Sketches for Regency Living is suitably titled, the installation and very much "take over" of the ICA is like a huge drawing including choreography,live music,furniture and drawings. My visit (because that is what it felt like) reminded me of the experience as a child when my mum used to take me to old country houses or the Brighton Pavilion where I was aware that we were looking at something which had an important history, that people used to live and use the space.Yet Bronstein's sketches have been done in a simple and minimal way, there is no heavy wallpaper of regency fabrics to be distracted by and only a few fancy frames. Instead the take over looks as if it has been created by an architect as it is an easy space to understand and clear to understand.
I would particularly like to share the corridors stairs with you. The floor which Jennie Moncur was re-commissioned in 2008 to install is taken into account and complimented by the series of black frames running along the corridor walls. The frames emphasise the black and white floor pattern and compliment so well one could easily think that Bronstein himself had designed the floor . The frames contained drawing designs of different details of decoration for the façade of the regency building. The experience of walking up the stairs and looking at the pictures felt very comfortable and continued to bring back the experience of looking around a historic house.
I think the whole experience of Bronstein's work within the gallery feels very natural. The relationship between the architecture of the gallery and Bronstein's work is almost indistinguishable,it feels as if the gallery walls and floors have co-operated to join in the theatre.
It is this relationship with the architecture which led me to include his work in "Other Windows" section. I particularly admire the simple and comfortable way he has presented his work to be experienced and also the extent of detail all his "sketches" bring about to such a whole experience.
