Artist in Residence Week 11 - Andrew M Butler

In the penultimate week of the summer season we welcomed seasoned Old Lookout exhibitor Andrew M Butler with his exhibition Walkstares. Andrew has exhibited at the gallery every year since its opening, so knows how the space works very well. His exhibition provided an opportunity to show the results of a project Andrew has undertaken over the summer, involving walking all around the Isle of Thanet and photographing something at every mile along the way. The structured nature of the project was reflected in the way the images were hung, exhibited in the order they were taken and all at the same height along the walls of The Lookout. Andrew knew from experience that he didn't want to use frames because of the reflections caused by the windows. He therefore hung the printed images using bulldog clips and string, a simple and effective way to demonstrate the nature of the project.

Andrew had shot this project specifically for display in this setting, he noted that he had wanted to do the walk for a while and making this site specific exhibition had provided the opportunity to show his work. I personally relish the way the project has clearly come full circle, with the images starting and ending with a view of The Lookout, and now being exhibited in the same location. It demonstrates the clear local influence in the project, which again I feel really works in this space. Andrew also included a map of Thanet in the exhibition, giving viewers an idea of the kind of distance walked. He also suggested that he would have liked to have marked his route out on a map, but just didn't have time to do it in the end. There was also an interactive element, where visitors can select from a series of images from the Turner and Dickens walk and put them into frames, creating a mini exhibition and bringing another element to the show. For me, the structure and consistency of the images and hanging created a simple, relaxed and meditative atmosphere within the gallery.
Throughout the exhibition, Andrew noted that people seemed to get hooked into the images - once they recognised one location they became more engaged with the whole exhibition. He wanted there to be something in each of the images that pricks the viewer, something noticeable and interesting. The selection and hanging process clarified themes within the project for Andrew, things that he hadn't noticed at the time of shooting the project. The symmetry of repeated imagery such as towers and signs really came out once the photographs were printed and hung. He mentioned that his main aim was to get lost in the landscape, exploring it in a different way. By enforcing restrictions on the way he was shooting a fresh way of looking at the environment was encouraged.
In terms of feedback about the running of the gallery, Andrew did note that we might need to have a look at doing a bit more marketing. He suggested that it might be a good idea to look into contacting some of the listings pages in newspapers, as well as checking up on what we currently have at the tourist information stand in Broadstairs. This could also include leaving leaflets in public buildings around the town, including the library and at the station. He did mention that he noticed a decrease from the last few years in people who solely come up to look at the view out of the window, which could suggest that more people are actually aware of the building's use than in previous years. However, Andrew also suggested that some people who visited were unclear about the fact that exhibitions change on a weekly basis, with some asking about last week's and even the week before's exhibits. He also agreed that perhaps putting the opening times back an hour could be beneficial, but keeping the schedule of days of hang and tear down the same, as this means that each artist gets a clear run over the weekend.
Andrew agreed that the building should always remain a rustic and informal space, as it can help to create a more relaxed atmosphere. He also mentioned that he relished the feedback form the public, and also being able to see a project through to fruition. For me this project had probably the strongest local influence, which worked perfectly when exhibited in this location. I also feel that visitors really responded to being able to recognise locations in the images, and became engaged in the entire series. It was lovely to see the influence The Old Lookout had on the shaping of the project, and how it had come full circle back to the location where Andrew's first and last images of the series had been taken.