Planning for the Pipe.

I recently went to the Pipe Gallery, New Street Plymouth, to watch a couple of local bands. I had only heard about the place from a friend, who said it was available for public hire; and as soon as I walked into the place I thought it would be constructive to hold a small exhibition there.
It's not one of the easiest places to find, I've walked past it on several occasions and not even noticed it was there. I have also used New Street as a location for several shoots, being a part of what is left of 'old' Plymouth. The lighting at the right time of day is ideal for control and furthermore the texture of the brickwork and cobble stones can really add texture to your backdrop...well worth investigating!

©2012 Pin Lane Matt Elliott

Although only in the early stages of planning I have decided to hold the exhibition there with a friend of mine, Al Smith, who is a keen photographer with a good eye for the art. Al has recently returned to his home city after spending several years teaching in Japan, but will probably be returning there to further develop his own unique style of photography.

With regards to the planning so far, we thought it best if we held an open night with drink, nibbles and music (we already have a playlist thanks to a few bottles of red the other evening). As the Pipe is such a unique space and there are two of us, we will each exhibit our work using one side each, there will also be projected images throughout the night followed by a short stills film which I am working on now.

The lighting may cause concern so this may be supplied by us to make sure the images are done justice.

When we took a look on Saturday to get a feel for the place local artist Katie Shaw was holding a week long exhibition of her paintings. Katie has just recently finished her degree at Plymouth University, but will be shortly moving to London to find fame and fortune. I also asked her, while viewing her work, if she wanted a picture of her for future reference, good luck Katie, nice to have met you.

Katie Shaw at the Pipe ©2012 Matt Elliott

What I haven't decided so far is what exactly I will exhibit. A body of work with a theme or an example of my previous images. One idea which has already come to mind is to use only New Street as a backdrop! Although images will all be available for purchase, that's not what it's about for Al and I; however putting a contemporary twist on a street local people may take for granted, may evoke some emotional response! I have already had this in the past several times with my work and it's a great sense of achievement! 

Missing ©2012 Matt Elliott

Al and I are not expecting a huge crowd to attend our first open night, but we will be doing our best to let close friends and the art community know to make it an enjoyable evening. Obviously the work is important to both of us, but this is being staged as a social event too...

Watch this space, however at present it is more than likely to be Early June '12!