Saturday 11 Feb – Saturday 8 April
Quay Arts Centre, West Gallery, Newport // FREE
Supported by Arts Council England
An exhibition exploring the role of placemaking in Boojum&Snark’s cultural projects.
All our projects from Simply Galumphing Around to Sphere, have used the power of placemaking to release new energy, triggering renewed interest and vigour for Sandown. We hope that you enjoy the exhibition which chronicles three years of our story.
Boojum&Snark began life in 2019 as a regeneration project located in a long-standing empty High Street shop in Sandown. We wear many hats: a microbrewery, gallery, museum and events hub but right from the start we were determined to put creativity and culture at the heart of our project. To achieve this we applied to the Arts Council for project grants that have enabled us to nurture local creative practitioners and provide cultural opportunities for our community. All these projects incorporate the concept of placemaking as a way of unlocking a sense of pride, passion and wonder. This involves bringing activities, projects and experiences to Sandown to arouse curiosity and inspire interest and love for the town, delving into its hidden past and shining a light on everyday beauty. As a result, over the years we have discovered new perspectives and stories that have fused together to form a collective narrative celebrating Sandown. The community, creative practitioners, supporters, and participants have all helped to conjure a unique cultural content that weaves threads of Sandown’s past into the present. Whether it’s stimulating discussions about abandoned hotels or marvelling at the natural beauty of the Bay, it is Place that is at the heart of all these projects. Although small, these activities have loftier intentions — to build together a place where people are happy to work, live, visit and play
Just the Place has given us an opportunity to celebrate three years of creative projects and shine a spotlight on Sandown. Beginning with Boojum’s first 3D mixed media installation, Simply Galumphing Around by Teresa Grimaldi and Sarah Vardy. This installation features the side of a Sea View One Design boat (donated by Warren Boats). It has over the years been a talking point. The clever way that strands of Lewis Carroll’s poem, The Hunting of the Snark which he began whilst on holiday in Sandown, have been woven into elements of the town’s past and heritage, tend to spark conversation about the meaning of the poem, life and everything – a perfect example of placemaking in art.
SIMPLY GALUMPHING AROUND
Mixed media installation 2019
Teresa Grimaldi and Sarah Vardy
What do Snarks, Boojums, Sandown and happiness all have in common? They are the themes behind this fantastical art installation by Teresa Grimaldi and Sarah Vardy. The installation is inspired both by Lewis Carroll’s epic nonsense poem, The Hunting of the Snark, which he began writing in Sandown, and also Sandown’s history as a holiday destination filled with fun and hilarity.
“In many ways Simply Galumphing Around echoes the natural ebb and flow of Sandown’s fortunes from fashionable to fun to faded yet locked within all these transitions is a wealth of history, culture and embedded memories, anchor points that define a place.”
Weaving and layering old photographs, objects, illustrations, Teresa and Sarah have crafted a nonsense narrative featuring childhood memories, laughing competitions, galumphing, larking and wild abandon to illustrate our search and desire for happiness.
Web: vardygrimaldi.weebly.com Instagram @sarahvardyartist @teresagrimaldiartist
SPHERE // Quality Street Edit
Analogue uncanny photographs 2021
Sapphire Goss
Sapphire Goss explored the landscape of Sandown Bay through different strata of time: from the deep time of the night sky, and geological layers, to human history, to natural cycles of seasons, growth and decay. The images feature rhythm and repetition – through stereographic suspended movement or short zoetrope-style motion sequences – to play with time in different ways. This edit of images uses the colourful wrappers from Quality Street as filters, to impart another layer of nostalgia.
“I think I’m trying to tell stories about things I don’t have words for – the flickering at the edge of your senses, an indescribable feeling, the nebulous, the uncanny, things just out of reach, things you sense and feel and experience. If something makes me feel deeply, the hope is that others will connect with it too and the work will ripple out into new forms.”
Web: sapphiregoss.com Instagram: @sapphire_goss
B ZINE
Zine publishing 2022
Claire Speight Maggie Sawkins
The Zine project was our most ambitious to date. It revolved loosely around themes of space, place and headspace with an overall aim of stimulating expression and sharing different points of view. Guided by creative practitioners Claire Speight and Maggie Sawkins, participants were introduced to many processes from mono-printing to collage to spoken word. This required each person to simply place trust in the process and relinquish control. The onus was on encouraging adventure and staying curious, free from any expectation or pressure. Participants found new strengths, conjuring their world into shape through poetry and paint. These were bright sessions where all input was valued and curiosity ran rife.
