Kettle’s Yard Director Andrew Nairne discusses curator Jim Ede's philosophy on interiors and found objects
Kettle’s Yard is a house-turned-gallery in Cambridge that curator Jim Ede shared with his wife, Helen, until 1973. It was reopened last month after receiving a significant extension designed by Jamie Fobert Architects. After talking to artist Sarah Kaye Rodden about curating interiors from collected objects, it felt fitting to speak to Kettle’s Yard Director Andrew Nairne about Jim Ede’s philosophy on interiors and found objects, as well as the gallery’s new space.
Andrew, Jim Ede had a very particular approach to domestic space. What lessons can we learn from him and how can people incorporate the approach at Kettle’s Yard into the design of their own homes?
“I think the lessons are the same ones as they have been since 1957 when Kettle’s Yard first opened in the Victorian cottages Jim and Helen lived in.
“Those lessons are that we should value all kinds of objects, not just art. We should pay a similar amount of attention to an arrangement of pebbles as we might to a painting by Joan Miró, for example.
“Jim’s approach raises questions about visual aesthetic value, and what gives a space a sense of being connected. Jim was very interested in how one organises spaces so that they work well with people and are enriching. He would always argue for the power of art and found objects to do that.
“He made simple arrangements with pebbles and shells throughout the house, which are much-photographed and very beautiful. Essentially the lesson is that anyone can be creative.
“There is a suggestion that just arranging three shells on a windowsill in the right light has some visual power and emotional value.
“However, this wasn’t meant to be a reproach to artists at all. Jim supported pioneering modern and contemporary artists of his time. It wasn’t one thing or the other, just an idea that everyone can create a beautiful environment, even if they can’t afford expensive art.
“How you let the light in through the windows is also important. He said the first pictures in a room are the windows. If Jim could interrupt me now he’d say that what I’ve said is all very well but natural light is equally crucial.”
Jim Ede had a very comprehensive notion of how a space should be put together. Was that reflected in the brief you gave to Jamie Fobert Architects?
“It was a long time ago! Fourteen years ago, Jamie Fobert Architects were asked to think about a new education wing.
“When I arrived in 2011, we decided to pause to see if we could raise more money for a more holistic project.
“Arts Council England came in with a very substantial grant, alongside a Heritage Lottery Fund grant. They allowed us to reimagine the whole entrance area, build a café on the ground floor, create new galleries and install substantial educational facilities.
“The galleries, which had been extended piecemeal since 1970, were no longer fit for purpose. We used to joke that the Brancusi couldn’t be moved because the galleries didn’t have any conditioning; we couldn’t even move pieces around!
“So yes, we’ve created a more encompassing vision of reimagining the whole space.”
A sense of openness and accessibility has always been intrinsic to Kettle’s Yard. What does the extension represent in terms of opening up the gallery to the public?
“It’s huge. I think it’s difficult to underestimate the fact that we’ve gone from one small room that was really meant to be a gallery, to three spacious rooms in an education wing.
“In terms of galleries, we’ve gone from an inadequate group of rooms that sort of merged into each other, to two substantial, modern galleries, which are completely environmentally conditioned and you can even shut the doors!
“The new entrance area can take a lot of people. We had about 450 people at the opening and they all managed to fit in. These are spaces in which you can actually hold a glass of wine.”
Kettle’s Yard has been extended over the years, most notably in the 1970s. How have you gone about creating a sense of continuity between the spaces?
“Jamie Fobert is extremely sympathetic and interested in the history of the house, particularly the 1970s extension designed by Leslie Martin, a Modernist British architect who was one of the key designers of the Royal Festival Hall.
“Martin’s extension in the 1970s was very different to the old part of the building. Jamie is very interested in how his extension, the biggest since Martin’s, could be seen as a natural transition, not as a distribution.
“I think this is signalled in the handmade bricks that are across the entrance area because they echo the handmade bricks used in the 1970s extension.
“Jamie is a late Modernist architect who is particularly interested in ideas of light, space and notions of craftsmanship and detail, all of which is reflected in the contemporary part.
“It’s true that the two new galleries look like two new galleries. We’ve haven’t put plants in there or antique seating, which you’ll find in the house. What we’re interested in is what works best for contemporary art and what contemporary artist want and need.”
Read more: My Modern House: artist Sarah Kaye Rodden on curating an interior from collected objects – from meteor fragments to cannonballs
God of Small Things: how to curate objects in your home
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