People Play

I met my daughter at Halifax's Piece Hall recently, for a meal and then a trip to the theatre. We went to see 'Giovanni Pernice: This is Me' at the Victoria Theatre, a touring dance show starring the Italian professional dancer from 'Strictly Come Dancing'. It was colourful, cheeky and actually very funny in parts, with fabulous dancing, lighting and costumes as you'd imagine. We had a very good time, part of our Christmas present to each other. It's not often that just the two of us meet up separate from the rest of the family, so I enjoyed that.

Beforehand I explored the new sculpture installation in the Piece Hall courtyard. Called 'People Play', it has been commissioned from emerging artist Alice Irwin. It consists of nine large, colourful painted metal characters, exploring the concept of childhood, play and also referencing the treatment of children in the textile trade in Victorian times. I found it quite fun, though not especially engaging. Children (perhaps inevitably) seemed more drawn to it and to the holes and spaces within the figures. The Piece Hall is such a vast space that things within it seem tiny by comparison so, although the pieces were substantial, they still seemed a little lost in the space. But perhaps there is food for thought there too... 

It looked more interesting after dark, when a heavy rainstorm created reflections to add to the illuminations created for the exhibition's opening night.