Timely display of these clocks
The last exhibition at the soon-to-close Expressions Gallery in Guyton St is a timely one.
Steve Selfe of Expressions has teamed up with permanent Expressions artist-in-residence Peter Shepherd and a number of fellow artists to present an exhibition of unusual objects and bad puns.
Did you ever wonder what happened to Grandma’s clock, the one that sat over the fireplace and chimed all too often?
Old mantelpiece clocks, about 24 of them, dating from the 1940s and 50s, form the creative nucleus of a quirky show entitled It’s About Time.
It happened because Steve was at an auction and there were a lot of clocks.
“No-one was bidding, so my hand went up every time there was a $5 clock,” he says.
The clocks, now fitted with modern internal machinery, went to some Whanganui artists who used them as the canvas on which to create something wonderful — artists like Judy Flatt, Tina Drayton, Christine Haber, Sue Kumeroa, as well as Peter and Steve. Felter Karen Workman covered one of her clocks in felted designs and had what look like pipe cleaners spiralling from the top. She called it Spring Time! Mosaic artist Louise Herdman also did two clocks, one of which is reminiscent of a British designer of the 1960s — she’s called it Mary’s Quantum Leap.
Peter Shepherd cleft his clock in two and created two works of working art. Another clock he covered in
Vietnamese bank notes — Time is Money.
Joe Yates took her clock and added skeletons and scary stuff, calling it Dead on Time. Debbie Shepherd turned her clock into a sewing kit — A Stitch in Time! Ross Fallen covered his clock in little black insects and called it Time Flies.
Clock art and bad puns make an exhibition to appeal to everyone.
Whanganui’s art deco man, Roger Marriott, worked his art deco magic on some clocks, calling it Time for Change — Series.
Steve turned one into a representation of a teapot, using pewter spout, handle and lid, calling it Tea Time ,of course.
Look for the clock called Clockwork Orange! One clock is covered in real Oamaru stone and Lizzette Britton’s Star Wars creation will astound.
“The only criteria was you were given a clock,” says Peter. “All it had to be was a working clock. No other rules. And that gave people a lot more freedom. It’s going to be a very impressive exhibition.”
“This will attract people who wouldn’t normally go into a gallery,” says Steve. All clocks are for sale.
“It’s such a good concept that we’ll probably do it again at Red Door,” says Peter. Steve is going to join Peter’s Red Door Gallery in Putiki, a co-operative of mixed media artists. It’s About Time starts on November 2, with an official opening on November 1.
“I moved to Whanganui on November 1, 2014,” says Steve. The exhibition runs until November 17, from 9.30am until 4pm every day except Sunday. Expressions closes after a brief sale before the new tenant takes over on December 1.