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`An Elemental Symphony' from local artist Vernon

Vernon Carter with some at his art work.

LISBURN artist Vernon Carter recently held a successful exhibition of his work at the Engine Room Gallery in Belfast.

In his art Vernon combined sound and vision to create a unique gallery experience for visitors to the exhibition, which was entitled An Elemental Symphony'

 He creates wooden sculpture, as well as woodcuts, paintings and drawings, all of which challenge the viewer in both a visual and emotional way.

There were some fascinating pieces in the exhibition, which Vernon has described as a form of metamorphosis/transmutation between man and nature.

One of Vernon's works of art. Vernon has also composed his own musical symphony 'Passage to the Inner Spaces' to accompany the works.

Accompanied by a close friend Andra, son-in-law Tom, daughter Yolande and six year old grandaughter Beata Powell, they play an amazing range of improvised percussion and woodwind instruments.

For one performance they used a combination of bizzare Vernon-made instruments, as well as found objects, plus specially tuned teapot lids, whistling kettle, tubular bells, toy instruments, bottles, ethnic instruments and whistles, with the audience accompanying them at times using the rustle of polythene bags.

He has also composed a more conventional work for violins and keyboards all to accompany and complement the wonderful and challenging backdrop of Vernon's own art. Speaking about his work, Vernon said: "For many years I have, through the use and interaction of a variety of media, explored natural forms, human, animal and plant, as a metaphor for the themes of growth and decay, change and stability, time and space, life and death, resulting in an ongoing series of sculptures and relief works, as well as many live works with an emphasis on the use of sound."

He went on to say: "I consider my sound works as a natural extension to my visual ones; just another medium and I see all my work as coming together, a confluence of different forces - on the one hand those of nature unleashed and on the other the artistic vision I impose on these.

"We are all, animal, human, plant alike, a part of the same cosmic dust and as such are inextricably bound to the earth."

Ulster Star
02/02/2007