Brighton

Whilst visiting Brighton over the weekend, I saw several interesting exhibitions. The first was at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery and featured Women Artists from the Fine Art Collection. It was an eclectic mix but of main interest was a small display of prints and drawings by Gertrude Hermes. I have seen examples of her work before but never original pieces. Born in Kent in 1901, her father was German and she spent several years studying in Germany and taught herself to wood engrave. I certainly think the influence of German Expressionism is evident.

The second show I saw that impressed me was 'Jan Svankmajer - The Inner Life of Objects' at the University of Brighton Gallery and was part of the Brighton Film Festival. The gallery were showing clips from several of his best known films such as 'Alice', 'Little Otik' and 'Punch and Judy'. Props, sets and puppets from these films were on display. Also there was 'Historia Naturae' - weird and wonderful creatures created from skulls, bones and shells, as well as doll parts.

 Along side these were coloured etchings, which on first glance looked like traditional natural history illustrations until you see that they are complete figments of Svankmajer's imagination.

Shufflebotham's Stores

The new coffee shop that has opened on the corner of Alcester Road and Woodbridge Road, Cafephilia, has a large photographic reproduction along one wall. It shows Shufflebotham's Stores which used to occupy the same premises. It's perhaps one of the best historic photos that I have seen of old Moseley. It shows the grocery and provision store extended well into Woodbridge Road.

Mr Shufflebotham was obviously proud of his fleet of delivery vehicles, which are parked up outside the store to be included in the photo. There are even two grocer's boys on their bikes complete with wicker baskets on the front. There is one curious vehicle which appears to have a model house on the back which must have been used as a mobile advert. I was sad to see that a lovely cupola atop the building had been lost at some point - perhaps during the war? I know that a house only a few yards up the road was destroyed in a bombing raid probably due to it's vicinity to the railway line.

Portable Museums

This is a possible way of curating my work. It would also serve as a way of encouraging feedback and participation from a range of audiences. Moseley Society Local History group is currently running a project called 'What Moseley Means To Me', they are trying to gather reminiscences from local people of all ages. They hope to collect photos and objects with accompanying captions.  A portable museum could be taken to schools, care homes and displayed in shops and pubs. People could add their own memories, stories and even objects.

Images above show work by Ron Pippin, Joseph Cornell and Marcel Duchamp. Below is a project by artist Joanne B Karr and Joanne Howdle, curator of Caithness Horizons Museum. It is inspired by the life and work of 19th century amateur botanist Robert Dick.

Moseley History Archive

The Moseley Society Local History Group holds an archive at The Exchange in Alcester Road. There is a large collection of photos and I have recorded those that were taken within my area of interested - Alcester Road, Chantry Road, Moseley Park, Salisbury Road, St. Mary's Row, Church Road, Oxford Road and Woodbridge Road.

As well as a large collection of maps, the archive also contains material from individual houses which give clues to the more day to day lives of their occupants. During the 1920/30s the Cookes of 110 Oxford Road kept invoices for household items, clothing, building work and even doctors' bills.

Items left behind when people have moved house have been passed on to the archives for safe keeping, such as a set of family photos of a military family from 36 Salisbury Road.