Venturing out into
The IKON Gallery is now a picture of health (and safety) reports GRAHAM YOUNG
FIVE months after closing its doors in March, Birmingham’s IKON Gallery is back in business with a new routine. Staff have been equipped with masks and visors, as well as a protective Perspex shield at the main entrance.
If only the Brindleyplace gallery had a cinema-style display outside then its lettering could have been rearranged from IKON to... IN OK
Plenty of other changes have been made though. They include the removal from the foyer of flyers and pamphlets for current and future programmes. Everything is on a digital screen now.
The idea is to minimise the impact of people touching things and putting them back. But if you do touch anything by accident or design, there are lots of hand sanitiser points, too. The first person through the door on opening day was Libby Flenley, from Aldridge. Newly qualified as a social worker, Libby is keen to follow in the footsteps of her brilliant Walsall watercolour artist mother, Debbie Flenley.
Libby told us: “I’ve really missed having a bit of a creative kick, after looking at the same four walls every day.’’
Visitors are now advised to book online in advance to secure a slot and help staff anticipate demand. There’s even a QR code on a poster outside to help you to do just that.
But IKON director Jonathan Watkins promised that if someone stumbled across the gallery, having forgotten their phone, they could still register at reception.
Jonathan said: “Covid has made us question everything and to be more philosophical and that is exactly what our current two exhibitions do as well.” The exhibitions, by Judy Watson and John Newling, have been held over from their February opening and end on Sunday. The gallery will then close again for the installation of new exhibitions, reopening with its autumn programme on September 17.
Exhibitions that should have been staged this summer are being reprogrammed for the same period in 2021. They include a retrospective of the 1990s, which will help to revisit what IKON has stood for over the years. Other changes at the Ikon include the lift, which is now only for people who have to use it, such as the disabled or a mum with a pram.
Otherwise, the way in is to walk up the ‘glass’ stairs to access exhibitions on the first and second floor. To return back down, visitors then take the ‘wooden’ staircase.
Back at ground level, the way out is via the back door, though you can return to the book and gift shop or use the loos.
The in-house Yorks Cafe is also open again and for the rest of the summer at least guests will be encouraged to make the most of the sun trap terrace. The Ikon Gallery was founded by artists in 1964 and opened inside a kiosk in the then brand new Bull Ring Shopping Centre in 1965.
The gallery became director-led and the first person to enjoy that role, Simon Chapman (1972-78) was one of the first people to return on the day of reopening.
Ikon had several addresses in the city before relocating to its current home in 1997 – exactly 120 years after the former Oozells Street School first opened.
It was also less than a decade after the building had stood alone in an area of demolition devastation which facilitated the creation of Waters Edge and the whole of the Brindleyplace estate.
Its developers, Argent, are now masterminding the rebuilding of Paradise just a few hundred yards down Broad Street.
Ikon’s new opening times are Thursday 3-7pm and Friday-Sunday 12-4pm, though these are likely to be extended. Admission remains free. For more details, visit the website or phone 0121 248 0708.
IKON director Jonathan Watkins chats with the gallery’s first director, Simon Chapman (1972-78), on reopening day
Safety precautions are in place at the IKON gallery in Brindleyplace, Birmingham, following its five-month closure
gating at the bar. On our visit, the bar was quiet with only staff in there, but protective screens have been installed nonetheless.
Ordinarily, on the opening day of a Christopher Nolan flick, you would expect sell-out screenings. We went to a prime time showing yet our screen only a third full.
This really helped our enjoyment of the film. We were the only ones on our row and we could completely immerse ourselves in the experience, knowing we were socially distanced and away from others.
Warm and welcoming, the staff at The Everyman put us completely at ease, with small talk and chit-chat. It was our first cinema trip in around seven months, so to feel so comfortable so was a real surprise.
There was very little anxiety, thanks to the cinema staff who explained everything brilliantly and were really attentive to our needs when it came to ordering our food and drink.
Popcorn fans will be pleased to hear the food and drink menu remains extensive, with sharing platters, wine by the glass, craft ales, bottles of lager and soft drinks all available. Before Tenet, we had trailers for the new James Bond flick, No Time to Die, as well as Wonder Woman 1984, and Black Widow. Christopher Nolan may be the first director to roll out a blockbuster post-lockdown, but he will not the last.
So cinema is back and while Tenet was our first trip, we’ll be going on plenty more to The Everyman.
It felt good to be back.
Sofa seating at The Everyman, pictured before social distancing measures were introduced.