Remembering Susannah Place - Lyndall Beck

'Remembering' is such an evocative word. It places us in the present, looking back at the past - our memories, our family history, and the environment in which we grew up and developed our sense of place and belonging. Our memories are the foundations of our identity, how we define ourselves and our lives.

At Susannah Place, surviving layers of wallpaper, paint, linoleum, modifications and repairs are evidence of the 100 families who lived in the houses over 150 years; the evidence of memories and shared history. Handrails have been worn smooth; doors are marked with multiple locks and key holes; homemade cupboards and coat hooks from the Depression era sit alongside gas light fittings and kitchen ranges.

Lyndall Beck has been a practising artist for over 30 years and was immediately struck by Susannah Place when visiting. The space resonated with her in many ways - visually, environmentally, historically, spatially and structurally - and inspired her to create more than 70 oil paintings reflecting on the notion of 'remembering'.

'Seeing Susannah Place sent shivers of excitement through me. What peelings, scorings, scrapings, stainings, varied-hued patinas; layers of lives, dwelling in layers of times, in varying societal layers.' Lyndall Beck, 2009

All works are available for purchase

Past exhibition

  • 30 March 2010 - 21 May 2010

Location
The Mint