Dinefwr Park & Castle Main Exhibition Space

(Page 2 of 2)

The exhibition opened on time and with all systems going. At far left of the picture below you can just make out a glowing image on the video screen and on the computer monitor to

its right (a 19” monitor, though here it looks tiny) a slide show of many of Pat’s other works - works which did not fit in with the theme of ‘Focus on Nature and the Landscape’. Pat, the artist, is standing just within her central display piece - three hanging ‘Celtic Circles’ which focus the viewer’s eye into (rather than onto) the end picture,itself enclosed by a ‘virtual’ fourth twig circle.

This work, which made an impact immediately upon entering the exhibition hall, has great presence in life and really wowed everyone as they came in.

 

The same exhibit is shown again below, slightly at an angle to emphasise the tunnel-like effect of the reducing rings.

During the twelve days the exhibition was open Pat kept a Visitors’ Book and many people chose to enter their impressions there. (Click here to read a few).

 

In total, it has been calculated that approximately 670 people attended, far more than was originally anticipated, or even hoped for.

 

This is the very first time the National Trust have opened this venue to a member of the public for use as an exhibition space (or anything else) and it was something of an unknown quantity. However, even before the end of Pat’s stay there it was being hailed as an overwhelming success - and people were heard discussing postmodernist techniques and the macroscopic study of Nature in the restaurant afterwards!

 

At the busiest times the Old Laundry had upwards of forty people in it, especially on the day the staff at the National Trust organised a Family Fun Day where Pat taught up to twenty children (of mixed ages) how to construct their own mini-circles using a variety of methods and materials . . . noisy, but great fun for everyone involved!   

 

Whenever she could (and that was mostly) Pat guided her visitors around the exhibits enabling them to get the most out of what they saw and listening with great interest to their own observations and ideas about the work. Many of her visitors saw things in her work that were new to her!

Along with her focus on natural elements (usually from within Dinefwr park itself) Pat also exhibited four panels (of twelve photographs each) displaying mundane and extraordinary scenes, each with a themed twist. Possibly favourite amongst these was the panel that dealt with Shadows and Reflections - pondering on what the world would look like if these transient things (existing in perception only) actually naturally persisted after the casting body was long gone (see ‘Critical Mass’ for one example).

At the beginning of the exhibition Pat was wishing it could be staged for much longer - but by the end she realised why such events have a start and an end date.

 

Besides being incredibly exciting and rewarding they are, unfortunately, very, very exhausting - but perhaps that’s only when you put your heart and soul into them.

 

And to all who helped set this exhibition up and, more importantly, to those who attended and gave her such great and valuable feedback she would like so say a huge and heartfelt ‘Thank you!’

 

Please click here to read Page One of the story.

Please click here to read about the outside ‘Celtic Circle’

Please click here to read some of the visitors’ comments.