Artist Navigates a River Of Words
30 October 2007: Undercurrents, a new exhibition at the
River & Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames (www.rrm.co.uk)
takes the viewer under the surface of an imaginary river of words. Drawing
a connection between the flow of a river and the narrative flow of stories,
artist Cynthia Barlow Marrs creates vibrant canvasses with layers of cut
paper and transparent glazes to suggest cross sections through a river.
Undercurrents, The River & Rowing Museum, Henley on Thames:
" Exhibition dates: 10 November 2007 - 3 February 2008. Ticket details
below.
As an environmental planner, American-born Windsor resident Cynthia Barlow
Marrs worked on the master plan for the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood
Alleviation Scheme (now called the Jubilee River) along the Thames. As
a developing writer, she participated in the "River of Words"
creative writing course at the River & Rowing Museum. The two experiences
come together in this unusual interpretation.
Ten panels 1.2 metres high are arranged in a row over a span of 12 metres
on The Wall in the museum's Thames Gallery. Visitors approach Undercurrents
from the upstream end and follow the river downstream, with the river's
surface at adult's eye level and the riverbed at child's eye level. Colour
flows from one panel to the next, together with shapes cut from hand-coloured
collage papers and handwritten fragments of text about rivers and writing.
Cynthia describes Undercurrents as "an attempt to express what it
felt like when I first began trying to write fiction. In both rivers and
stories, we're not always aware just how much turbulence there might be
under what looks like a calm surface."
Netty Rawlings, River & Rowing Museum Curator, said: "These
lively artworks lyrically suggest the grace and movement of river currents
beneath the surface, and subtly incorporate a stream of quotes that illustrate
the enduring power of the Thames to inspire both art and literature."
Cynthia Barlow Marrs
Now a full time artist based in Windsor, artist Cynthia Barlow Marrs returned
to her art and design roots after living and working in six countries
as a landscape architect and environmental planner. In the 1980s her land
planning projects included the Development Guide Plan for Kirstenbosch
Botanic Garden in Cape Town, and the 60,000-hectare Songimvelo Natural
Resource Area near Swaziland. In the early 1990s Cynthia worked on the
master plan for the Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme
along the Thames. Cynthia uses colour and line to evoke impressions of
some of the extraordinary landscapes she has encountered in her land planning
work.
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Exhibition Dates and Touring information
Undercurrents will open at the River & Rowing Museum (Thames
Gallery), Henley on Thames, on 10 November 2007 to 3 February 2008. The
artist will be collecting comments during the exhibition and plans to
incorporate them into another large-scale work of art that develops the
Undercurrents theme.
Further information:
Kallaway Limited
(www.kallaway.co.uk)
Will Kallaway
T: +44 (0)20 7221 7883,
E: will.kallaway@kallaway.co.uk
Jo Williamson
T: +44 (0)20 7221 7883,
E: jo.williamson@kallaway.co.uk
Pictures
The River & Rowing Museum media centre, with all press release and
a wide selection of images for download can be found at: http://www.kallaway.co.uk/rrm.htm
Notes to Editors and Public Information
The River & Rowing Museum attracts over 90,000 visitors a year and
celebrates three themes:
The past, present
and future of the River Thames;
The historic riverside
community of Henley on Thames;
The international
sport of rowing.
These themes are explored through a wide variety of exhibitions and events
across four galleries and special exhibitions. One the Museum's major
success has been The Wind in the Willows exhibition which recreates the
timeless E H Shepard illustrations from Kenneth Grahame's famous novel.
Since opening in August 1998 the Museum has received numerous awards for
its design and architecture, including the National Heritage/NPI Museum
of the Year award. The River & Rowing Museum is part of the Thames
Valley Museums Group (TVMG) Family Friendly initiative - a scheme which
brings together 29 museums across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire,
to promote their popular appeal to the whole family
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Address The River & Rowing Museum, Mills Meadows, Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 1BF. Tel. 01491 415600. Web: www.rrm.co.uk |
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The museum, terrace café and shop is open every day from 10am - 5.30pm in summer and 10am - 5pm in the winter |
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Paid for tickets are valid for re-entry to the museum for 12 months |
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Admission for The Wind in the Willows including the
Galleries: £7 for adults, £5 for children and £6 for senior citizens and concessions |
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Admission for the Museum Galleries: £3.50 for adults, £2.50 for children and £3 for senior citizens and concessions |
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Free parking for visitors |
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