Other Cambridges: Cambridge, Western Australia

Source: Town of Cambridge, WA (artist: Janine Judge)

I subscribe to an email service that sends me news about 'art in Cambridge'.  Half the links I get sent refer to other Cambridges:  Cambridge, Ontario; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Cambridge, New Zealand...

According to  the Cambridge Wikipedia disambiguation page, there are at least 24 other Cambridges on Earth (besides Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK).  So I got intrigued by these other Cambridges.  And I started thinking:  it's not entirely off-topic to post about 'Art in Cambridge (outside of Cambridgeshire)' ...

So this is the first in a part of an irregular series, devoted to art in our sister cities: that is, art in the Other Cambridges.

Other Cambridges:  Art in Cambridge, Western Australia

I'm starting with Cambridge, WA, because I grew up in Sydney, New South Wales (during my adolescence) so I feel an affinity with this particular Cambridge.

Cambridge, Western Australia, is a town (or to be precise, a local governmental area) near or in the city of Perth.

Here is a google streetview screenshot of a street in Cambridge, WA, to give you an idea what the urban fabric looks like.  It's very different from Cambridge, Cambs.








At first, I wasn't able to find much art in Cambridge, WA.  But that may be due to me not physically being in Cambridge, WA.  I've never been to Cambridge, WA, in fact, and did my research entirely via the internet.   So if you read this and know more about the art in Cambridge, WA, do let me know!!

I did find this brochure on public sculpture at Ocean Mia:

And I even found the development of Ocean Mia via google maps.  Here is Kinta Street, and you can see the round stone sculptures on the grassy strip at left.  I can certainly pick out the white sphere, and I think the upright black one with the red concentric circles (shown in the brochure) is hidden by a tree and visible only via its shadow.  Another horizontal sculpture is visible at the top edge of the google map screenshot.



Who is the sculptor of these stones?  I don't know but it could be Judith Forrest who made this Maid with My Own Hand but also made sculptures at Ocean Mia.

Judith Forrest, Maid with my own hand

However, the style is quite different so I'm not too sure...

What else?

Once I started looking, I found more art.

The Cambridge Library on Floreat Avenue houses the Boulevard Centre, and the Centre is used for art exhibitions.

Their website doesn't seem to have been udpated since 2012 but in that year the Centre showed paintings by:

Dennis Carrick (Red Tulips)

Robin Tunnicliffe (Swan River at Maylands)

Pippa Newby

Janine Cairnes

(Click on the artist's name to find out more.)

Here is a picture of the Cambridge Library which opened in 2002:



I couldn't find out who the architects are but I like the clean lines, the use of softly-coloured stone, and the cantilevered flat roof.

What else?

Within the jurisdiction of Cambridge lie the wetland areas of Perry Lakes.  Somewhere in this area, stands this iron sculpture:



A tent with a fleur-de-lys inside:  I have no idea of the symbolism.  It would be nice to picnic there, though.

The Town of Cambridge runs a number of Art and Culture programmes, including the Local Schools Art Exhibition.

In September 2012, this was won by Phoebe Withers (Year 1) for Emu Express:

Finally:

Watch this interesting video about Perth's public art policy.  Perry Lakes is  mentioned at 3:30.  I particularly like the iron nests at 3:10 and the kangaroo at 1:35.

Well, initially I only looked for some art but it's turned into quite an adventure and also a detective-like feat:  armchair travel certainly has changed in the age of the world-wide web.  I feel as if I've been immersed in a strange and different place for the past hour or so.  

I look forward to my next 'trip'!  I hope you'll join me!

And if you are from a Cambridge that's not Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, do let me know what to look out for!!

