Eastlife Spring 2020

On
The
Canvas
Arts
May the Toys be With You
Brought to you from a galaxy far, far way, this exhibition of over 300 Star
Wars toys, original cinema posters and memorabilia is an absolute must
see for fans of all ages. It will be on display at the Time and Tide Museum
of Great Yarmouth Life from 28 March to 13 September. The exhibition
is not only a celebration of classic toys and collectables but also of the
iconic design and artwork of the Star Wars films. From X-Wing Fighters to
lightsabers, these fantastic creations have fired our imaginations and made
their mark on our cultural landscape since the first film was released over
40 years ago. Star Wars toys became the must-have playthings for an entire
generation, with an estimated 300 million action figures sold between 1977
and 1985. www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk/time-tide
‘Unboxing’ by Alex Frost at Firstsite
In a glass tank filled with fresh water, artist Alex Frost slowly opens
consumer products, to strangely beautiful effect. An exhibition of videos
and sculptures by her made from products that feed our ‘on-the-go’
lifestyle will be at Firstsite from 8 February to 19 April. During summer
2018, Alex Frost uploaded 48 videos onto YouTube. These videos featured
ready meals, snacks, protein shakes, vitamin tablets and energy drinks, all
‘on-the-go’ products, submerged and unpacked underwater. Frost called
these films ‘Wet Unboxings’ – a nod to the online trend of ‘Unboxing’ where
a product (usually a high-tech consumer item) is unpacked, explained
and demonstrated, all of which is captured on video and uploaded to the
internet. Alex Frost’s ‘Wet Unboxings’ quickly went viral. The objects Frost
“unboxes” reflect a life of transience. A whole tube of Berocca creates an
entrancing fizzy orange cloud and cold brew coffee is dark and menacing.
At Firstsite around 12 of these videos will be projected facing each other
on opposite sides of the gallery on screens that stretch the entire width of
the walls, immersing the viewer in the larger-than-life images. The videos
will be accompanied by a series of wall-based sculptures made from
sandwiches and frozen pizzas encased in resin —foods that are part of the
same optimised on-the-go lifestyle that the videos try to capture.
www.firstsite.uk
Art Deco by the Sea at Sainsbury Centre,
Norwich
From 9 February to 14 June, the Sainsbury Centre will open ‘Art Deco by
the Sea’, an exciting exhibition examining British coastal culture between
the First and Second World Wars and the Art Deco style. The exhibition
will explore how Art Deco transformed the British seaside in a new age
of mass tourism. It will examine how coastal resorts were modernised,
how new resorts were established and how iconic examples of Art Deco
architecture from hotels and apartment blocks to cinemas and amusement
parks altered the look of the British seafront. From the Midland Hotel
in Morecambe to the villas of Frinton-on-Sea or Hunstanton, Art Deco
became the seaside style. The show will include around 150 works in all
media including paintings, posters, brochures, drawings, photographs,
fashion, furniture, ceramics and textiles. Entry £13. www.scva.ac.uk
“In a glass
tank filled
with fresh
water, artist
Alex Frost
slowly opens
consumer
products, to
strangely
beautiful
effect.”
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