2016 marks the ‘Year of the English Garden’, celebrating the splendour of the country’s gardens and parks. In honour of the occasion, The Harley Gallery, on the historic Welbeck estate in north Nottinghamshire, will bring the outside into the gallery with a triple bill of garden-themed exhibitions (27 August to 23 October 2016).
Visitors can take a rare peek into the Edwardian gardens at Welbeck with an exhibition of extraordinary early colour images – in 3-D. Dating from 1911-1928 these stereoscopic autochromes capture the gardens on the ducal Welbeck estate in their Edwardian heyday. The exhibition is accompanied with a talk from Denis Pellerin, curator of musician Dr Brian May’s collection of stereoscopic photographs, one of the largest collections in the country.
Inspired by the autochromes, Julian Bray’s exhibition captures the romance and beauty of the century old photographs and continues his series of paintings capturing the timeless landscape of the ducal country estate.
Leading British jeweller Nora Fok returns to The Harley Gallery with New Threads. Renowned for her intricate jewellery and sculpture made from knitted fishing line, for this exhibition she has taken to her garden and presents new work made from home grown flax.
Gardens for a Duchess – Autochromes of the Gardens at Welbeck
Among the many works of art in The Portland Collection, a plain mahogany, upright, table-top box could easily be overlooked. Extraordinary 3-D images are hidden within, which document previously unseen views of the gardens at Welbeck as they were in the early 20th century, during the lifetimes of the 6th Duke and Duchess of Portland. Displayed in 3D viewers, visitors can walk amid this picturesque moment of history.
For Dr Brian May, of the rock band Queen, stereoscopy has been a lifelong passion and he is the owner of one of the largest collections of stereoscopic photographs in the country. He said: “There are countless stereo photographs out there waiting to be observed in glorious 3-D, which will make you gasp in wonder, their old sorcery still potent after all those years. I am in my own world with a stereoscope. It’s like having earphones on – you’re completely in contact with your subject matter.”
Dr Brian May’s curator, Denis Pellerin will be lecturing at The Harley Gallery on 24 September, exploring 3D photography through a range of examples, including images from the exhibition and pieces from Dr May’s own collection.
YouTube: An introduction into Stereoscopy by Dr Brian May – http://bit.ly/29m178
For more information on The Harley Gallery visit: www.harleygallery.co.uk
