Previous Exhibitions - Common Sights by Conrad Atkinson

Common Sights

by Conrad Atkinson

10 November 2003 - 28 February 2004

Conrad Atkinson uses his unique style to explore the poetry of William Wordsworth's poetry and images of the poet in a new exhibition alongside the poets former home at Grasmere.

The contemporary exhibition, at The Wordsworth Trust's 3oW Gallery mixes the poetry with modern day lyricists such as rap star Eminem and Kurt Cobain, leader of the grunge group Nirvana. Regular exhibitions are held in the gallery, which allow artists to explore the links between Wordsworth, the other Lake Poets and the concerns of the present day.

Conrad Atkinson was born in West Cumbria in 1940 and has had a long career as a visual artist, exhibiting all over the world, and gaining a reputation as one who engages uncompromisingly with controversial political material.

Common Sights takes its title from Wordsworth's poem 'Intimations of Immortality': like Wordsworth, Conrad asks 'Where is it fled, the visionary gleam? / Where is it now, the glory and the dream?' in his investigation of the damaged world and culture in which we live.

Eight new portraits of Wordsworth have all been inspired by the only painting known of him while he lived at Dove Cottage, painted by Henry Edridge in 1805. Text from both Wordsworth and rap star Eminem have been used to recreate the painting - along with an assortment of insects - paying homage of Wordsworth's passion for nature, particularly poems such as 'To a butterfly', 'Resolution and Independence' and 'To a Celandine'. However, Conrad freely admits that visitors will not find a single daffodil in the exhibition, although they do appear in the accompanying catalogue.

The gallery will also display a version of the suit Wordsworth wore to collect his Poet Laureateship in 1843. This Savile Row pinstripe has been decorated with gold embroidery of wildlife, flowers and insects and is displayed alongside a small text panel describing, in typically sardonic fashion, the origins of the suit. In his work Conrad challenges the way we remember the history that makes up our perceptions of the present, and questions the motives of those who seek to manipulate it for their own ends.

Dr Robert Woof, Director of The Wordsworth Trust, said: "We are delighted that Conrad Atkinson is exhibiting in the 3°W Gallery. Conrad is always an exciting artist and the new work that he has produced for the Wordsworth Trust is as challenging as ever."

Conrad's previous work has engaged with industrial disease, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Thalidomide scandal, and, more recently, the proliferation of landmines. He is the official artist of the US Campaign to Ban Landmines (Vietnam Veterans Trust). He now divides his time between the University of California at Davis, where he is Professor of Art, and Cumbria.