Objectification of Women

Ever had a bad day? I’ve had two of them in a row this week. In a turn of good fortune, my wanderings led me to a sign post for an exhibition that was on its last day.

Not wanting the bad news, menstrual cramps or my laptop that had crashed to get me down any longer, I decided to be brave, and venture out for a long walk. The fresh air, a tonic, to clear my overcrowded head.

Nestled within Hornsey Town Hall Arts Centre, I stumbled upon the ‘Objectification of Women’ by M.J. Waldner. Admittedly, I’ve been living in the Crouch End area for over two years, and haven’t set foot inside this grade II listed building.

Currently managed by the ANA Arts Project Ltd, they rent spaces within the building to small businesses. One of these is the Ply Gallery. This contemporary art gallery was hosting a multimedia exhibition that asks are women shaped by society to become objects. In particular, exploring the themes of objectification of women through advertising and the media. The artist says has it “become so common place we barely notice it anymore”, whether objectifying or liberating, empowering or exploiting, sex sells and art is for sale.

Mossy - mixed media collage with perspex

A Trois - photography print

The show works in three ways. Waldner, an artist who remains a mystery, approaches each of the subjects by depersonalising with collage. The collage work consists of primary shapes and colours which alludes to the basic nature of the human behaviour. The framed works include pencil drawings, pre-published posters and photography. Posed block-headed Barbie dolls make up the 3D, and through metaphor, FUTURE LOVE shows looks at how violent, aggressive pornography shape attitudes of a young girl’s mind towards relationships.

Gallery director Daniella Bowyer informs me that Ply has been opened for over a year. She says that “its quite hard to find a good sized space for the price that can platform video work, sculpture”.

She adds, “positive reviews and people like dealing with me people come back, it just seems to flow”.

The Modernist art-deco style building was erected in 1935 by New Zealand born architect Reginald Uren, but nowadays it’s looking like the vacant set of The Shining. It’s undeniable the building is is much need of some TLC, yet that this arts centre has an unsophisticated charm.

Hornsey Town Hall is a really important landmark for Crouch End, but in October last year, it was released that a developer from Hong Kong is planning a mixed-use scheme of combining community spaces, a boutique hotel, cafe/restaurants and residential development. The news has been met with criticism with local residents worried about public access and community use.

Work on site could start as early as autumn 2017, which should enable the restored building to open by 2020.

Happiness isn’t the absence of problems, but a little bit of local history and afternoon culture is.