STYLE | Art
OFF THE RAILS West Gallery, Quay Arts By Georg ia New ma n QUAY A RTS
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‘Modern2020-09-09 483009 at Ryde Depot’ by Phil Marsh
ince the beginning of steam travel, artists have responded to its industrial status, its movement, speed and sound, the passing through space and time. From poetry such as Wordsworth’s 1833 ‘Steamboats, Viaducts, and Railways’ and Emily Dickinson’s 1891 ‘I like to see it lap the Miles’ to J.M.W. Turner’s ‘Rain, Steam, and Speed - The Great Western Railway’, painted in 1844 and all the way through to O. Winston Link’s 1956 photograph ‘Hotshot Eastbound’ – feelings of trepidation moving into the Second Industrial Revolution, to its romanticised vision of a bygone era have been interpreted throughout history. In our forthcoming exhibition Off the Rails (9th January - 20th March 2021), Quay Arts are partnering with the Isle of Wight Steam Railway to celebrate their 50th anniversary of moving from Newport to Havenstreet, by showing artefacts, signs and memorabilia from their collection as well as related objects and artworks from IW Heritage Service Collection.
and carriages, most of which had arrived as hand-me-downs from the mainland. It was then, on Sunday 24th January 1971, at 8.30pm, the last steam train rumbled across the Medina Drawbridge, Newport, high above the river and its quays, ending a chapter in the Island’s transport history, and thus, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway was born. As part of this exhibition, we are calling out to artists to submit contemporary artwork which will be displayed alongside the heritage works, responding to ideas around notions of preservation, displacement and memory, and some wider themes on travel, engineering and movement. Works can be in any medium, i.e. film, audio, photography, painting, mixed media, print, sculptural 2D or 3D works, written or installation form, giving this exhibition a rich, contemporary feel, whilst retaining the narrative of the Island’s Steam Railway history. Deadline to apply is midnight 22nd November 2020.
The first of the Island lines opened in 1862 between Cowes and Newport, but it was not until 1900 that Ventnor received its second railway and the Island rail complex was complete. However, by the mid-20th century, after two World Wars and a lengthy depression, it was not surprising that rural branch lines came under the spotlight and their economic status was in question. The 1950s saw lines to Bembridge, Freshwater and Ventnor, all closed. The Island’s steam-hauled railways were becoming a sad reflection of their former glory but still retaining a fascination for historians and enthusiasts as the Island’s isolation had seen the retention of antiquated locomotives
‘Reflections’ by Clive Miller
Gallery opening times: Mon – Sun 10am – 4pm. Free entry. Quay Arts, Sea Street, Newport Harbour, Isle of Wight, PO30 5BD. www.quayarts.org
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