Artist In Residence
Drawing as Artist in Residence, I tried to rearrange the reality of Hertford’s history, present, and future using realistic drawings and distortion of perspective as well as misplacement of objects. I took on a colorful Alan Davie approach, especially his shared vision with surrealists, and translated it into my own story. This story is connected creating 4m long panel treaded with 4 rivers that cross through the town.
The story begins with Theodore of Tarsus, the Archbishop of Canterbury who convened the first general council of Anglo-Saxon Church in Herutford (modern Hertford) in 672 AD and with the earliest reference to Hertford Town in the Ecclesiastical History of the English people written by Bede in 731 AD.
Laying at the confluence of four rivers Rib, Beane, Mimram, and Lee it needed protection from attacks by the Vikings and so Edward the Elder built two burhs as a defense. Later on, the Normans built the Hertford Castle, which was then besieged and captured after 25 days by Prince Louis of France.
Hertford Castle was visited regularly by English royalty including Queen Elizabeth Tudor and following the outbreak of plague in London in 1563, the Parliament of England met at the castle. Its prosperity grew with improved communication with London via the Lee Navigation Canal constructed in 1767.
The 19th Century was all about the arrival of the railway and expansion of the McMullen’s Brewery. But there was one more huge event significant to not only Hertford but to the history of the theory of evolution. Alfred Russel Wallace moved to Hertford at the age of five. He became a well-known naturalist, biologist, and explorer.
Wallace independently conceived the theory of evolution through natural selection and not only published jointly with Charles Darwin but his writings encouraged Darwin to publish his own ideas.Biology, however, was not the only narrative there.
William Earl Johns, the English First War pilot who created the famous air adventurer Biggles and Jack Trevor Story wrote “The trouble with Harry” later dramatized in the well-known Hitchock masterpiece.
As the story continues more stars emerge out of Hertford. The rock band Deep Purple formed inHertford in 1968 and are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and hard rock.
Rupert Grint, the Harry Potter film star, attended Richard Hale School and singer George Ezra, who was born and grew up in Hertford, attended Simon Balle School.
Hertford is a small town but it has a rich history and vibrant cultural roots. What is its future? Will it expand its artistic potential? How will it challenge the ever-changing climate?
Will it preserve its medieval structure whilst embracing contemporary architectural and planning innovations?
