Tapping In Launch
On Thursday 28 August, 6.30pm
On Thursday 28 August at 6.30pm The Chairman of Warwick District Council, Councillor Mrs Judy Falp will launch a new website produced as a result of Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum’s Tapping In project.
Since the project began in 2006, all 11,000 items in the Art Gallery & Museum’s wide-ranging collections have been added to an electronic archive which is available for the public to view at www.lsagmcollections.org.uk, or by using the computers in the Art Gallery & Museum. The website which includes over 4,500 images, provides an opportunity for members of the public and students to carry out their own research into the collections of the Art Gallery & Museum, which include Fine Art, Social History, Sculpture, Ceramics and Decorative Art, Ethnography and Archaeology objects.
The launch event is open to everyone and will take place in the Art Gallery & Museum in the Royal Pump Rooms from 6.30 – 7.30pm. There will be an opportunity to find out more about the Tapping In project and to get to know the new website, including a practical demonstration and a chance to ask questions. Refreshments will be provided.
Rozi Smith, Digitization Officer at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum said, ‘The new website is a fantastic resource for those interested in everything from art to local history, including people who are researching their family tree. It’s also a chance to view objects which are not currently on display in the Art Gallery & Museum.’
The Tapping In project was carried out in partnership with Warwickshire County Council and with financial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Collection Connection
Martin Lawson, editor of the Leamington Spa Courier, has chosen a concrete Vichy Douche Slab as his favourite exhibit from the displays at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum.
The Vichy Douche Slab was an essential part of hydrotherapy treatments in the Royal Pump Rooms from the early 20th century to the 1980’s. Patients would lie on the slab whilst being massaged under jets of water. After the treatment patients were wrapped in hot towels and left to rest for twenty minutes in the ‘Hammam’ or cooling room of the Turkish Bath.
For Martin the slab which is located in the Art Gallery & Museum’s Local History Gallery is ‘Symbolic of the history of Leamington Spa’. Martin has Scottish roots and came to the Midlands in 1979. He remembers the swimming pools and treatment facilities previously housed in the Royal Pump Rooms which was a centre for medical treatments, especially hydrotherapy and physiotherapy, for nearly two centuries.
The Vichy Douche treatment was particularly helpful for those suffering from conditions such as Rheumatism. Other treatments such as hot wax application, steam baths and electrical therapies improved circulation and stimulated muscles. Exercising in warm water built up muscles, soothed joints and eased injuries.
Martin Lawson and Roz Crampton, will talk about the Vichy Douche Slab on Friday 22 August 2008 at 1pm. Learn more about the history of Hydrotherapy treatments at the Royal Pump Rooms and find out which famous rock star was the last person to use the slab! This 10 minute lunchtime talk is part of the regular Friday Focus programme. Please call 01926 742700 for further information.
Thursday Flickers
Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum hosts an exciting weekly film & video event. Thursday Flickers provides a platform for local film & video makers to showcase their innovative media work to a wider audience.
The new programme includes work from video artists, short-film makers, animators, motion-graphic designers, VJs, and artists using video installations. Budding film students as well as more established moving image artists can present their work.
On Thursday nights we show pieces from two film & video makers. After the viewings there will be the possibility for the public to ask questions.
This event will take place Thursday night from 6.30 to 7.30pm. FREE. Drop in and join in.
We are still searching for new film and video talent! If you would like the opportunity to show your work in an informal and friendly environment please contact Tammy Woodrow on 01926 742700 or email prooms@warwickdc.gov.uk.
September Programme
- 04/09/08 Carola Klein, is a documentary film maker based in Birmingham, whose films deal with spiritual and ethical issues. Carola’s films from the 1970s and 80s include Girl Zone and Mirror Phase. Her recent short Sacred Steps is part of an ongoing project featuring a Tibetan community in India. Robert Jones, conceptual artist, will screen his new short abstract film Synthetic, which premiered at a gallery in Cape Town, South Africa. Synthetic documents the power of thought, and according to Robert, could be classified as ‘Psychic Art’.
- 11/09/08 Stephen Reynolds, independent Midlands based writer, producer and director will present his Tomb Raider Ascension – A Lara Croft Fan Film (60 mins). Fan films are non-profit, underground movies which have been shot on a very tight budget. Usually, all the crew members are volunteers. Through these movies starting film makers show their admiration of blockbuster directors and they could be a way to get noticed in Hollywood. The film will be projected onto a big screen in the Royal Pump Rooms annexe. Members of Stephen’s production team will be present to answer any questions.
- 18/09/08 Maria Emilov, an artist based in Nuneaton, will show her video piece H20. Maria is fascinated by water. She has been influenced by Joseph Kosuth and Jacques Derrida. Her film compares a cold glass of water with the High Force Waterfall in Durham County. Now Showing: New film and video from the Arts Council Collection, 17 September – 2 November. Now Showing will feature a different projection each week for six weeks. By returning to view work by different artists, visitors can gain a compelling insight into current practice in the medium of film and video. Mark Lewis, whose film Children’s Games Heygate Estate features in the exhibition, has gained international recognition for his work which explores the pictorial potential of the moving image. He will discuss his work and film tonight at 7pm.
- 25/09/08 Alan Van Wijgerden, avant-garde film and documentary maker, will present an hour long compilation of his work. Alan who currently works as an electronics technician at the University of Warwick, is interested in dreams, 1960s films and theatre and is influenced by the work of directors Lindsay Anderson and Tony Richardson. Alan also approaches the subject of disability in his films.
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