Tuesday 19 June 2012

Apple Tart

It is exciting to discover that the holographic gene may be hereditary. My old friend Martin Richardson's daughter Lizzie has begun to incorporate holography into her own art practice, which also includes performance and darkroom activities. Earlier this year I went to see a show at South London's Vibe Gallery which included a small sculptural piece of hers, incorporating a Denisyuk hologram, and today I went to Central Saint Martin's immense new building at King's Cross to see her degree show work.






Lizzie, AKA Apple Tart, her nom de burlesque, has created an installation called 'Holographic Cabaret: The Late Night Shop' with the atmosphere of a small carnival sideshow which you enter through velvet curtains under a sign announcing STAGE DOOR. Inside are four full colour digital holograms facing each other across the confined interior space, her fellow cabaret performers engaging with each other and the spectators from within their virtual  domains. I thought it a very effective use of holography in an unusual context and, while Apple Tart is a rare example of someone who had grown up surrounded by holograms for her entire life, her decision to use the medium herself makes perfect sense. A distinct strand of her father Martin's work with pulse lasers always had the feel of performance about it so , whether or not his daughter is consciously following in his footsteps, I can see a kind of theatrical dynasty emerging here.



Apple Tart also appears in a video work by her fellow student, Piotr Krzymowski  which, though not usually a fan of video, I found mesmerising. She kindly gave me a guided tour of her fellow students' work, pointing out some of her more interesting contemporaries. As both performer and visual artist I look forward to seeing more of the multi-talented Apple Tart.

Thursday 14 June 2012

Jeffrey Robb - Liminal State


In 1993, while Jeffrey Robb was still a student at the Royal College of Art in London, I put on an exhibition of his holographic work at Smith's Gallery in Covent Garden. Entitled "Landscapes & Metamorphoses" it exposed two strands of his work, the painterly landscape images which took the form of white light transmission holograms, and the 'metamorphoses' which used computer software to transform photographic images into reflection stereograms.
Some of his work from that period is in my collection.







Nearly 20 years later, after a prolonged stint in commercial holography, Jeff has returned to his art career and is exhibiting lenticular works internationally. Check out his website here

His new show at Hayhill Gallery in London's Cork Street, at the epicentre of the art trade, displays some of the finest lenticular images I have ever seen. Once a medium I somewhat looked down on, lenticular imaging has developed almost beyond recognition from the winky postcards of my youth into something that fits perfectly into contemporary art at the highest level. I am so pleased to see Jeff back where he belongs and at the top of his game.


If you are able to see the exhibition in person, don't miss the opportunity but, in any case, do take a look at the website. Both nudes and abstract works are superb!

PS Members of the prestigious Ivy Club in London's West End, can now enjoy a selection of Jeff's latest work on the walls of their 4th floor bar.  Jeff gave a talk and 3D slide show there last night and I got to interview him about his life  and work in holography and 3D.