Copyright notice:  Pictures are linked from the websites cited above.  I've credited artists where their name was known.  Please let me know if you feel that you have not been correctly credited.  All artwork is © of the artist named.

permalink:  http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2013/08/other-cambridges-cambridge-western.html

Madingley Hall 3: The Turret

Remember my visit to Madingley Hall?  And my subsequent wanderings about the Gardens?  This is the third and final part of my mini-series on Madingley Hall, and it's about:

The Hunting Murals in the Turret

Above, you see the east façade of Madingley Hall.  See the turret in the left corner?  That's where the murals are, right at the top, up an old winding staircase.



The murals were painted in the late 16th / early 17th century, by a local Cambridge artist.  This one shows a Bear Baiting.

Yes, there were bears.  In Cambridge.

The owners of Madingley Hall kept bears in their grounds for sport.



This black bear is being attacked by three dogs.  The huntsman to the left does not look too happy.  You've got to love his nifty hat.



"Help!  Bear attack!"  (Not words you hear much these days in Cambridgeshire...)



Another mural shows a wild boar.  It seems to be mauling some sort of creature (can you tell what that is?).  Just look at that fierce expression.

This is a great bit of art to look at with children!



A less violent scene:  huntsmen, horses, hounds -- and are those two birds falcons?



This bird reminds me of the bird I saw inside the Hall, on the 17th-century tapestry.






Good-bye, Madingley Hall and Gardens!  I'll be back again for sure!



Have you been to Madingley?  What did you think?  Perhaps some of you have done courses for, with the University of Cambridge's Institute for Continuing Education?

Let me know in comments!

Part 1:  Madingley House (and its paintings)
Part 2:  Madingley Gardens (and its sculptures)



Permalink:  http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2013/07/madingley-hall-3-turret.html

Madingley Hall 2: The Gardens

Remember when I visited Madingley Hall?  Through the windows of the Saloon, I glimpsed the Gardens, laid out by the famous garden designer Capability Brown in 1756.

I couldn't wait to get out of the hall and wander through those amazing grounds.




It was a sultry summer's day.  I took off my shoes and walked barefoot on the perfectly-mown lawn.  There's nothing quite like springy soft turf under your soles.  Absolutely gorgeous!



I don't know an awful lot about garden design but this combination of wild meadow and architectural formal bushes strikes me as peculiarly English.




Don't you just want to wander down this grassy path?  Like Little Red Riding Hood being tempted into the woods?



And what do you find down in the woods?  Not a Big Bad Wolf but this lovely lichen-clad statue along the Lower East Walk.






Yes, there's art in the Madingley Gardens, too.  Sculpture among nature:  is there anything more Romantic?

This bust of an ancient God stands at the end of the long formal grassy walk, the one with the clipped bushes on either side.



Turn around, and you will see the north façade of the Hall.  It was built in the 1590s, and re-designed in 1909-10.




See the arched shapes at the bottom of the façade?  And above them, the light-coloured rectangles?  This heraldic bird of prey is one of them.  Don't you love its stern eyes and lolling tongue?



A bit further on in the wall, we find this gargoyle.





And under the terrace, the Buddha Pond.  Note also the fun beast's head.



I walked around to the south side of the building and found this Hazel Walk, planted in the first half of the 19th century.



Goldfish and lilies in a pond.



The Sunken Garden, full of white flowers.



A sundial invites you to sit and dream.



Lichen, stone, spiky grass and fatty leaves:  all sorts of textures.



And a lush display of polygonatum or Solomon's Seal.



Now why does the one in my garden not look like that??



Look out for my future blog post, the third and last in the series on Madingley Hall:  Murals of bears and wild boar in the turret.

Enjoy these hot summer days!


Permalink:  http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2013/07/madingley-hall-2-gardens.html

Part 1:  Madingley House (and its paintings)

What so see on Weekend 2 of Cambridge Open Studios 2013

Weekend 2 is the busiest of the Cambridge Open Studio weekends!   (Don't forget your bottle of water and sun lotion...)

