Press release: dual exhibition at the V&A to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Destruction of the Country House exhibition.

21 August 2014

Press release: dual exhibition at the V&A to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Destruction of the Country House exhibition.

September is a bumper month for SAVE. 2014 marks the 40th anniversary of the landmark exhibition the Destruction of the Country House at the V&A.

This exhibition led to the founding of SAVE Britain's Heritage in the following year. Since then SAVE has been directly and indirectly involved with saving a large number of country houses throughout the country.

To celebrate this SAVE is helping mount a dual exhibition at the V&A during the London Design Festival (September 13 - 21) which will continue at the museum until October 27th. The two exhibits have been sponsored by Gallery Sienna - friends and supporters of SAVE - and will be accompanied by a series of events.

The exhibits at the V&A comprise a display by Marcus Binney, SAVE's Executive President, entitled ‘Country House, Past, Present and Future' - a documentary on both lost and saved country houses.

This new display echoes the original exhibition's ‘Hall of Destruction', presenting a cascade of the finest lost country houses. Alongside it highlights the story of many others rescued from demolition and decay and adapted to sympathetic new uses. It also looks back to the 1974 exhibition, its impact including massive press coverage which led to the founding of SAVE Britain's Heritage, and a deeper national appreciation of the value these historic structures represent.

The other exhibit will be the world's first 12K Sculptural Video Art Triptych entitled ‘Breathless Beauty, Broken Beauty' created by artist film maker VanessaJane Hall. This immersive audio visual work takes the observer on an atmospheric journey exploring the glory and the agony of the English country house. Full details about both exhibits can be found below.

These exhibitions will be accompanied by a series of events:

There will be a vernissage of the two displays which SAVE supporters and friends are invited to attend on Friday September 12th between 6 and 10pm - this being late opening night at the V&A. We hope friends will come and take advantage of the bar in the Main Entrance, around which we can congregate and have drinks.

Monday 15 September, 10.30 - 12.30: SAVE seminar in the Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre at the V&A. This will take up the architecture theme of the London Design Festival and will consist of four talks and a discussion. Marcus Binney will talk on forty years of fighting for the country house, Clem Cecil on SAVE's battle for Smithfield, William Palin on historic buildings at risk in East London and Jonathan Brown on SAVE campaigns in Liverpool. Free, drop in.

Saturday 15 November - Seminar on the Destruction of the Country House, forty years on. Tickets available from the V&A. The themes will be: The 1974 exhibition and its background; fighting for the country house 1975 - 2014; and future challenges. Speakers will include Sir Roy Strong, John Harris, Simon Jervis, Marcus Binney, John Goodall, and Tim Knox.

SAVE is also publishing a special book to coincide with the exhibition which is titled The Destruction of the Country house, Forty Years on. Prepared by Marcus Binney and Mike Fox, this will recall both the great losses and the many houses which have subsequently been brought back to life by new owners and new uses, often as a result of inclusion in SAVE publications or major SAVE campaigns.

'Breathless Beauty, Broken Beauty'
by VanessaJane Hall
Sponsored by Gallery SIENNA & Air Moving Image.
Supported by AJA Video, LG, Medite, Unistrut, Wenta.

Inspired by her long standing fascination with country house architecture, over 12 months Vanessa travelled England to create video canvasses that captured the raw beauty of the country house whether sparkling or faded. The sculpture's temple-like form was inspired by buildings researched and visited during the project.

Observers step inside the structure, to find themselves cocooned in an audio-visual environment, where immersive sound and vision plays out on three of the interior walls. From sparkling halls to faded corridors, this three dimensional work takes the observer on an atmospheric journey which awakens the soul to the beauty and drama of the country house.

Images of sparkling splendour were shot at Castle Howard, Chatsworth, Houghton Hall & Holkham Hall. Images of faded grandeur were shot at various unnamed locations. A poetic voice over is performed by Catherine McGoohan & Neil Dickson.

http://www.breathlessbeauty.co.uk
‘Country House - Past, Present & Future'
Curated by Marcus Binney
Sponsored by Gallery SIENNA.
Photographs courtesy of Country Life and English Heritage Archives

Marking 40 years since the V&A's 1974 ‘Destruction of the Country House' exhibition.

The 1974 exhibition was curated by John Harris, Marcus Binney and Peter Thornton for Roy Strong, then Director of the V&A.

This new display echoes the original exhibition's ‘Hall of Destruction', presenting a cascade of the finest lost country houses. Alongside it highlights the story of many others rescued from demolition and decay and adapted to sympathetic new uses.
It also looks back to the 1974 exhibition, its impact including massive press coverage which led to the founding of SAVE Britain's Heritage, and a deeper national appreciation of the value these historic structures represent.

http://www.countryhouse2014.co.uk


For more information please contact Mike Fox at SAVE on 0207 253 3500/ mike.fox@savebritainsheritage.org

 

Notes to editors:

SAVE Britain's Heritage has been campaigning for historic buildings since its formation in 1975 by a group of architects, journalists and planners. It is a strong, independent voice in conservation, free to respond rapidly to emergencies and to speak out loud for the historic built environment.

SAVE Britain's Heritage, 70 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6EJ
Registered Charity 269129
Tel. 020 7253 3500 Email office@savebritainsheritage.org
www.savebritainsheritage.org
Follow SAVE on Twitter: @SAVEBrit

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