Bricoleurze

“Bricoleurze is an exhibition of new, commissioned work in collaboration with Annie Davey, presented at Space in Between and co-curated by Natasha Hoare. Taking the site of the gallery in Regent Studios, and the near surrounding area, as a starting point for this exhibition both artists sought to weave a narrative in to and around the area’s history as well as its recent state of change and gentrification, using a para-fictional strategy to explore architecture and the role of the designer or town planner.

Bricoleurze features video work, sculpture and drawings, as well as a performance by Matthew de Kersaint Giraudeau and a publication including texts by historian David Morris and curator Natasha Hoare. The publication acts as part archive and part bibliography - a physical manifestation of the conversations that have surrounded the creation and curation of the works on show.

Taking the fictional work of French novelist Georges Perec as a starting point Railton has applied this to the reality, or structure, of the Regent Studios building. For this the artist commissioned an architect to construct a series of formal drawings using the techniques – typeface, dimensions, materials and annotation – determined by training and convention. These drawings reference the movement of urbanization and gentrification, as well the Knight’s Tour – a 10x10 movement around a chess board - which is used as a narrative structure in Perec’s book, Life a User’s Manual.

A model of a Hackney pony – rearing on up on a baize coated table – faces the southern view of the gallery windows. Chevalier Haquenée, a maquette realised in wax and verdigris, alludes to the impositional gift of public sculpture offered to communities, whilst also acting as sundial within the gallery environment. The table itself echoes the moss-coated roof visible from the exhibition space.”

Chevalier Haquenée
1:9 scale proposal model 
Verdigris/Encaustic*, Hainsworth® Standard Holly Baize, Softwood, Far Eastern Plywood, Copper-coated Mild Steel.
*Copper Acetate, Damar Varnish, Beeswax.

A partial scale maquette has been made to mimic the recently-built apartment development situated directly South of the gallery window. The building’s grass-topped garage/refuse area is rendered in gaming-table baize, supporting a proposal for a Bronze Equine statue, cast in a solid verdigris paint. The Hackney is rendered at Breyer Traditional® scale, and maintains an impossible pose indefinitely.

Façade
1:100 Dyeline drawing: (Ink & pencil on improvised Double Elephant tracing paper).

A commissioned architect’s retrospective scale drawing of the Regent Studios building, showing the front elevation; an aspect now obscured by the surrounding developments.

Paysage Marin
Encaustic 8 x 9 heuristic solutions over 1:100 Dyeline drawing.
Limited edition, each unique.

A Knight’s Tour of the Regent Studios building, beginning at the Ground floor stairway and ending in the gallery space. Tracing one of several hundred possible routes plotted by an Engineer’s algorithm, the tour is hand-painted in encaustic taken directly from the adjacent statue’s haunch.

Elevation Drafting:
Marion McLaren, after London Industrial PLC, 1988.

Tour Guide:
Bobby Mason, Engineer, after Hamilton, W.R. and Warnsdorff, H.C.von.

Modelling:
Jo Brumby, Fenris Games, custom adaptation after Breyer Traditional®.

Moulding:
Irene Gunston & Drew Cole, RCA Foundry.

Paint Formulation:
Pip Seymour, David Cranswick, Sarah Bowker-Jones, Mike Lawton. Nicholas Walt & Ole Corneliossen at L.Cornelissen & Son Ltd. Alec Tiranti Ltd, The House of Crafts Ltd.