16th What We’ve Been Up To. Week Ending 15/06/2014

With the Summer, our busiest season at the Town House is upon us. For the next three months there will be constant activity for everyone associated with The Regency Town House.

Barely have we settled down from the last Art exhibition than Isis Gallery prepares for its seasonal display timed to open on the summer solstice. The artist on display will be Jamie Reid and the title of the exhibition is, intriguingly, Time for Magic.  Further details will follow but in order to whet appetites, it must be mentioned that a tipi is involved.

Charles Burns, one of the country’s leading silhouettists, paid a visit to the office in order to catch up with, and to make, arrangements for our upcoming Silhouette exhibition.  Since they arrived,  all our overseas interns have been involved with the silhouette project, so it was of great interest to them all to see a master-cutter at work.  Charles kindly cut profiles of all the students which they are all pleased to have as such unique mementos of their time with us.

We are extremely lucky to have an architect of Geoff Kavanagh’s calibre associated with the Town House. Last week Geoff took a party of volunteers on a walk  to illustrate the distinctive features of Regency buildings. Alerting people to window shapes, porticos, ornamentation and the playfulness of Regency architecture is to allow them to judge, at a glance, the probable dates of Brighton buildings. An invaluable tool for many of us who work at the Town House.

I mentioned recently that our German intern Karoline, had finished her time with us.  Applying to Nick, the Curator, for ideas on where in England she and her boyfriend should go to  see some of England’s treasures, she was furnished with   a very comprehensive list of suggestions which covered any direction in which they travelled.  We received an email and photos yesterday and realised, to our astonishment, that she and Pierre had gone in every direction and had probably seen more of England in a fortnight than most inhabitants see in a lifetime.  Used to being gently teased about her efficiency, it seems that Karoline left us with final proof of  where such efficiency and thoroughness can take one.

Perhaps everyone is well aware that there is going to be a Brighton and Hove Armed Forces Day on June 22^nd as part of the WWI Centenary events? However anyone with an historical bent – such as most of our Friends – might be interested to know that the letters of many of the Indian patients at the Pavilion during WWI will be read out during the afternoon.  Apart from the brass bands and cadet parades, there will also be a talk about the WWI Nurses who worked at the Western Front  during that same period.  Details should be here: -  www.visitbrighton.com/first-world-war

Nicholas, one of our French interns, has been occupied with the silhouette project since arriving.  However, Nick Curator one day involved him in the making of a 3D design for a silhouette chair which gave me a great idea.  Although he wasn’t sure what the item was at first, a quick glance through Google Image reassured him and he is now designing the Regency-style puppet theatre I have been wanting for our children’s programme. Which is another reason we are so lucky with our volunteers here – we can turn their hands (or minds) to anything!