A Grimsby artist whose works were heavily damaged after the room they were in became flooded has launched an exhibition to showcase the fascinating process of restoring them.
From Saturday, July 20 to Saturday, August 3 and again from Friday, August 9 to Wednesday, August 24, the EIN VERRUCKTER WEISER exhibition by Dale Wells will be open to the public at Turntable Gallery on Grimsby Docks.
It comes just weeks after a significant amount of older artwork that Dale spent months creating was damaged – some beyond repair – after the storage chamber they were in became flooded with water, due to the taps at the above property being left on accidentally.
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Dale said: “The flood was such a setback. A lot of work was damaged – some was restorable, but some had to be destroyed. It was such a blow. It came at a time when we had so much non-gallery related issues to sort out, so it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Luckily, I’m able to begin the long process of restoring my own damaged works, and they form the basis of this exhibition.
“I don’t think you can let these things get you down. You have to keep going and that momentum is often the thing which heals the trauma.”
Alongside Dale’s artwork, the exhibition will centre around the restoration of a piece of early German cinema from 1926, WENN DAS ALLES ENDET (translation: When This All Ends), which was lost forever after the movie reel was destroyed in the countrywide floods of Germany that same year.
During the exhibition, members of the public will be able to watch Dale restoring parts of his damaged work and also recreating stage sets from the lost film, as a means of performance.
Dale continued: “During the exhibition I’ll be recreating the stage sets which appeared in the few surviving frames of film. I’m piecing together the scenery around which the actors performed. The film was by an unknown director and all that remains is a few stills from the heavily damaged reels, and snippets of title cards.
“The film apparently tells the story of two lovers, who met in their youth, but were separated by circumstance, and were reunited by chance. They marry and the frozen world in which they live thaws and is brought back to life.
“I’ll be writing and working on the stage surround into which the sets will fit. I’m working in a very confined area, designed to restrict my work space and create a more claustrophobic atmosphere, which gives a sense of claustrophobia.
“The idea is the damage in our chamber occurred in a sealed metal container, in the darkness, with a ceiling which was letting in water. I imagine a similar scenario occurred during the damage to the original film, too.”
The Turntable Gallery is situated at 88 Wharncliffe Road on Grimsby Docks and is open from Thursday to Saturday, 11am to 2pm.
