The Arts Society, Henley

THE Arts Society Henley held its annual meeting in the Elizabeth II Hall at the town hall on Wednesday, November 3.

The meeting was attended by the president, Lady Camoys, and about 100 members.

Both Lady Camoys and Robert Gurney, the chairman, reflected on a very successful year full of activities, despite our not being able to meet in person until September.

No fewer than 25 talks, walks and study days were organised via Zoom.

The lectures covered a wide range of topics — the gardens of Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll, a photographic odyssey of Shackleton’s Endurance expedition captured on camera, the Bayeux Tapestry, Gustav Klimt and fin de siècle Vienna society, to name but a few.

We enjoyed two special interest days online when a subject is looked at and explored over several
lectures.

Peter Medhurst regaled us about the life of Beethoven while Mark Cottle kept us all enthralled with “When England had scarcely begun: Sutton Hoo and the Lindisfarne Gospels”.

To make up for our inability to travel abroad and to provide some escapism, several virtual live walks were organised, enabled by local expert guides, among them the Cannaregio district in Venice, the highlights of Vienna and the Diocletan’s Palace in Split.

We were even able to gain insight into flamenco, courtesy of the Arts Society Nerja through their production “Flamenco, the heartbeat of the south of Spain, its history and its rhythms”.

Our first live event was on September 1 when 75 members met for a sumptuous afternoon tea at Badgemore Park.

We have since continued with our monthly meetings in the ballroom at Phyllis Court Club.

The 2022 programme also promises to be exciting and varied.

As part of its charitable status, TASH gave support to a number of primary and secondary schools in Henley to allow them to support their arts departments in a variety of ways, from buying supplies to art activities.

University students, too, were badly affected by the pandemic, being unable to pursue placements to help them develop their careers.

TASH sponsored a £2,000 prize for graduate ambition at the department of fine art at Reading University.

This was awarded to Emma Leahy, a ceramicist, for her work.

Emma has also been offered mentoring to help her develop her career.

She attended the annual meeting and gave a short presentation at the end.

Fallen is an installation composed of 3,602 hand- sculpted porcelain feathers which represent and commemorate the 3,602 lives which have been lost as a result of the Northern Ireland conflict from 1969 to the present day.

This non-partisan work represents Emma’s hope for a better future in Northern Ireland, a future in which difference is accepted and celebrated and that any conflict or challenge is managed progressively.

As a result of the TASH award, Emma has been able to hire a studio space in London and purchase her first kiln.

Following her talk, members were able to listen to Dr Rosamund Bartlett, who is a cultural historian with expertise in Russian literature, music and art.

Her talk was entitled “Psychology of the city:
the Architecture of St Petersburg”.

Peter the Great had before him a vast tabula rasa when planning his future capital at the beginning of the 18th century.

The city he and his successors built was truly sumptuous, looking towards the west and creating a window into Europe.

This was in sharp contrast to the existing capital Moscow.

Like the imperial emblem of the double-headed eagle, Russia’s two capital cities always looked in different directions before 1917 — Moscow towards Asia and St Petersburg towards Europe.

This led to Russia’s divided soul, its personality split between the Western-looking, modern metropolis of St Petersburg and the
oriental-looking ancient city of Moscow.

This lecture told the story not only of the buildings of St Petersburg but also of the life that went on inside them, focusing particularly on the city’s writers, musicians and artists who were immortalised in their painting, music and literary works.

We are proud of the success of our recent programme and are grateful for the continued support of our members during these difficult times.

The Arts Society Henley has more than 580 members and meets on the third Thursday of the month in the ballroom at Phyllis Court Club.

Non-members and visitors are welcome to our meetings.

For more information, call Monnik Vleugels on 07505 778405 or email
monnik.vleugels@gmail.com