Art by the sea with a side of high winds
Our big overnight trip was upon us, all packed and ready to go we set off on from Lime-Street station to Blackpool.
It was a dark and blustery night as if the weather didn’t know whether to rain or storm. We hurried along the dark empty streets huddled together to help with the wind. There was an uneasiness in the air that comes from being in a seaside town during any time that’s not summer, especially on a Wednesday night. We passed the dark expanse that is the sea and eventually made it to the Art B&B, a beacon of warmth and light in the dark night.
Everything inside was thought through, the lights, the wall decorations, the chairs. It all felt inviting and to say the least, artsy. We were given a tour of our rooms which felt like a treasure hunt with the prize being each new room. Places like these make me think ‘of course why isn’t this a normal thing?’ artists designing rooms, rooms each being individual, it’s an experience that is enriching and extremely fun, especially for me who chose the reading room. It was a dream staying in there, there were so many books that I wanted to get lost in (and a good few I did). Our window had a yellow glow that made you feel as if you were in a fallout shelter and the sun was burning up outside but in a cosy kind of way.
That evening we went out for food at a seaside restaurant. All getting exquisite cocktails we sat under the blue lights around our little marble table talking. Though we were there for the food we were also sheltering from the extreme wind and rain happening outside. Later we went for a few drinks at the local spoons which was reasonably empty and chatted about school, alternative names and reminisced on the past. On the walk back we hurried to stop ourselves from being blown away by the wind and settled in ready to sleep for what Thursday would bring.
Us on our room tour.
Up nice and early the next morning we said goodbye to the lovely B&B and set off towards our brunch spot. Galivanting around Blackpool during the day was the opposite of the night. It was all blues and whites, early bustling streets and welcoming shop fronts but it still had that melancholy of a summer tourist town not in summer. At our brunch stop, we met Garth Gratrix and all bunched around some long tables and made our picks of the range of breakfast items available. We played a little connect four while waiting and after our bellies were full, we furthered our journey into Blackpool’s art scene. Following Garth, we made our way to Abingdon Studios, an old non-descript building around the centre of Blackpool and made our way (unsurprisingly by this point) up a somewhat cramped and somewhat dangerous stairway. The studios were different but still had the same energy as other artist-led studios we had visited before.
Our conversation with Garth opened my eyes to being a practising artist in a place that isn’t quite an art centre like Liverpool is. Though studio space is cheaper, there isn’t as many organisations or places to turn to which is part of what Garth was trying to change in Blackpool, make it more of a cultural centre for arts, bringing more artists in and making it known to the rest of the country. He showed us around the space and spoke about how the studios started up and some about his work which we were going to see later.
And later we did. After talking for a while we walked towards Blackpool's art gallery: The Grundy and after entering the space walked up the stairs to Garth's exhibition: Shy Girl. My first thought was mostly is this all there is? And until walking forwards with all of us standing around the square opening I didn’t truly experience the work. Garth spoke a lot about the thought behind the work and how he uses colour and measurements so his work holds a lot of meaning that I think on the outlook you don’t see but after talking with Garth it made the work feel so much more than what I first saw.
Us following Garth up the stairs at The Grundy
Similarly, after speaking to many of the people we’ve met in the arts there is a sense of inspiration and a feeling that things also need to change and get better. This mini trip was very rewarding and really I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the semester. *Big sigh*