284. WORKSHOP THEATRE by CAROL WILHIDE JUSTIN

 INSPIRED BY...

  is an exhibition at Morley College,  open until June19th.

Morley is 5 minutes walk from The Old Vic theatre and a mere 10-12 minutes down Westminster Bridge Road from Big Ben itself.

The artist is Workshop Leader at the Angel Theatre in Islington, who has been inspired to  transform a space for creating theatre (her workplace) into its own performance space. In other words, backstage is brought out to the front. The challenge is both to  capture fleeting creative processes as they fly past, and then shape them in such a way that they can be appreciated and enjoyed by a wider public. What we see is a collage of drawings, photographs and prints, using photolithography (which, I am told on good authority, is an exacting process). The result is cut and slotted into a beautiful, airy three dimensional work, fragile yet  bustling with energy; light and strong; chaotic yet already shaped into drama.


The artist writes "The workshop at The Little Angel Theatre is one of my favourite places; totally organic and chaotic with puppets in all the stages of being made...very creative when full of people, mysterious and magical at night and first thing in the morning when empty". 

Carol's work was inspired by this exquisite model of a theatre, made in 1911 by J.H.Holyman and restored by Alan Bishop, which is now housed at the V & A. It's made of painted wood, paper and string - and includes the trap doors.

Inspired by... is the title of an exhibition hosted by Morley College and organised in partnership with the V & A (Victoria and Albert Museum) and NIACE (National Centre for Adult Continuing Education). It celebrates work from across the UK, from London to Penzance, Aberystwyth and Edinburgh.

P.S. For the less gifted among us it might be worth checking out Pollock's model Toy Theatres in their Toy Museum and Shop at Covent Garden. Climb up the stairs and you will find a warren of treasures from  past and present, including  'ready mades', card and paper models which can be assembled at home.

uk.linkedin.com/pub/carol-justin/27/b84/540
www.morleycollege.ac.uk/morley_gallery
www.vam.ac.uk/page/c/current-exhibitions/
www.pollockstoymuseum.com/