all in the eyes
FASCINATED BY THE LATE ACTOR JAMES MASON SINCE CHILDHOOD, THIS EXHIBITION IS DEDICATED TO HIM.
A complex, erudite man whose humility and seemingly contrasting deep-seated seriousness and mischievous, infectious humour drew me in. His acting, at times beautifully understated and underplayed, with the lightest of touches. I was a curious child and even at the tender age of 9, I sensed he carried a mystery or intangible sorrow within him which intrigued me.
I wanted to look behind the curtain.
I wanted to know the unknowable.
In hindsight, I realise of course, that this is a terrible idea. Looking behind the curtain, at best, spoils the magic and at worst, can be bitterly disappointing and intrusive. As we know, the beauty is to be found in the journey itself and not in the final destination. I think there’s something to be said for finding a balance between having a dialogue and exploration of the themes and retaining a veil of privacy.
Cover photo by Tony Howarth 1979.
The title of the exhibition is taken from a quote in relation to James by Bill Fairchild.
early influences
We are all influenced by our environments and our upbringing. My inspiration comes from childhood too. During my formative years, we lived with a great man, John S M Booth. He was the grandson of Charles Booth, a philanthropist who created the Poverty maps of London, and whose work led to the founding of old age pensions. John obviously inherited these compassionate traits from his grandfather. I cherished time spent with this incredible man who shared with me his great wisdom, humility, compassion and passion for life. His world of gramophones, classical music, socialism and culture was a far cry from my own and piqued my curiosity. He became my mentor.
“putting on the michael hutchence coat”
I DEBATED WHETHER TO INCLUDE THIS BUT UNDOUBTEDLY, THIS MAN HAS CONTRIBUTED TO MY INTEREST IN PERSONAS AND THE IDEA OF PERFORMANCE AS LIBERATION FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS.
We are all hybrids. Different on any given day. In any given moment. Take a performer such as Hutchence. Often derided and dismissed as a one-dimensional, clichéd rock star pretty boy in that reductive way that we make such lazy, quick judgements. By all accounts, a shy, sensitive, insecure dreamer and kind-hearted soul who ended up on the biggest of stages and in the most intrusive of careers. A man who had to “put on the Michael Hutchence coat” to be able to walk out onto that stage. Is it worth the personal cost? Do we care what artists go through to give us their art?
This exhibition is dedicated to all three on this page.
MH Credit: Photographer unknown