Research on The Usher Gallery and James Ward Usher.

We have done some research on The Usher Gallery and James Ward Usher himself as we believe knowing the history of the site could be used and interpreted into our performance to ensure it is relevant to the site we are working/performing in.

The Usher Gallery:

. Opened in 1927 following a bequest to the city by Lincoln jeweller James Ward Usher.

. Usher collected a lot of the art that is displayed in the gallery. He built his collection up over 30 years and it consisted of ceramics, watches, clocks, coins, silver, miniatures and paintings.

. Usher himself was a talented artist.

. He never married therefore in his will he left his collection to the city of Lincoln on the understanding that it would be the basis for a museum and art gallery that would bear his name.

. He left almost £60000 towards the cost of the building which was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.

. He was educated at Lincoln Grammar School and Totteridge Park School

.1886 he was the first business man in Lincoln to introduce electricity into his shop from his own generating plant.

.Chose the ‘Lincoln Imp’ as his logo at the jewellers

.Honoured with the position of Sheriff in Lincoln in 1916

As Sir Reginald Blomfield designed the building for The Usher Gallery we thought it may be helpful to research his life as well as we could link his involvement to the building with our performance as well.

.Blomfield was an architect, garden designer and an author

.He was educated at Haileybury School and Exeter College, Oxford. He graduated with a first-class degree in Classics.

.He played a major part in the completion of the Quadrant in Regent Street and the Lambert bridge, both situated in London.

 

Why we thought it would be relevant to look into the history of The Usher Gallery was due to our discussion of the corporation of time which was inspired by the collection of clocks and watches in the gallery. Knowing the history and portraying it during our performance emphasises the notion of time that is linked to the site we are working in.

Another interesting factor was the architecture of  the building compared to James Usher himself. It is evident he was a business man and part of the middle classes but The Usher Gallery itself seems to replicate that of a manor house which was more associated with the upper classes during the 1920’s when the gallery was built. This could be an interesting factor to explore. An idea I had which was inspired by the crockery and tea set collection in the gallery was that half way during our performance to sit down and have afternoon tea thus channelling the contrast between the working class (Usher) and the upper class (the architecture of the building).  It could also be interesting to link the architect himself Sir Reginald Blomfield to our performance. A way in which we could link this is through our ‘cultural smuggling’ of London in the shape of Big Ben into the gallery as Blomfield influenced the architecture of large landmarks in London so therefore not only are we introducing ‘cultural smuggling’ into our performance we are linking it to the history and the architect of The Usher Gallery.

Tea set

The inspiration for the incorporation of time.
The inspiration for the incorporation of time.

 

Artistic Statement

While it seems we have moved away from our original first ideas, there are still some components we have previously considered that will be included. Instead of performing in the Collection, we have chosen a room upstairs in the Usher Gallery. We still want to connect the history of the site with modern elements found elsewhere, but have chosen to focus less on Lincoln and rather on our own history and roots. With that in mind, we have drafted an artistic statement relating to our new idea.

“It is our intention to smuggle our personal culture into a historical city, in order to juxtapose our ‘otherness’ with the narrative of the site. In order to do this, we plan on creating a sculptural model of Big Ben to signify our personal history. Within this cultural context, we also hope to include sound and costume that will strengthen our aim. By moving certain elements of London into such a cultural space, we hope the audience will be encouraged to explore their own history within an incongruous site.”

Elements to Consider

  • What sort of soundscape shall we use?
  • What sort of costume? Shall this relate to our personal culture or the Gallery?
  • How can we signify London clearly?
  • How long do we want our performance to be?

 

Author: Lacey Cole

First Ideas

Having looked around the space and had a chance to feel comfortable in both buildings, we have had some time to think of possible ideas for our performance. Interestingly, Susan Bennett’s book Theatre and Museums focuses on the link between acting and where a piece is staged, for example a museum. Being that we have a chance to perform in The Collection Museum, I found it interesting to note that ‘museums traffic mostly in material designated as representing the past, while theatrical performance takes place resolutely in the present’ (Bennett 2012, p.5). Obvious as this may be, this confronts the idea of our performance being ‘site’ specific, and whether this means we need to focus on the history of the building. Is it instead possible to make a modern element the main feature of our performance and simply touch on the history of the building? In this way, we will still have free theatrical reign and our ideas may be able to flow more freely.

Whilst considering this, we have also spent time in both buildings and so far have been more drawn to a corner of the Collection with a large window that looks out onto some modern glass offices. This may be another way of connecting historical and modern elements of Lincoln within our performance piece, as there is a large sign in that area discussing the development of Lincoln from fields to concrete. According to this sign, ‘2000 years ago it was woodland’, and ‘100 years ago there was red brick’. Therefore we must consider the changes the site has gone through to become the Usher Gallery and the Collection Museum. By connecting these elements we may be able to delve deeper in the details of the site, whilst getting our audience to consider a future building that may stand in place of the Collection, as the Collection stands where fields once were. Whilst we consider history, we must also consider the future.

collection

Pottery in The Collection Museum

References: Bennett, Susan (2012) Theatre and Museums, London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Author: Lacey Cole.