Chance meeting on Insta leads to Chaos exhibition
Internationally-renowned artist lured to town by our unusual gallery space
Sally Gorham and the trustees of the Old Parcels Office Artspace in Scarborough continue their mission to bring exciting contemporary art to the Yorkshire Coast. A chance encounter with the work of London sculptor Paul Bonomini on Instagram lead to Sally contacting Paul and inviting him to make a site-specific work for the gallery.
Chaos is Bonomini’s most ambitious installation to date.
"The gleaming giant steel sculpture hangs in mid-air like a threatening cloud. The sound of heavy rain, crashing waves, and ticking clocks bring to mind the encroaching chaos caused by climate change,” said Sally.
“Utilitarian galvanised steel ducting is transformed at the hands of the artist into a maelstrom of interlocking form that highlights the looming threat of our dependence on pipelines and the fragility of the complex network of global supply chains we have come to rely on.”
Enhancing this sense of fragility is an accompanying immersive sound installation created by sound designer Dave Hunt in collaboration with Paul Bonomini, with musical excerpts by Bruno Etienne.
The crashing of ice, peals of thunder and lightning and the crackling of burning fires, alongside the sound of ticking of clocks, reinforces the sense of foreboding and imminent climatic disaster.
For technical support with fabrication and installation Paul Bonomini has called on expertise of Stage One Creative Services, the international creative manufacturing and construction company based in Tockwith near York.
Stage One is behind the design and construction of some of the world's biggest events and ceremonies including the 2012 London Olympic Games Cauldron.
Paul Bonomini lives and works in London and has a long association with the Yorkshirebased company through his earlier work in theatre and set design.
As a sculptor he has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally including the Venice Biennale in 2018 and is an elected member of the Royal Society of Sculptors and The
London Group.
Paul said “When Sally initially got in touch with me and sent me photos of the Old Parcels Office I was immediately interested by the size and height of the exhibition space.
"When I went up to Scarborough to see the space for myself I was completely bowled over by it. The idea for making a suspended work quickly formed in my mind; a large scale contemporary piece, that would contrast strongly with the architecture of the grade II listed building.
"For this ambitious project I called for the technical expertise of Stage One who have me helped realise countless set and exhibition designs before.”
Sally said “It’s been really exciting working with Paul and Stage One to bring this spectacular new work to Scarborough.
"People living in London and the south often take for granted all the art shows on their doorstep so we are really fortunate when artists like Paul are prepared to bring their art work to Scarborough.
"Of course it wouldn’t have been possible without the technical expertise of Stage One”
Tim Leigh, managing director at Stage One Creative Design said “Although we work all over the world it's always a pleasure when we have the opportunity to use our skills to realise a project in Yorkshire.
"We’ve worked with Paul over three decades and enjoy his collaborative approach to delivering experimental artwork.
Sally Gorham, chairwoman of the Old Parcels Office Artspace, was brought up in Scarborough and like many young people left in her 20s.
She lived most of her adult life in the south, working as an NHS manager and through her family maintained her links with Scarborough.
After taking early retirement she studied fine art at Central St Martin’s in London. Following the Covid lockdown she and her husband moved back to Scarborough and she took over as chairwoman of the Old Parcels Office.
“The Old Parcels Office is an exciting space. We have had more than 7,000 visitors since it opened a year ago. It’s run on a shoestring by a small group of enthusiastic volunteers.”
The grade II listed Old Parcels Office was designed and built as an Excursion Station in 1883 by architect William Bell for the then North Eastern Railway. In 1908 the building closed to passengers and became used as a parcels office. It later become derelict. In 2013 work started to restore it.
The roof was repaired and the skylights were reinstated. In 2021 funding from the Railway Heritage Trust, the Yorkshire Coast Community Led Local Development Fund and Arts Council England paid for the installation of heating, lighting and toilets, enabling the building to be used as a multi-purpose arts centre.
Chaos A Site Specific Installation by London Sculptor Paul Bonomini is at tge Old Parcels Office Art Space, Scarborough Railway Station, from Saturday October 1 to Sunday October 30. The gallery is open from
Thursdays to Sundays from 11am to 4pm
Admission is free.