There are different ways of engaging with this seemingly simple exhibition. We may consider traditional printmaking processes of lithography and woodblock printing so finely displayed in exhibits hanging in the hall gallery. Or we may surrender to the magic of the installation in the main galley. Take your time here, walk through the rows of small acrylic red, black and cream pennants suspended from the ceiling, rigid and twisting gently in the air currents. Take your time viewing the red, black and cream wool blankets spread over slightly raised supports on the floor, warm and yielding to the touch. Crouch down, get a closer look, raise you head to catch a glimpse of light glinting off the pennants, let your mind wander.
The detail on the blankets offers another means of engagement. Some are printed with fine black line drawings defining either a Japanese fan, a single hand reaching out from the hem of a loose fitting sleeve, or a figure from another era seated in a chair that seems to be flying. Others present the illusion of embossing, a printing process too difficult on achieve on such a pliant surface. Here the effect is produced by shaving the nap of the blanket instead of pressing it, to depict in bas relief sailing ships, a man strangely attired, an intricate pattern, or fluttering pennants.
Each blanket holds a single image and each image has the power to transport us to a world of fantasy. This desire to surrender to our imagination is exacerbated by the undulating ribbons of opaque pennants winking in the light. Some visitors will find the work conjures up childhood memories of the plain single bed blanket and its companion coverlet, which was either printed with a theme or texturally patterned. Others will recall how blankets were used to create a cubby for imaginative play, or as protection against the horrors beneath the bed, or to snuggle into for warmth.
The project is yet again engaging for its interplay of rigid and pliant materials, posing of questions on art and craft, separating printmaking into traditional and modern methods, and locating contradictions within each category. Some examples; Emmerson makes flags from material that cannot move then strings them together in a way that causes them to flutter. He takes a humble domestic item and transforms it into a respected work of art, without destroying its original function. He substitutes shaving, a form of carving, for embossing, which involves pressing, to create confusion when classifying the artform.
Other artists and exhibitions may offer similar conundrums but often they become so involved with associated theories that the viewing audience is ignored. Emmerson doesn't forget the viewer. While examining and investigating various artistic concepts he provides the spectator with a delightful visual experience.
So take your time in this quiet installation, it will remain in your mind long after leaving the gallery.