Visit: The Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery

Today I visited the newest exhibition at the Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery at the University of Leeds and wanted to document my thoughts, feelings and experiences...

Upon arrival I have to admit that I had absolutely no idea what this exhibition was about - and I still do not have a clue! I kept hoping to hear someone mention something about a featured artist or a certain theme or idea that sparked the culmination of these pieces together in one place, but there was nothing. I imagine that there would have been some sort of description printed on the wall regarding the relevance of the chosen work and plethora of artists and designers but, as a severely visually impaired person, who knows what it said? And where? Access to information was entirely inaccessible. Both leaflets and booklets were in small print and had to be purchased before they could be read and labels next to the work were even smaller... What on Earth was I even looking at?

There appeared to be a diverse extent of work across three rooms, from paintings to sculptures and books behind glass cabinets, but what linked them all together? Why were these pieces selected? I asked someone on the desk for some assistance and, after a lengthy phone call with her manager, large print was printed out on request. However, Braille and audio - the formats I can understand independently - was not available and the lady, who had just started working there, said she felt entirely embarrassed and apologised. Hopefully something will be put in place for the future and I have catapulted the winds of change.

These paintings by Victor Varasely stood out to me immediately because of their sheer size and the immediacy and definition of black and white. After a discussion with my tutor, who helps me to identify the artist from the minuscule labels, Op Art had instantly piqued my interest. What was it? When did this movement begin? What prompted it? Is it purely to play on optical illusions? Do you need a certain level of vision to be able to be 'tricked' into seeing imagery? How does it work? Is it still a movement prevalent today? Who were / are the key practitioners? Are there any theories at play or is it purely decorative?

It seems very '60s to me and I love the simplicity of it. The relationship between the shapes and colours. The perfection of line and curve. The boldness and stark different of black and white or a limited colour palette of green, red, black and white. Inspired by Notan? Balance? Could be replicated in illustrator. I need to research more! This is exciting! Transformative moment! How can this feed into and inspire my practice?