“It’s vitally important to us that young people are empowered to have a voice within their community. The B Zine teen project gave local young people, aged 13-18 years an opportunity to learn an array of creative new skills and use these to articulate their ideas and thoughts.” Julian Wadsworth, Community Action IOW
“It was a really lovely experience. It made me think more about the place where I live and what I feel about it. I’d like to do more of these sorts of project.” Betty
Maggie Sawkins Email: magpieisle@gmail.com Instagram: @hourican53
Claire Speight Instagram: @theinkycrabpress
FOIBLE & FOLLY
Mixed media articulated dolls 2021
Lauren Fry
Lauren Fry was given the herculean task of trawling through the Victorian Isle of Wight newspaper archive to tease out stories and fragments of Sandown history that combine to illustrate the make-up of a place. The result was Foible & Folly, three large articulated paper dolls featuring a spiteful donkey, a rogue sailor and a couple of pinched pigeons!
“When I started looking through the British Newspaper Archives I wasn’t interested in celebrity visitors or Royals gracing the town with their presence. I wanted to find stories about people that were the fabric of Sandown and understand a little about their daily experiences. Each story that made the cut contained something I couldn’t get out of my mind, the anthropomorphic form of a sailor from HMS Minotaur, a donkey attributed with the human trait of being spiteful and where did the man who stole two pigeons and rabbit actually hide them? For George Reid and John Lowe these could have been the worst moments of their lives and I commemorate them despite of, or because of these moments.”
In order to get the community involved Lauren utilised online sources and pre-prepared activity packs, managing to gain some great community input including words of wisdom inspired by the often zany Things Thoughtful quotes published in the Isle of Wight Times as well as working with young people to make thaumatropes, popular victorian optical toys used to animate the scenes. Lauren also collaborated with spoken word poet Tim Martin, aka King Stammers @kingstammers to produce a series of Haikus.
Web: studiowren.co.uk Instagram: @studio_wren
NO VACANCIES
Photography // Leica M6 Film Kodak Portra 2022
By Enzo
There has been much debate about the spectacle of derelict hotels in Sandown. In No Vacancies, Enzo Speight, has taken a series of serene and haunting photographs of these buildings at dawn.
“I have been capturing architectural features of buildings in Sandown, so when Boojum&Snark offered me a commission around this topic it was the perfect opportunity to explore more. The images were taken at first light, around 5.30 am in August 2022 which is peak tourist season. In many ways morning is a time of hope and new beginnings. The light from sunrise can be extraordinary and for a moment these neglected buildings come alive bathed in golden hues. It’s an intriguing resurrection but an underlying theme is a question, what’s your purpose when you no longer fulfill a role?” says Enzo.
On casual first viewing of Enzo’s large landscape of the Ocean Hotel you are struck by the imposing nature of this majestic white building, it’s only on closer inspection that you begin to see the fire damage and decay.
The Ocean Hotel is perhaps the poster girl for the current blight and was even squatted in spring 21 by The Nutters Productions, Historical Preservation Society Branch who tried to bring attention to the significance of the building both historically, architecturally and culturally. It’s a well-known fact that Charles Darwin began the Origin of Species whilst staying at the King’s Head, part of the hotel site, and that Lewis Carroll, along with many other celebrities, visited the hotel. Now the hotel is an empty facade, with perhaps no further role to play in the town’s future.
Another thought-provoking image is of The Grand Hotel which was built in 1938 in the art deco style and holds a prominent position at Yaverland overlooking the bay. The hotel contains panels from Cunard’s RMS Aquitania which was deemed so attractive she earned the nickname ‘the Ship Beautiful’. There are obvious parallels, as The Grand was one of the most attractive hotels on the Island, the ship was scrapped many years ago whilst the hotel is presently on the proverbial scrap heap. Enzo’s image of the Grand shows the hotel covered in scaffolding and bathed in the warm tones of first light. The scaffolding and fences could be suggestive of prison and an uncertain fate or alternatively a new beginning as currently the owner plans to restore the building.
