Brighton is not short of gorgeous galleries, playing host to some incredible contemporary artists but Fabrica is a gallery quite like no other. Described as a ‘visual arts organisation based in the former Regency church in the heart of Brighton that commissions contemporary visual art installations specific to the building”, Fabrica aims to encourage “an open dialogue between artists and visitors within the gallery space and produces an integrated programme of education and audience development activity that strives to remove barriers to access, engagement and understanding”.
Founded in March 1996 by Matthew Miler in the deconstructed Holy Trinity Church, Fabrica has since become a hub of incredibly unique exhibitions by wonderfully talented artists. This April, Fabrica are hosting an exhibition by Ron Haselden called Luminary. The exhibition is “a series of beautiful LED light drawings” of which have been developed from drawings by older people. The meaning behind the exhibition? “the exhibition…combines two ideas in one: literally that the artwork itself emits light, and metaphorically that older people bring important knowledge and a longer perspective to the rest of society”.
The exhibition has been created by Ron Haselden. Haselden has been working with LED light displays for ten years, as well as having worked with electronics and sound. Haselden has often worked with drawings of those less visible in our society such as young children, prisoners and now, older people. He said “Many older people do not find it easy to have their voice heard as contemporary life rushes on. The value of the older person, for the main part, slips too readily out of sight. I see the work, Luminary, as giving older people much more visibility, by presenting in quite a confrontational way, very large illuminated drawings in very public spaces.”
The exhibition preview will be on April 8th and will be running until May 29th. During the month of May the exhibition will be shown as part of the Brighton Festival and will contain a series of smaller works based on children’s drawings. To find out more about Fabrica and the upcoming exhibition, Luminary, click here.
Holly Martin
feature image: Matthew Andrews via Fabrica.org
