worth taking a close look at: there are the purely abstract pieces amidst attempts at creating fish, faces, bodies, all sorts. In the same gallery, we admired Philippe Parreno and Pierre Huyghe's 'Skin of Light', a neon depiction of AnnLee, a character originally created by Japanese Manga illustrators.

The Arnolfini spans three floors and has a series of small but well-lit galleries whose walls are normally painted white. (Some of them are currently covered in a garish blue wallpaper featuring over-sized bunches of flowers as part of the 'Far West' display.) The ground floor also houses a shop offering a good selection of art books (including exhibition catalogues), greetings cards and postcards, as well as a selection of artists' prints and limited editions. The shop is open until 6pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, until 8pm Thursday to Sunday. There is a cafe bar which we did not visit; on fine days you can sit outside and have lunch (salad and pasta) or a drink and something light to eat, but it wasn't the weather for that on the occasion I was there. Fairtrade tea, coffee and hot chocolate are served along with organic produce. The cafe is open from 10am until 11pm Tuesday to Saturday, and until 10.30pm on Sundays.

On the top floor of the Arnolfini you will find a reading room with back catalogues and a wide selection of art magazines as well as books. We even noticed a copy of the 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' DVD which you could watch on a computer, so if it's pouring down and your children are on holiday, you could kill a little time here.

On Saturday 16th August 2008, the Saturday following my visit, the periodic 'Mash Up', a family-friendly event with workshops, activities and storytelling was due to take place. I'm not sure how often this 'Mash Up' occurs, but details can be found on Arnolfini's website.

Exhibition tours take place every Saturday at 2pm, and are led by an artist. Booking is not necessary; you just turn up at the information desk.

Events at Arnolfini are by no means confined to the visual arts. There is a theatre/cinema on the premises, and details of film showings and theatrical performances can be found at Arnolfini's website. The Bristol Poetry Festival is an annual event taking place in September with readings by contemporary poets such as Simon Armitage, and a poetry slam between Liverpool and Bristol. This type of event, however, is not always free; check the Arnolfini website for ticket prices.

The upper floors of the Arnolfini can be reached by either stairs or a lift, and there seemed to be quite a few people wheeling buggies around on the top floor. Toilets are available on the top floor as well as adjacent to the cafe on the ground floor, where there are also baby-changing facilities.

Considered as one of Europe's leading centres for the contemporary arts, the Arnolfini is worthy of a visit by anyone interested in visual art, film, poetry, or dance. It is, however, closed on Mondays, except for Bank Holidays. You can sign up at Arnolfini's website for their newsletter to be sent to you by either email or post; since events and displays are only temporary, this will enable you to plan a visit to suit your particular interests.

Arnolfini

16 Narrow Quay

Bristol

BS1 4QA

www.arnolfini.org.uk

Tel. 0117 9172300/01

Email: boxoffice@arnolfini.org.uk

A gem of an art gallery

Housing one of the finest collections of modern British art outside of London, Pallant House Gallery is situated in Chichester, close to the cathedral and main shopping centre. Coming myself from a larger city in which I am sure it would be difficult to see the work of a major artist, I was quite astounded to find the Pallant Gallery tucked away in a little side street, yet boasting the ownership of works by Richard Hamilton, Peter Blake, Patrick Caulfield, Eduardo Paolozzi and Frank Auerbach amongst others.

This is a gem of a gallery, and it is no surprise that it was awarded the Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year in 2007. At the time of my visit the gallery was holding a temporary exhibition centring around Colin St John Wilson, a collector and architect, and another entitled The Artist at Work: William Coldstream and Michael Andrews. The connection between the two is that Colin St John Wilson wrote a book based on his experiences of sitting for a portrait by both Coldstream and Andrews. Wilson, who died in May 2007, was essentially an architect, and it was fascinating to see his plans and model for the first phase of the British Library, a building that I have not yet visited but certainly wish to, having seen this exhibition. One large photograph of the interior of the library could be seen from two rooms away through two open doorways; I must have toured a good few art galleries in my life, but I have never seen anything quite so cleverly thought out as this. Equally striking were sketches and a colour photograph of a library that Wilson designed for a primary school in memory of his father. Its design is based on that of a mausoleum, and whilst this may sound somewhat morbid, what first caught my eye were the vivid primary colours used in the interior which made me feel that it must be a pleasure to spend time in this library, especially for young children.

