Temporary intervention. Main entrance of Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery. For Lace Works Exhibition at Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery. England


For Lace Works "Brown has also created a temporary outdoor work - Veils (2012) - in response to the colonnade immediately outside the main entrance to the Castle. The colonnade is home to a group of portrait busts - sculptures of writers and poets associated with Nottingham, including Lord Byron, DH Lawrence and Henry Kirke White. Three of these have been shrouded in lace fabric, the folds held in place by cord bindings. They bring to mind the coverings used to protect furniture and precious ornaments in country houses, when the owners are away from home.”



“The bright white of the synthetic fabric stands out against the mellowed stone of the Castle building, yet it assumes a sombre, ghostly appearance in the gloom of a winter’s day. The cloth is machine-made lace net curtaining, which Brown sourced from Nottingham’s Victoria Market. Net curtains are designed to provide privacy - to screen the inside from outside view, whilst also letting in light. Here, the net forms a translucent boundary that conceals the identity of the portraits but allows us to peep at what is underneath.”

Extracts from ‘Lace Works’ Exhibtion Guide. Deborah Dean. Visual Arts & Exhibitions Manager. Nottingham Castle Musuem & Art Gallery. 2012

Left to right

William and Mary Howitt - covered

Lord Byron - covered

Henry Kirke White - uncovered

DH Lawrence - covered