Leigh Dyer at Sea
VICTORIA KINGHAM
Having seen and appreciated Bev Harling’s memory tree, it was interesting to discover a little more about Leigh Dyer, the sculptor whose metal works are so much part of the character of the Hastings and St Leonards area. He made the commemorative winkle on Winkle Island, the Bale House Canopy at Hastings Country Park, the eerie shiny snakes that hug the outsized chess pieces in George Street, and the boat sculpture sunk into Pelham Beach. Harling particularly appreciated how close Dyer was to her father, who owned the metal foundry in Ivyhouse Lane.
Leigh Dyer with Fins
An ‘art gallery gift shop’ on George Street, At Sea, opened in July this year at 52 George Street, has managed a coup. Dyer’s work, not generally made for public sale, is on display there, among that of a carefully-chosen group of painters and sculptors.
The artists represented are mainly Sussex-based and include Ben Fenton (whose Bottle Alley works are the subject of a current BBC documentary), Fiona Brown (whose internationally exhibited work uses boat-building materials), Samantha Guertin (RSMA exhibited), Glyndebourne resident artist Julian Sutherland-Beatson, Peter Quinnell, Daxa Parmar, Carrie Warrior, James MacKinnon (also featured in this newspaper), Drew Copus (mural artist, featured here two years ago), Phil Hannath, Jacqui Summerfield, Jed Boyle, Sassy Luke, and Richard Elliott. Gallery owner Amy Walker hopes that their gallery can become part of the larger collective, Own Art, which allows clients to buy original art on interest-free credit terms over the course of ten months.
Twelve steel fins by Dyer, made of crib steel and about a foot high, have been presented for sale. “I want the work I make in Hastings to help people see the beauty of the place, perhaps with fresh eyes,” he states. “From the Marina, the mussel shells made with Sarah Evans, Peter Quinnell and local school kids, to the Dirty Old Town sign on Russell Court that casts a shadow, I hope people might stop to think about the environment the work is in. I like to move forward, making new stuff informed by previous pieces. The fins were enjoyable to make and have sold quickly, I’ll no doubt be making a new edition soon.”
At Sea: 52 George Street, Old Town: atsea.studio. Leigh Dyer instagram: instagram.com/leigh_dyer. Drew Copus: tinyurl.com/4wrpa2xw. James McKinnon: tinyurl.com/James-MacKinnon-Feature.
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