The Nave Gallery

Review by George Swan

Cast among the rustic ancient church of St Lawrence’s, Caterham, The Nave Gallery Exhibition was an intriguing blend of expert craftsmanship, sonic experiments and ponderous images. A welcome addition to the 2016 Caterham Festival.

Upon entry the viewer was greeted by recordings of boots trudging over gravel. While proceeding through the grey arches one heard the portrayal of a thousand years of feet on the church’s worn threshold. The scene then widened to encompass the musty atmospheric church itself. Poignantly crafted sculptures stood amongst the grey pillars. The statues of birds and beasts showed expertise in forgecraft. Cutlery, car parts and scrap had been melded by fire and hammer into lifelike statues, proud and grandiose. Animated in the flames of the forge, the statues embodied a natural splendour, risen from the grey metal of their creation, making a great feature of the gallery.

The curious spiralling labyrinth in the north aisle held an interesting surprise. Once the white walled coil had been traversed, one was confronted by a professional singer at the centre. “Proximity” by Julie Groves may have been uncomfortable at first, as one stood less than a metre from a performing singer, yet it presented a beautiful sound in a visceral form.

Other pieces included Marilyn Kyle’s fascinating dress bedecked with grass. Accompanied by the sombre backdrop of the altar and the grey, dark, aged walls, it provided an intriguing visual experience. The gloomily etched scenes of Ireland by Bill Hall complimented the atmosphere of the old church in their grey solemnity. And finally the colourful acrylic, pen and screen print works of Adam Green, featuring the wonderful painting “The Alchemists”, a renaissance style drawing of two experimenting alchemists accompanied by overlaid circular patterns and a blend of red lines over varied geometric shapes formed a pleasing image expertly made.

In summary, the exhibition was an excellent array of various styles complemented by an atmospheric setting.