River’s Edge was a large group exhibition, including sculpture by Jack Wheeler, Beth Groom and Emily Mayer, C&C held at BallroomArts, Aldeburgh, in Suffolk – The Ballroom on the first floor and the Courtyard Gallery on the ground floor.
River's Edge was held in the recently renovated BallroomArts overlooking Aldeburgh's beach, in what was The Peter Pears Gallery. The gallery's new configuration has transformed what was a series of public sector display rooms into a much more welcoming, fully resolved pair of architectural gallery spaces.
River's Edge was a large group exhibition by artists and makers with a connection to the East Anglian landscape. In the ground floor Courtyard Gallery were contemporary handmade objects, paintings, prints, photography, and sculpture. Contributing artists included: Simon Carter, Katarzyna Coleman, Will Cutts, Amanda Edgcombe, Roger Hardy, Ruth Howes, and Peter Wylie, who pursued their interpretations of East Anglian landforms and the coast. Along side these was new work by leading makers like: Jane Crisp, Stewart Hearn, Katherina Klug, Tim Plunkett and Steven Will, who used sustainable materials to create unique three-dimensional work and beautiful handmade objects for the home.
In the Ballroom on the first floor there was new sculpture derived from forms found along the tidal waterline by Jack Wheeler and Beth Groom. They collected the subject matter for their sculptural objects while on walks of Norfolk’s beaches. In the entrance and throughout the staircase atrium we showed a selection of intricately constructed bird sculptures by Emily Mayer. Emily worked as a taxidermist, an artist and sculptor for many years using techniques as diverse as construction in wood, mechanical components, plastic, and of course her pioneering interest in taxidermy. Her birds are fashioned from repurposed materials she collected in her extraordinary workshop.
The exhibition’s coastal site where the River Alde runs into the sea provided an appropriate setting for all participants.
All installation photography by Andrew Smith © 2022
