Trip to Kettles Yard

We visited Kettles Yard yesterday, we looked round the Kettles Yard House first, then at the exhibition space attached.

Kettles Yard house has remained the same since the owners Jim and Helen lived and worked there, the extension, where the permanent exhibition resides, was built in 1973 and in 1990 Jim and Helen donated their house and collection to University of Cambridge yet remained in the House as live-in Curators, allowing Under-graduates to visit the house between 2 and 4pm everyday for the remainder of their stay.

Helen and Jim were very particular on where they placed there possessions. They looked at how the objects fitted together and the composition of both furniture and artwork. Jim was especially interested in light and the way it could be used to create different spaces and moods. Both particularly appreciated minimalistic interior spaces and how the shadows moved, changed and effected the placement and effectiveness of objects around the house. They considered everything they put in the house with great care and precision yet the house was still very much used as a domestic space.

The group found the non-permanent exhibition that was there by Agnes Martin a little less informative or helpful as the House, although the pieces on display were pleasant, they were extremely simple and minimalist, and despite having an interesting concept behind therm, the artwork itself was a little less interesting.

This trip to Kettles Yard was extremely interesting and enjoyable and will be of great help with our 'Changing Spaces' project.