“I have recently returned to the Island after graduating. Shooting these images has provided me with time to reflect on the nature of beauty, function, purpose and transition,” says Enzo
“Boojum&Snark commissioned No Vacancies as the collection offers a different perspective on abandonment and dereliction. They merit contemplation. The hotels can appear like spectres or as cautionary tales. They can remind us that all things come to pass and that life sometimes is about the survival of the fittest. Enzo’s approach is both sensitive and provocative and will undoubtedly stimulate more conversations about their future,” says Tracy Mikich co-founder of Boojum&Snark
Instagram: @sp8zo
THIS TIME: THIS PLACE
Acrylic, acetate wall hangings 2023
Kathy Williams
This Time: This Place originally was a window installation at Boojum&Snark to celebrate the coming new year and draw attention to life’s limitless possibilities. Kathy Williams takes elements of emotions and activities to create gestures of movement and colour. Each mark has its own space, yet is linked to the whole. The pieces could be assembled in many different ways but for now, they come together like this.
“We balance the positives with the unsures, togetherness with isolation and know that elements are often fleeting but come together at different times to re-group, re-assemble, re-align and change shape as we all move on.”
Kathy’s installation caused quite a splash, inspiring debate on abstract art and conversation about Sandown. Read On The Wight’s article here
Instagram: @kathywilliamspainting
SPLICE
Animation // film 2021
Teresa Grimaldi
Splice is a visual poem to Sandown where pumas walked along the beach, laughing competitions were held on the pier and spirits conjured into seafoam. Teresa Grimaldi is a storyteller at heart and describes the film as a moving collage.
“In Splice, I have collected multi-layered imagery of the town’s geology, people and places and presented it in a way that creates a modern mythology – a place where Lewis Carroll meets Bagpuss, where big cats and refugees are welcomed and parts of cloud crumble down to be washed along the sea edge. In the end it’s perhaps memories that are our most valuable gift.”
Web: teresagrimaldi.cargo.site Instagram: @teresagrimaldiartist
THE HUNTING OF THE QUARK
Painting // 2010
Garry Whitehead
Originally Boojum&Snark began life in 2010 as a 12-month artist residency project. Several creative practitioners were invited to respond to The Hunting of the Snark and imagine the impossible for a collective show. Garry Whitehead’s diptych, The Hunting of the Quark, is one of the original artworks exhibited. Since 2019 it has been a much-loved feature and talking point at Boojum&Snark.
“The painting is a mashup on the idea of portals and time travel. Tweedle Dee is hunting the Snark, scientists celebrate finding the God particle at CERN (supposedly), time and space travel from 60’s TV Time Tunnel and Star Trek, Copernicus’ map of a new concept of our place in the greater realm and a background image from the album Quark, Strangeness and Charm by Hawkwind. Painted over a decade ago the Mandela effect may have changed its meaning.”
Email: garry.whitehead@gmail.com
BOOJUM&SNARK IDENTITY 2019
Lindsay Robertson Tracy Mikich
Boojum&Snark draws inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem, The Hunting of the Snark, which he began whilst on holiday in Sandown. In deference to nonsense, the identity is influenced by dadaist and surrealist typography. The name of each character in the original poem starts with the letter ‘B’ (Bellman, Banker, Beaver etc) and the name of each typeface character in the identity also begins with the letter ‘B’ (Bembo, Berlin, Book Antiqua etc). The ‘BS’ initials form an abbreviated version of the logo. The poem details the madcap search for a Snark only to find a Boojum which is reflected in the configuration of the ‘BS’ icon – a delicious connotation. In addition another word for BS is nonsense.
Web: wordsandstuff.co.uk
THANK YOU AND YOU AND YOU
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been a part of our story. The wonderful participants who have said yes to new adventures and the creative practitioners who have made these projects happen. To the Arts Council England for everything you do to allow people to flourish. To all our supporters and even our critics we appreciate you. We are all learning. Together we’re Inspiring Revival in Sandown, after all, Sandown is just the place for a Snark.
Join us on Saturday 25 March at the Quay Arts Centre // West Gallery between 2-4pm where you can meet some of the creative practitioners, drink beer and shake a leg.
* Just the place is the opening line of Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark
#LetsCreate #IrisManifesto #InspiredbySandown #CultureMatters
