Re-imagining Cornwall exhibition celebrates the present from the past

Friday, 29 August 2008

The exhibition, Re-Imagining Cornwall: Networks and Narratives, explores Cornwall's cultural history through case studies in industry, craft, architecture, people and design.

Presented by MA 20^th Century Art & Design staff, students and alumni it encompasses seven distinct sections: Networks of Arts and Crafts featuring the pioneering work of Alec Walker who designed and made hand block-printed textiles and developed a new way of printing on fabric in Newlyn and St Ives in the 1920s and 30s. He moved his silk mill from Yorkshire to Cornwall and began Crysede, which gained a national reputation selling dresses, accessories and fabric by the yard; Networks of Modern Living showcasing the modernist house at Tregannick, Penzance; Networks of Craft and Commerce, which concentrates on the Leach and Nance families and their complex relationship and shared interests; Networks of Health and Freedom exploring the inter-war preoccupation with fresh air, exercise, scenery and sports that enhanced the county's appeal to visitors - the beaches and countryside held particular fascination for women seeking independence, freedom and escape, which was manifest in new modes of dress; Networks of Work and Industry, examining and commemorating the men and women who engineered the landscape we see today from sea defences and harbours to footpaths and trails through the inventive use of resources and the ability to change, adapt and diversify; Networks of Transport and Tourism where the golden age of travel will be explored through Great Western Railway (GWR) posters on loan from the Penlee House Gallery and Museum as well as a selection of Cornish travel writing;
Networks of Popular Culture and Entertainment celebrating the Odeon cinema's in Cornwall and where a 15 minute film especially commissioned for the exhibition of original footage will be shown.

A unique feature of the exhibition will be the oral history chairs where you listen to personal histories from people who were directly involved in topics and events.

The exhibition is running in conjunction with the Networks of Design International Conference hosted by University College Falmouth's MA in 20^th Century Art & Design: histories & theories course and will explore and expand on the growing interest in the fields of design history, technology, humanities and the social sciences, in the ‘networks' of interactions that inform knowledge formation and design.

The conference is open to all and to book a place or for further information please visit http://www.networksofdesign.co.uk/ or email networksofdesign@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone 01326213834.

Re-Imagining Cornwall: Networks and Narratives will be showing at the Poly, Church Street, Falmouth from Monday 25 August to Friday 5 September inclusive. Admission is free. Opening times: 10am to 4.00pm

For further information about an MA in 20^th Century Art & Design: histories & theories at University College Falmouth, visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/20centuryartdesign, email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 214360.

In April 2008, University College Falmouth merged with Dartington College of Arts to create a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Choreography, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing.

The merger will pave the way for a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall in 2012, creating a Higher Education institution unique to the South West.

University College Falmouth is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council.

Ends

For further information about University College Falmouth, please contact Jilly Easterby, Head of Public Affairs, Telephone: 00 44 (0)1326 213792; or email: jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk

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Re-imagining Cornwall exhibition celebrates the present from the past

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