Connections and Reinventions
Open Door - August 2005 page 10-11
During April and May, the Horniman Museum in South London played host to an exhibition of new art called Connections and Reinventions. The thread that connects the group of seven artists whose work was on display is that they all have MS.
The exhibition
Tucked away in Forest Hill in south east London, the Horniman Museum is a pleasant surprise. Built by Victorian tea trader Frederick John Horniman to house his eclectic collection of artifacts, the buildings stand on a hill with a view from the new Wembley Stadium to the City (a view only partly spoiled by the ugly flats at the bottom of the hill).
The exhibition was full of surprises. A kimono made from ceramic tiles joined together with wire. A painting of part of the museum was on closer inspection an intricate collage. A painterly photograph of the trees in the artist's garden framed by the window frame was suggestive of the way Magritte played with our perception of images. One artist had made an ammonite out of items found on a beach in Suffolk. Another figure was made out of spanners and old tools that had belonged to the artist's uncle and were evacuated with him from the beach at Dunkirk.
A fascinating collection of disparate items, reflecting the fact that they were created by artists who had been brought together by the coincidence of the same medical condition.
MS specialist nurse Pauline Shaw talks about how the idea for the exhibition came about
As an MS Nurse employed by a Primary Care Trust, part of my work sees me in the privileged position of being able to assess people living with MS in their own homes, gaining an insight into their interests and capabilities.
MS often conjures up images of disempowerment and disablement, which can be compounded by the necessity for health care professionals to adopt a problem solving approach when assessing patients. Whilst the focus in clinic remains on identifying and managing problems people may experience as a result of MS, it is easy to lose sight of what they are still able to do and achieve despite living with a long-term chronic neurological condition.
When visiting people with MS in their homes it is much easier to observe how people live their lives, which is not always evident in a clinical setting. Although time can be a restraint, I personally do try to explore what interests and hobbies people might have.
Both myself and Dr Eli Silber, Consultant Neurologist at Kings College Hospital, became aware that there were a number of patients known to us who were talented artists, and I decided to bring a group of them together to explore their thoughts on holding an exhibition of their work.
A number of museums and galleries were approached and, after meeting with the group, the Horniman Museum agreed to hold the exhibition.
The artists met a number of times and agreed on the theme of Enablement Through Art to demonstrate how people living with some of the disabling effects of MS could find fulfilment through their creativity.
The exhibition was launched during MS Week 2005 and ran for a month, helping to raise awareness of MS with the visitors to the popular local museum.
Photographs by Mike Sage
Lesley Kennedy, one of the artists represented at the exhibition, talks about art and MS
When I began, my work was big. I welded metal together to make my sculptures and exhibited them in large open spaces. Now I work small and almost entirely with clay. It is a wonderful material. It does what I want it to do. It is soft and malleable and will wait for me to shape and work it. I am in control. I am doing what I love.
I am unsure how having MS has altered my work. I am not sure that the progression from steel to clay would have happened naturally without the restrictions that MS has placed on my life but I am happy with my medium and the work that I produce. I still use metal to tie fired clay together and I use heavy metal oxides to disperse my glazes. I still produce large pieces. It is just that they are constructed from smaller ones.
MS has imposed its limitations on when I can work and for how long. I tire easily and sometimes my hands won't do what I want them to do. On those days I will make tiles and use cutters to shape the clay. On good days I will carve figures and even work on the wheel. OK, I can only throw mugs and dishes and not large pots anymore but these items are always in demand and useful objects are always needed.
I get angry and frustrated at times when I am slow in completing a piece but then I will glaze and play with metal oxides for effects. That is a positive thing and tomorrow is another day and I will have the excitement of opening the kiln and seeing the results of that frustration. The results could be magnificent.
I have adapted my teaching timetable to work part time. I still lecture at an adult art centre and now teach people with disabilities as well. It's a slower pace and something I really enjoy. If we go out together on a visit we all walk slower, It's a normal pace for all of us and that makes me smile. It helps me to put my own limitations in perspective.
Clay and wire kimono by Lesley Kennedy
Today I woke up with a vision of a new sculpture I want to create. It will be a piece combining copper, chrome, silks and of course clay. I quickly got out of bed really excited to start. My legs however had other ideas. They are not ready to move quickly or work the way I want them to. I'll start later or maybe tomorrow. The clay will wait patiently and the sculpture will adapt to the changes. The design will stay in my head for a while longer and the work will be take a little longer to be made. Its progression will be slower but I will enjoy the making and the waiting.
Right now I am tired. So very tired. I perceive the pain emanating from the centre of my back as spikes of intensifying colour. The colours are really quite beautiful and the pattern fascinating. The discomfort is easing, perhaps I could build a tower full of spikes each tinged with a different oxide. Grogged clay would be good for the base. It is coarse and gritty and rough. The tops should be in porcelain, pure white and the tips multi-coloured.
I will put this idea into my sketchpad along with many others. Some will be made, some are being made and the rest discarded. This is normal. Right now I will rest for an hour or so and then start. If I am not so tired. Perhaps. My art is a part of me. So is MS.
Are you part of a group with a story to tell like this? If so contact us.
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