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Leeds has a huge array of historical and beautiful buildings in and around the city, but by far my favourite has to be the Corn Exchange. Apparently Leeds Corn Exchange is now only one of 3 corn exchanges in the UK that "still operates in its traditional capacity as a centre for trade". Designed by Cuthbert Broderick, an architect from Hull that also designed Leeds Town Hall, the Corn Exchange was completed in 1864, and stands proudly in the heart of the city centre as a cultural icon, much like the Parkinson Building.
In the '80s the Corn Exchange turned into a shopping centre and opened for trade in 1990. A shopping centre is how I remember seeing the corn exchange for the first time, but it has now closed as a mall - aside from a few upmarket boutiques - and now the entire ground level is devoted to the restaurant 'Anthony's Piazza', and I feel that the space is much more aptly used in this way. The interior of the building is so beautiful, and for some reason reminds me of an old fashioned cruise liner like, for example, the Titanic. I think this may be due to the roof, and also the fact that it is a very open area. I can imagine that hiring out the Corn Exchange would make for a fantastic party or wedding reception, I would love to see it fulfil that kind of function!
Before the conversion to a shopping mall in the '80s, there was discussion of the building being turned into an area for other functions, on of which was a concert hall - much like the Royal Albert Hall. Who knows, maybe in a decade or so the building will be converted again and we could be sitting inside listening to orchestra symphonies instead of having coffee!
On my recent visit to Newcastle, my boyfriend took me on a tour of the city which included a walk by the river Tyne, and along the way I really enjoyed looking at the bridges that cross the river. My favourite was this, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, for its architectural originality and the fact that it is the world's only tilting bridge! Unfortunately I didn't get to see it tilt as it only tilts once a day at 12.00pm, but apparently as it does it looks like the eyelid of a giant eye blinking. According to the bridge website, each tilt takes 4 minutes to occur. It must be a very sleepy eye!
I live in a town called Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, which is linked to a nearby town - Amersham - by the aptly named Amersham road. About a third along this road, on the left, is the water tower that I guess is a kind of local landmark, and suffice to say my family and I were very surprised to see it on an episode of Grand Designs when we were in Cornwall!
The tower was actually converted a good few years ago, but we had no idea that anything was going on, and it was very strange to think that the tower and its extension are now a luxury family home. I don't often watch Grand Designs but when I do it's always very interesting to see people's dreams for very unlikely properties turn into amazing realities. Channel 4 states "There are few Grand Designs with the style, quirkiness, and architectural integrity of this now famous water tower conversion - a triumph that's a fine example of how an empty industrial building can be repurposed for modern and elegant family living." The water tower before its conversion is shown below, and you can visit Channel 4's website here to view pictures of the converted tower and extension.
In order to find inspiration for this blog, I , as well as many other students I'm sure, have been paying trips to various museums and art galleries, so that I might have something interesting to say about particular pieces of work, artists or just something that has inspired me from visiting these places. Last week I was on holiday with my family in Cornwall, and one day we explored the picturesque postcard-town that is St. Ives. Whilst there I thought that taking a trip to the St. Ives Tate would be a valuable addition to the inspiration I have been trying to gain for this blog.
However, I always seem to encounter the same problem with 80% of the modern art I come into contact with. I just don't get it. I'm sure I'm not the only one, in fact I'm sure I'm one of many; I try to find meaning, explanation or even just some kind of sense in some of the works that are displayed in these galleries, framed so perfectly and even seeming to demand respect, but for that 80% of modern art, I just can't appreciate what I see. There was one piece I came across by Katy Moran: an abstract oil on canvas painting comprised of mostly beiges, dark browns and blacks, and the little plaque next to the piece read "Muffin Power". Why? Where was the muffin? Maybe if there was something explaining why she'd named it that I could feel more open towards the piece, but as it stood, trying to find 'muffin power' in the harsh strokes brushed angrily across the canvas seemed like a hopeless mission, and all I felt inclined to do was move to the next piece.
The 'What is art?' debate has been going on for years, and will continue to do so as long as art is being produced. I do not deny that pieces such as 'Muffin Power' are not art; I believe that art is a form of self expression, and clearly pieces like these are. Maybe it's just that I like to know what's going on in a piece of art.
Despite finding many pieces in the St. Ives Tate that I did not connect with, what I did love about my visit there was the building itself. The white stone conjured a complete sense of calm, and combined with the building's curves made it a very aesthetically pleasing place to visit. At the front of the building was a very tall roofed sort of amphitheatre, that even had the feel of some sort of temple, as if to worship the work that the Tate houses. As one walks round the museum at the top, there is a balcony and rectangular window spaces in the wall that look through the amphitheatre onto the view of the beach and surrounding bay. It is as if these windows turn the views into pieces of art themselves, framing them simply and drawing one's attention to the vistas before them. It seemed to me a perfect building to house art, not only fulfilling its purpose, but creating ever-changing art at the same time, by the different views one can see from the rectangular spaces each day.
