This year's display of eight of the Rowland Emett machines takes place in a number of venues as a 'scattered exhibition'. This is an experiment but there are a number of reasons why there is a logic to this.
The first is the simple practicality of organising a large exhibition at relatively short notice. The Birmingham exhibition in 2014 was the result of an unusual opportunity to stage an exhibition in a large, impressive, space at a major venue that, usually, would be booked up to three years in advance. These opportunities do not present themselves very often so we looked for another way forward.
Space tends to be the big problem, the machines need the room to operate without risk of damage to life or limb - or themselves. Finance is also a problem, Museums and Galleries have to work within their budgets and a large exhibition costs a great deal to stage, particularly if you want to promote it effectively. But smaller displays can usually be accommodated, as turned out to be the case at Brighton, Hove and Ditchling, and cross-promotion of venues becomes an opportunity when the exhibitions run in tandem.
We approached Ditchling Museum with the idea.
If you have visited Ditchling in the last twenty five years you would be forgiven for not realising that Emett had any connection with it, despite spending over thirty years living in the village and building nearly all of his machines there. There was no 'Emett Tea Rooms', no sign of him in the village museum, no blue plaques or information panels and none of his work on display - with one exception, Stoneywish Nature Reserve. Just outside the village the reserve has an 'Emett Hut' where in recent years Michael Alford has assembled a display devoted to the artist. The problem is that you need to know it is there and most visitors to the village simply don't.
In another piece of Emett Synchronicity (there has been a lot of that) the incoming Director of the newly restored and extended Museum of Art and Craft in Ditchling happened to visit Birmingham and coincidentally saw that the subject of the 'Marvellous Machines' exhibition was an artist and craftsman from the village in which he was about to run a museum dedicated to artists and craftsmen!
Our approach was very much a case of leaning against an open door. Nathaniel Hepburn, the new Director was that Emett's work was a significant omission from the Museum and was keen to have his work represented alongside that of Eric Gill and Frank Brangwyn. There would be a strong contrast in artistic style and direction, but then everything needs light and shade to make its significance stand out.
The idea of a scattered exhibition was broached and a number of other partner venues were discussed but it was unlikely that it would be possible to organise anything in time for the next summer season, but it was worth a try.
Again, the timing turned out to be right. Brighton Museums were interested in the idea and had a string of venues that could accommodate displays of varying size. They were close enough to Ditchling to make the idea of a 'scattered exhibition' work geographically and offered a good variety of venues each of which could then advertise the others.
The road from there to here has had its pitfalls and budget constraints have made their presence known in last minute changes of venue, but we have another Emett exhibition off the ground and residents of, and visitors to, the south east of England will now have the chance to see the machines in action.
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