Falmouth’s former Ships & Castles Leisure Centre, closed in 2022 by Cornwall Council and now repurposed as Pendennis Community Centre will host ‘Super Fun Tyre’ an art exhibition in the now drained pool space by Penryn based artist Stuart Robinson working with Redruth’s Auction House gallery.
Stuart describes the exhibition as “An installation of sculptural works, including ceramics, signage and video, that explore childhood experiences of seaside holidays, and the objects, locations, journeys and landscapes key to these. The works in the exhibition present an opportunity for contemplating loss, nostalgia and these landscapes of fun, as well as the ways in which we seek joy and escape from the everyday, while celebrating the excitement and uniqueness sites such as these.”
“Ships and Castles is representative of an all too familiar decline of recreational ‘fun’ spaces; pleasure pools, promenades, piers and fun parks once deemed vital. The disquieting space of the empty swimming pool, once resonant with laughter and fun, but lost to memory and nostalgia, forms a unique vessel for the artworks to occupy.”
“It’s such a unique space to work with and I’m incredibly grateful to the team at Pendennis Leisure for their support with hosting the exhibition. What they’re doing with the space is a great example of community ownership bringing valuable assets back to the people they were built for in the first place and I can’t wait to see their vision for the centre fulfilled.”
The exhibition opens on Thursday 18th of July and runs until Monday 22nd July, open between 11am and 4pm with an opening celebration on the 18th between 5 and 8pm. Entry is free and everyone is welcome but unfortunately due to the nature of the site there is limited access for wheelchair users.
More information can be found at www.auctionhouseart.co.uk or www.stuartrobinson.net