Here's my pick of what Open Studios to visit on Weekend 2 (13-14 July 2013):

In town:

Heather Gardner

H. Gardner, Jesus Green

Primavera Art Gallery, King's Parade, CB2

Studio nr 40

I saw these paintings last weekend and loved the gentle, atmospheric looks at Cambridge corners and scenery from further afield.

Fitzwilliam Museum event at John Lewis:  Sat, 13 July, 10-4; Stuart Catterson paints a canvas in the store.  (Is it art? or advertising?)

Grafton Centre area:

Jeremy Mulvey

J. Mulvey, Museum Staircase

59 Maids Causeway, CB5

Studio nr 86

I've liked this artist for many years:  suited and booted office workers, caught up in surreal situations.

Along the river:

Cambridge Museum of Technology

( I previewed it here.)

Studio 32a-h

So much to love!

South:

Continuing from Week 1:

Clare Maria Wood

C.M. Wood, Ancient Vessels 2

160 Perne Rd, CB1

Studio nr 70

One of my favourite artists in Cambridge.  You'll love her paintings from Cornwall and Yorkshire, mid-way between landscape, abstraction and mystery.

St Barnabas Press
(previewed here)

9 Belfast Yard, Coldhams Rd, CB1

Studio 34a-g

So much to see!

Susan Abbs

S. Abbs, Moonlight

36 Kinnard Way, CB1 (off Queen Edith's)

Studio nr 83

I'm intrigued by this strange tree.



Further south:

Georgia Record

G. Record, Highland Cow

West View, Hauxton Rd, Little Shelford CB22

Studio nr 148

What a great cow!  And she's got great sheep as well.  A new young artist on the scene, and she's absolutely wonderful.  

To the west:

Sue Rapley

S. Rapley, Burwash Sheep

Burwash Manor, Artists' Marquee, New Rd, Barton (heading out towards Comberton)

Studio nr 125a

What great quirky sheep!  I really look forward to heading out to Burwash.

Continuing from week 1:

Justin Rowe

J. Rowe, Shoot the Moon

6 Rectory Lane, Kingston, CB23

Studio nr 129

We all love Justin Rowe's Christmas displays.  Why not try his filigree creations in summer?

North:

Melanie Max

M. Max, Winter Light 04

Kaetsu Centre, Murray Edwards College (New Hall), Huntingdon Rd, CB3

Studio nr 2

Another favourite of mine:  this icy blue view is just the thing for a hot summer's day.

Alison Litherland

A. Litherland, He Looks Tasty

Cambridge Artworks, 5 Greens' Rd, CB4

Studio nr 12a

My blog post on Alison Litherland's cows is one of my most popular posts.  Another chance to see them moo.

Jo Tunmer

J. Tunmer, Standing Atop

59 Highworth Ave, CB4

Studio nr 21

Interesting vistas.  Can't wait to visit.

Further north, in and near Ely:

Angela Mellor

A. Mellor, Fragmented Light Vessel

38a St Mary's Street, Ely CB7 4ES
(not listed in Guide but is opening her wonderful gallery to the public, with beautiful ceramics)

I discovered Angela Mellor's beautiful ceramics two years ago.  You'll fall in love with her studio-gallery, too.

Andrew Jones (kinetic sculpture)

A. Jones, Cross - Disrupted

13 Deacons Lane, Ely, CB7

Studio nr 183

Not as much sculpture at the Open Studios as painting and these look promising and strange.

Anthony Day

A. Day, Autumn Fen

12 Pond Green, Wicken, CB7

Studio nr 177

A view from the fens.  What better way to see them?

For more art, visit the Cambridge Open Studios website.

All art in this post © the artists.  Source of images:  the Cambridge Open Studios website.

More Open Studios on my blog:

What to see north of the river

The top five collective art studios

What to see on Weekend 1 of Cambridge Open Studios 2013 (and some of these studios will be open on other weekends, too)

Permalink:  http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2013/07/what-so-see-on-weekend-2-of-cambridge.html