Traveling up to Norwich for an interview was not what I expected to be doing in late March, but circumstances dictated that I had to go. As I woke up early and found it difficult to get back to sleep. I realised that I would get cheap rate on the
QE2 bridge for this time in the morning, so I was on the road at 5.30am. The toll was free and the radio played all the way through the tunnel. No hold ups, so it was turn right at the M11 and then straight on till morning.
It was a little strange seeing the dawn break across the flat lands of the East Anglia. I have never been a great fan of Constable or Gainsborough who lived and worked in this part of the England. I wrote previous of Peter
Greenaway's film, Drowning by Numbers and how it used the painterly qualities to emphasise the film's visual look. There was something eerie as you cross the long stretch from the
Duxford junction across there flat country. As you go through
Breckland Forest, it is only by having heard a radio programme about the work in the 1930's that you realise this is a transplanted forest and to give people work. The name, King's Warren is also significant as it points to a time, when rabbits were a prized animal as it was imported into the country in Medieval times. Now they watch by the wayside as the cars rush by.
After the afternoon interview, I discovered that
Sainsbury Visual Arts Centre in the University of East Anglia have a late evening opening on Wednesday. So I was able to go unhampered with having to drag truculent children round. It proved a little tricky to find wandering through the student campus. It had an ubiquitous Henry Moore outside.
The centre was also unusual in that it had lots of space up to the roof; giving it an airport feel. It reminded me of the engine gallery in the Tate Modern, but where that was cold harsh and industrial. This space was cool and warm, being placed on the outside of the campus with the countryside on three sides and on a slight hill, so you got a good view across the tree tops. The sun was starting to faded and the sky was that bleached blue that was drifting into night.
The gallery had various layers with the permanent collection to one side, the reserve collection below and the temporary exhibition is to the side and below as well. The collection is based around the collectors, Robert and Lisa
Sainsbury who collected modern art from the 1930s through to the 1960s as well as ethnic items from across the global. There was some interesting pieces of ceramics.
The pieces of sculpture and ceramics were in display cases and as they were given a lot of space, whereas in the past, a lot of ethnic displays crammed so much together in a jumble. This creates something different with being placed in a case, the image below shows some small pieces, offering statues for devotees. Each piece might be from a different date and a area, but here they are related inside a box. You as the viewer can not help but link pieces together in some form.
The juxtaposition of some pieces create some interesting elements. I could not resist the Henry Moore's drawing and the mask that were placed in close proximity. The Moore drawing was interesting as it had some unusual techniques and looks like the Leonardo in the National Gallery as looking at it again as I type, a red Greek vase with the strong
reddy orange background.
I found myself wandering around the exhibits and did not have time for the temporary exhibition called China China China. The piece that did dominate was a large globe made up of lights that lit the surrounding area and could be seen from the main entrance and rest of the collection. One of the strongest images I have of the place with this round circle in a rectangle.
Definitely worth another visit and look forward to going again.
