Eleanor Engle
Born 1959. Eleanor studied Modern Languages followed by History of Art at Clare College, Cambridge from 1978-1982. She had completed an Art Foundation course previously and was desperately missing art college. She had heard all about Kettle's Yard before she arrived in Cambridge and from Duncan Robinson (also interviewed) who was her Director of Studies. For three years her college rooms were very nearby, further up up Castle Hill, and Kettle's Yard became an artistic home to her. She was a student invigilator and with support from Jeremy Lewison and Mike Tooby (both also interviewed), arranged artists' talks at Kettle's Yard for student audiences. At the time of the interview she was living and working as an artist in London.
Interviewed: 2008-04-25By: Robert Wilkinson
Length: 46 mins
Media: On 1 track on CD with summary
Interview id: MYKY09
Invigilating c.1980, responding to the whole visual environment
View: Transcript Theme: House as artwork
You know, at the age 19, 20, it was really, I think it was probably very influential on me. The fact that, it wasn't just that it was pictures all over the wall, but it was that everything was, sort of, mixed in together. Lots of people said, 'Oh, it's so nice because it has such a peaceful atmosphere there', but I think for me, really, it was just that it was a... the whole thing was a whole visual environment. Visual language is not the thing in Cambridge and that's what I was pining for, that's what I wanted. Being in that environment, you know, having the excuse to be there for two hours on a Saturday to let people in, but really it was so that I could just soak in that whole... and look at, really just, not just soak in but actually look at all that whole visual environment - it's pebbles next to wild flowers next to Gaudier-Brzeska, a bit of thing, a bit of sculpture... I suppose because I sat on that table letting people in, that really sunk into me somewhere.
Direct link to audio: .mp3
