THE current exhibition at the Oriel Q, Queen's Hall Gallery, Narberth, is a superb collection of photographs by Audrey Searle. It runs until September 2. Audrey was a school teacher before pursuing a career as an artist. As a mature student she studied sculpture, then photography at West Wales School of the Arts at Carmarthen. Her work focuses around the relationship between society and the natural world and is explored through a variety of media, the most recent of which is photography. Much of the exploration is done in the evenings when it is dark or dusk and the shadows and low light reveal the world in a different way that invites inspection. In her most recent body of photographs, the relationship is a much more personal one and subject matter can be seen as metaphors for social attitudes. Some are about loss, others challenge perceptions of the ageing process that come from the glorification of youth and beauty. Experimentation takes place at all stages, but the time spent in the darkroom is the most exciting for the artist where she can see and affect the emerging images in dramatic or subtle ways. There is also a dramatic floor sculpure made of carved and burnt wood that runs along the floor of the gallery and adds to the contemplative nature of this work. Contemplation and wonder are the words suited to the installation by Clive Hoare in the small gallery room. Clive, who also recently graduated from West Wales School of Art, has created a space reminiscent of a space ship, with lights projected on moving Mobius loops that create fantastic shadows as the colours change. Stand and marvel!
