Silent concentration was interspersed with ‘oooh’s of delight and ‘oh’s of resignation as a group of us gathered for a printing workshop in the empty Motcombe Pool caretaker’s house in Eastbourne Old Town.
We were experiencing the unpredictable process of printing using a flexible silicone gel plate rollered with paint then imprinted with images or flat, textured objects.
Some images were as blurred as memory, some sharp as a negative, but each was unique depending on the mysterious combination of pressure, colour and objects used.
And the theme? Broadly, swimming and water – but leaf shapes and textured surfaces found their way into our artwork.
The free gel printing workshop was part of the wider ‘Eastbourne Alive’ project inspired by the Turner prize, hosted by the Towner gallery until April, to bring creative inspiration across the community.
Australian-born film-maker Renee Vaughan Sutherland, who lives in East Sussex, ran our workshop as part of a six-week residency at Motcombe Pool she is sharing with fellow artist Florence Wright. The sessions culminate in an art exhibition from 20 to 25 February featuring the work produced.
The swimming pool was built in 1904 and the caretaker’s house soon after that. It was inhabited until 1950 when the last postholder retired, according to Renee.
The Edwardian pool shut in Covid lockdowns and has not re-opened since due to maintenance problems. A Community Interest Company has been formed to tap into funding and explore re-opening the pool.
We sat in what was probably the living room with a chimney breast and a light-filled bay window, overlooking Motcombe Gardens and St Mary’s Church. We also reflected on a distant post-war society where a job came with a house, almost unheard of now.
Renee told us: “Landscape and place carry stories – we have 100 years of history here. The River Bourne, which fed the pool, runs underneath and the community still feels connected to this water source.”
Then she gently warned us of the unpredictable outcomes of gel plate printing. The process involves rolling on paint, lightly rubbing on an image or flat object then printing that onto a pressed-on sheet of paper before the surprise ‘reveal’. This led to results which looked nothing like we expected, but with some delightful surprises.
Renee said: “It is an imperfect process. It is very like memory in that when you peel your paper it is layered, maybe smudged and imperfect.”
She supplied striking images from a stack of Swimming Times magazines dating from the late 1920s, found in a room in the vacant house to use as images to impress into the paint.
And we knew exactly what Renee meant once we had got our hands dirty (with acrylic paint) and had a go. So absorbing was the process, I took few photos as we created, admiring each other’s work.
Artist David Rice lives nearby, having moved from Brighton a few years ago. He said: “I have always wanted to come inside this building. It’s great being in an old historic building and doing something creative.”
University librarian Mark Bunt said: “I’ve been having great fun – I love anything creative!”
And administrator Torsie Webb (above right, with Renee), who used to swim at the pool every Monday, was happy to carve some time for herself away from a busy family life with young children.
“I really enjoyed this – it’s very out of my comfort zone but I thought it would be nice to have something just for me to do.”
We left some prints behind for the exhibition, but took a favourite as a memento of this slice of Turner prize action.
As I left in the late winter dusk, a man getting out of his car asked me if the building was reopening. I explained about the workshop and the pool’s continued closure.
He said: “It was a brilliant place – a swim and a great coffee shop. I learnt to swim here!”
And I learnt gel printing here – but I’d love to go back for a swim some day.
:: Other workshops at Motcombe Pool caretaker’s house can be booked here.
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