Looking out, Looking in - the reflections of our Creative Director

Changing light. Glass. Horizon. A coastline hoarding fossilised treasures. The Cobb. The Sea.

These were the key words in my mind as I thought about how to hang a show in a glass box perched above the seafront.

Lyme has a mysterious claim upon the people who live here and those who’ve known it as children or visited throughout their lives. It is at one and the same time a summer seafront full of children, ice-cream, the Arcade, fish & chips, swooping seagulls. The other side is the one the locals reclaim before trading begins and when everyone has gone home, blustery dog walks, watching the rolling weather systems from the West, myriad vessels bobbing in the harbour waiting to go fishing.

My aims for the exhibition were to create a light, fresh approach to photography, illustration and painting. Images were hung directly on the glass, approached from differing angles, from underneath, from the side, from a distance, seen from inside and out. I had to be respectful of the gardens and the view. It became clear that when you are inside the box you are always looking out and when outside drawn to look in. I asked the artists and photographers to submit two images with their interpretation of the title and decided that we had to hang the show with the images back to back, looking out , looking in.

Some of the images were melancholy, ethereal, quiet studies in contemplation, private moments. Others were bold and confident tackling the immense view head on. We tried to achieve a balance that showcased the work but still allowed you a glimpse of the skyline beyond.

Now the dust has settled and we’ve had time to absorb all the comments, reply to all the artists and photographers. It has been such an enormously rewarding experience and I’m so looking forward to pulling together the next event in Barcelona.

Chelsea