» Hove Art Trail
Explore a wealth of exciting art in homes around Hove through the renowned Hove Art Trail, and have a blast doing it, writes Crispin Gair.
Hove Art Trail-goers are easy to spot. We appear in May, a brochure and an A to Z in hand, wearing an expression halfway between intrepid explorer and devout pilgrim. We fly in twos and threes, like starlings to the West Pier, flock a while in one spot then suddenly take off for the next. We do it because we love to search – for inspiration, for beauty, for something provocative, for something to own, for the unexpected…
What surprises many first-timers on the Hove trail is the fun and friendliness of the event. A world apart from the stuffy, hushed galleries of the art establishment, Artists Open Houses are a month-long hum of warm welcomes and infectious enthusiasm, as well as being home to genuine talent and accomplished work. The quality of the trail has been recognised in recent years, with awards for Best Open House and Best Art in a Garden.
The variety of venues is an attraction in itself, this year encompassing converted stables, a five-star hotel, a synagogue, a vehicle testing station, hidden gardens and mews studios as well as modern flats and Georgian houses. One not-so-secret pleasure that trail-goers enjoy is the chance to sneak a guilt-free peek at people’s homes and workspaces.
And then, of course, there’s the art. As in previous years, the sheer variety of the trail undermines any prejudice that Hove is a dull, safe or parochial place. Yes, there’s something proudly local about the event and the artists, who herd themselves like surprisingly well-organised cats for the duration. But ‘Hove actually’ is home to a broader diversity of people, places, styles, influences and output than you might imagine.
A glance through the brochure (pick up your copy at a local shop, cafe or bar, or visit www.hovearts.co.uk) gives you a sense of it. Even a partial list reads like the cargo manifest of some exotic treasure ship: jewel-hued oils on canvas, abstracted landscapes, comic book cityscapes, tumultuous seascapes, cross-faded soundscapes and sensual bodyscapes, photography of all kinds (close-up, black and white, portrait, documentary), garden expansion kits hinting at Arizona, screen-prints infused with spirits of Barcelona, sculptured forms in stone, wood and clay, bold silver and delicate gold, gloriously fine porcelain and splendidly rough earthenware, pastels and pencils smudged and twirled on to fine papers, textiles stretched, stitched and woven, glassware blown and resins patinated, multilayered unknown and unnamed media, multifarious views of Brighton and Hove.
Part of the game of the trail is finding your own way through the glorious chaos of it, establishing your own style of exploration and discovery. Make of it what you will – a full-on social whirl or a private mission. Work out the optimum route round, or compare notes with other visitors. Start at Hove Station or on the seafront at the Peace Statue. Cherry-pick venues or visit every single one. Be a silent observer or interview each artist. Feast on art alone or gorge yourself on the cakes, teas, chocolates and other treats on offer. Cram everything into one manic weekend or tease it out over all four. Buy nothing, buy a postcard or splashout on a bigger bargain.
When you’ve done it once, you’ll know why Hove Art Trail is a highlight of the Artists Open Houses and the whole Brighton May Festival, and why an ever-growing gang of us keep coming back. So, we get our parents to chaperone us if we’re kids, we get our relatives to push us if we’re wheelchair-bound, we drag our telly-addicted partners, our art-allergic siblings, and anyone else who’ll come and share our curiosity and sense of adventure. Membership is free. Art is cool. And Hove is where the art is.
Venues are open 11am-6pm, on the weekends of 3/4, 10/11, 17/18 and 24/25 May 2008.
For more information please visit: www.hovearts.co.uk
For a copy of the Artists Open Houses brochure, email your address details to: brochureplease@aoh.org.uk