I particularly liked the feel of the gallery in terms of its small scale that gave an intimacy with the works of art. The individual rooms have quite low ceilings, and several of them are no bigger than the rooms of a house. There were quite a few visitors, yet I never had to wait long to be able to stand right in front of a particular work and enjoy the details of it without being jostled by other viewers. In one room there was even a small window, allowing not only a view on the outside world but also the opportunity to see a piece of sculpture and a painting with the natural light of day falling upon them, as you might if you owned them yourself. It was also fascinating to see sketches, plans and preliminary drawings alongside finished works of art, a feature that is usually missing from grander galleries such as the Tate.

The modern art is displayed on Level 2, but from Level 1 there is access to the Historic Collections in the older part of the building. Somehow an Andy Goldsworthy sculpture has found its way into one of the fireplaces here, so you never know quite what to expect. Those who prefer traditional art to contemporary sculpture and painting will feel more at home in this part of the gallery.

Tours of the gallery are offered, and one was in fact in progress as we entered Room 10 that Saturday afternoon. This room focusses mainly on Pop Art by artists such as Peter Blake (designer of the sleeve for the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album) and Richard Hamilton. I have never been a fan of guided tours, and I was a little dismayed to hear the guide refer to Mick Jagger as 'one of the Beatles', but I'm sure this was a slip of the tongue and that she genuinely knows her stuff! There is no extra cost for guided tours, and they take place on Thursdays at 6pm and on Saturdays at 3pm. On the final Saturday of each month, a British Sign Language Interpreter accompanies the tour. There are also occasional tours of temporary exhibitions on weekdays; there is an extra charge for these, ranging from £4 to £6 (with a discount for students), but either morning coffee, afternoon tea or a glass of wine in the case of an evening tour are included in the price.

Talks take place on Thursday evenings at a cost of £7 (half price for students) which includes a glass of wine. These are given by distinguished speakers such as art historian and author William Feaver and M J Long, partner and wife of Colin St John Wilson. There is also a talk by a gallery guide at 11am on the last Wednesday of the month on an individual work of art; attendance for this is free once you have a ticket for the gallery. A workshop follows the Wednesday morning talk, during which participants are encourage to 'respond creatively to works under guidance from an experienced arts educator'. ( A quote from the gallery's leaflet.) It costs £6 to take part in each workshop and you have to bring your own art materials.

Another opportunity to develop your artistic skills if you already have some experience is offered on some (but not all) Sunday afternoons in the Art Masterclass starting at either 1pm or 2pm and running until 4pm. These classes are given by artists experienced in various fields such as printmaking, life drawing, experimental drawing, watercolour or acrylic painting. Such classes must be booked well in advance. The current fee is £9, and there may be an additional charge for materials and, in the case of life drawing, for the model. You do, however, need to bring your own basic materials.

Children are not ignored by the gallery, although I didn't see signs of any during my visit that Saturday afternoon. Workshops for children can be booked in advance for Saturday mornings from 10am until 12noon; the cost is £6 per child (next to nothing compared to costs for private tuition). Each workshop is aimed at a particular age group, for instance 5-8 year olds, 9-12 year olds or 13-16 year olds, so you need to check on suitability for your child when you book. Themes range from flowers and pods for the youngest age group through forms in nature or a miniature art gallery for 9-12s to buildings in mixed media or drawing the gallery itself for the teenagers. Pallant House does offer some free workshops led by artists during school holiday periods for children between 5 and 16; each lasts for two hours. There is no need to book in advance for these workshops, but places are limited so it is advisable to attend early for a 10am start or 1pm for the afternoon session.

The bookshop, on your immediate left as you enter the gallery, has an excellent stock of art books, prints, greetings cards, postcards and one or two art materials as well as a small number of books on the local area. Also on the ground floor is the Pallant Restaurant.

The admission fee for Pallant House Gallery is a fairly hefty £6.50, but this does cover any special exhibitions in addition to the permanent collection. You can, however, enter for half price all day Tuesday or on Thursday evenings between 5 and 8 pm. There are discounts for children, students and Art Fund members, whilst the unemployed do not have to pay. A family ticket costs £15 for two adults and up to four children.

The gallery is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am until 5pm, with an extension on Thursday until 8pm; Sunday and Bank Holiday opening hours are from 12.30pm to 5pm. Pallant House is closed on Mondays. The main collection and exhibitions are displayed in the upper levels, but there is a lift as well as stairs.

I would encourage anyone with an interest in art who is either visiting the area or who lives near enough to make a day trip to Chichester to visit Pallant House Gallery. It is only about half a mile from the railway station, and even closer to the bus station, for those like myself travelling by public transport. Parking is available on South Pallant just a few yards away.