Situate yourself at the Taw Bridge at dusk, and you will gaze upon the migration of a quadrilateral flock fluttering over mirrors of dusty blue. In this world mathematics fly south for the winter. A Collaboration between Tim Anderson/Quan T and Philip Clarke, their watercolour dream titled “Taw Bridge (LIDAR)” depicts LIDAR technology, an acronym for Light Detection and Ranging, used from the Taw Bridge then wed to the landscape, which is translated onto paper using traditional watercolour techniques. Also in the exhibition at Studio Kind is Anderson/Quan T’s sound installation piece “Passing Through Journeys in Sound Audio” which utilizes a mix of contemporary and analogue sound-systems to flood the gallery with audio clips drawn from his expeditions of his favourite locations. A few meters away is Clarke’s series of meticulously pencilled out postcards showing scenes around North Devon, visually conveying an admiration for the local that is similar in heart to Quan T’s, leading to an unlikely harmony found in their collaborative work despite their mediums differences. This romance between the natural and the technical combines Quan T and Clarke’s practices to create a love-letter to Barnstaple in its 21st Century state.  

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Moving across to the back wall of the gallery, Claudia Collin’s mixed media escapes, skittles pins from a Bristol pub from a friendly game roll across the gallery floor. Scattered above we find paper records of Collin’s letters to the council following her receiving a parking ticket (she forgot to pay as she was distracted by a cat, and really who can blame her). She writes to the council on an even footing, outlining simply why an ADHD brain paired with a majestic cat is a recipe that would result in an error such as this, calling on the humanity of the powers behind the pay meter. Kitty cats and pints with palls are what makes a place feel like home, having them conform to systems such as the economy kills their power. Collin’s doesn’t let parking fines or the mass death of pubs put a rain on her parade, celebrating the weird and wild anecdotes that come with embracing everyday magic.  

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There is something combative in the modern sense of place. Human vs non-human, cats vs technology, locals vs the council. We British love to complain, the drama of two concepts at an impasse keep us fed. Change is having impacts on our sense of place; local pubs where you go have a pint and play skittles are struggling to keep up with new businesses, petting a cat can set you back on rent. This black and white debate between preserving what’s familiar and letting advancement roll in is divisive, but these works are thriving in the possibility of hope in the grey area, colouring the story by bringing LIDAR into the traditional landscape, or taking whimsy to an institutional body, seeing what can come out of a sisterhood between the two. Maybe your parking ticket will be dismissed, maybe you’ll bond over your love of the Taw Bridge with someone unlikely, maybe you’ll see a cat in a pub.