Under the Volcano - An exhibition for Malcolm Lowry 1909-1957

So far i have been to two different talks at the Bluecoat about the work in the exhibition which is all based around Malcolm Lawry's writing. The first with Paul Rooney on Tuesday 6th October 2009. The second was with Cian Quayle and Pete Flowers on Tuesday 3rd November 2009.

The range of work which has all been produced is from the same starting point. I find it interesting how all the artists have responded in complete different ways yet the same running theme is there.

The prominent theme for me in both of these talks were layers and layering:

The layering you can find in text for example in Lowry's 'Under the Volcano', following more than one story of events that occur at the same time. The character Geoffrey Firmin is an alcoholic and because of this it is effecting his career, love life and health.

The layering of physical materials for example, the layering of paint in Pete Flowers 'Los Calaveras Flores' (below) which is part of the exhibition. The complexety of imagery and layers are building up, coming together and transforming.

Also the layering of meaning for example Cian Quayles's 'Everyone i have ever met with a Three Legs tatoo' (below). He is creating a sense of time and place, leading you on a journey but being diverted along the way. The emotion in his work is to create the feeling of returning to a place which was once familiar.

This image i find particulary interesting because its an ongoing task and i would love to know how many people actually have a 'Three Legs' tatoo. Its something i have never come across and find the tattoo personal to this man. Yet someone else out there may have it as well. Malcolm Lowry's 'under the Volcano' took around ten years to finish and maybe the way in which he is working is a reflection of that.

Malcolms Lowry's characters are based around himself. They are personal to him, his lifestyle and his life events. The artists have also reflected this in there work. Cian Quayle used family snapshots and postcards in the process of his work and Pete Flowers went over to mexico and lived there for 6 weeks to live the life of the character.