Damon Cooper visits Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley, which will be open for Heritage Open Day next Weekend …
The Sandsgate entrance takes you from Farsley Town Street, up some red carpeted stairs fit for royalty and into the Sunny Bank Mills Gallery.
Venturing inside I found myself taken away into the colourful world of Mel Davis whose KALEIDOSCOPE exhibition celebrates the end of summer at the mill. His work is showcased alongside artist Kim Coley and Josie Barraclough plus ceramicists Fiona Mazza and Eric Moss.
My favourite painting by far is ‘Dolce Vita’ which I interpreted as a young couple getting away from the hustle and bustle of village life by spending romantic time in the surrounding countryside. It reminded me of growing up in Farsley playing in the surrounding fields with friends as a kid.
Then there’s Mel’s Purple Cat that should magically spring into life and lead you to all the bright and wonderful places portrayed in this collection. Talking to Mel I discovered that many of his artwork is inspired by memory and in a way I felt he unleashed our collective memories into art. I could relate a lot.
Another highlight for me included ‘It’s a marvellous night for a moon dance’ which captures a couple dancing away in the early evening backdrop of village and countryside beauty. I also particularly liked Josie Barraclough’s ‘oil and mixed media’ painting which would blend in on any cosy café wall.
His work is striking and stands out whilst hers compliments the tranquil art space. The contrasting styles come together really well and deliver a great overall viewing experience.
On the recommendation of Mel, I took myself to the other gallery which featured THE POSSIBILITIES OF CHANCE show starring Brisbane Taylor and Anna Lilleengen.
Straight away I was confronted by a room which could be described by many words but one stuck to my mind: abandonment. There’s the heads without bodies, rusting typewriters scattered throughout, windowsills collecting dust and then in the midst of all this there’s art. I was mostly drawn in by the handcrafted photography of Anna Lilleegen who likes to capture the forests of Värmland, Sweden using an antique plate camera and lens.
From a distance Brisbane Taylors ‘disintegration’ canvasses can look like the work of Anna Lilleegen’s work which is a testament to just how disorienting this derelict room can be. That or I’m still comatose from last week’s round of antibiotics.
Coming up there’s the Heritage Weekend where you can explore the mill and discover its vast archive (Cost: Free, 12th – 14th Sept, from 10am to 4pm), an evening recital with international pianist Jeremy Russell (Cost: £10, 13th Sept, 7pm onwards) and a Macmillan Coffee Morning at the end of the month on the 26th.
Overall this visit was a good couple of hours well spent and I do look forward to frequenting the mills more often very soon.