in partnership with South Square Gallery in Thornton
On a very rainy Thursday 29 May Roy Voss' exhibition 'MISS' was installed into the Parsonage Garden and Meadow. Voss has made 3 sculptures of the word MISS constructed in steel which will rust over time.
Roy Voss is an internationally acclaimed artist whose work brings together art, language and the landscape. He has exhibited nationally and internationally at The Wordsworth Trust, Royal College of Art, Whitechapel Gallery, Kettle'sYard in Cambridge and Bluecoat in Liverpool. Recent group exhibitions include those at the BALTIC in Newcastle and at the Venice Biennale. He has work in various collections including the Government Collection, Arts Council Collection, Penguin Books Collection and The Aspen Collection of Contemporary Art.
'MISS' is created in partnership with South Square Gallery in Thorton and is a response to Brontë country landscape. Voss became interested in how postcards are used to communicate messages to friends, family and loved ones. They are sent unsealed and so anyone can read them, however they can contain very personal and revealing messages.
Voss carefully chooses words that have several meanings. 'MISS' not only refers to a sense of loss and longing, whether for a place or person, but it is also a polite form of address which immediately reveals the gender and marital status of the person. Voss is interested in the sense of loss and longing the Brontës experienced (for people, place and landscape) and their use of male pseudoyms which disguised their gender. He is also interested in the relationship between the Parsonage, the Brontës and people across the world today - you might miss the Parsonage when you're away from it or miss the Brontës. The exhibition also explores how people might miss, or not see, the signs themselves. On finding the signs, it is hoped that visitors will also explore the grounds, including the meadow - and take sight of the beautiful Yorkshire countryside that was once occupied by the Brontë family and inspired them.
The exhibition is here until September.