Eastbourne's Towner Gallery

The Towner Gallery, Eastbourne

In the current edition of the Hastings Observer there is a letter from a disgruntled Hastings resident, complaining about Hastings' Jerwood Gallery:  "Jerwood came to Hastings to regenerate the town and as such it has failed and we, the council tax payers of the town, are picking up the tab".

I've no particular axe to grind in the griping that goes on about the Jerwood.  But I know two things: first, that it's unlikely that any contemporary art gallery will succeed in regenerating a town on its own - it can only be one of a number of factors.  If anyone thought that Hastings would suddenly spring into prosperity as a result of the Jerwood they had to be bonkers.  The second thing I know is that the local community of Hastings residents dislike change - or, I should say, any change that takes them outside their comfort zone. 

The Jerwood is one of a string of recently-opened contemporary art venues along the south coast, including the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester, the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne, and the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill.  We visited the Towner Gallery on Sunday.  It describes itself as "the contemporary art museum for south east England", which is flying a bit high in the circumstances.  On the first floor there was an installation by the Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota.  It consists of five panelled doors that each opens into a series of passages that wind between floor-to-ceiling cobwebs made out of black wool, lit by bare light bulbs behind.  The introductory panel said that the woollen cocoons arise from the artist’s desire to ‘draw in the air’ and represent her own physical anxieties.  We were invited to enter the space and project our own fears and anxieties.  Mmmm.

On the first floor two or three small rooms lit by artificial light had some pieces from the permanent collection, focussing mainly on landscape.  We were underwhelmed.

Lunch in the café comprised sandwiches or processed snacks warmed in a microwave.  I don't think the Michelin inspectors would be impressed.

The Towner is part of Eastbourne Borough Council and is funded by them and by the Arts Council.  Entry is free.  Frankly, I'd rather pay and go to the Jerwood any day.

Antony Mair  

Installation by Chiharu Shiota at the Towner Gallery, Eastbourne