STATS
Length: 3ft
Wingspan: 7ft
Skin colour: sparkly
Eye colour: brown
Temperament: sublime/disgruntled
Star sign: Pisces
Turn ons: Baroque art, art theft
Turn offs: It doesn’t like going to the cinema

The Winged Turbot is an elegant and peculiar fish, steeped in folklore and high in Omega 3.  Anatomically it is very similar to other fishes of the Scophthalmidae genus but can be told apart due to its distinctive fluttering wings.  (It is also commonly confused with the Trout Eagle but unlike the Trout Eagle the Winged Turbot’s head is featherless.)

The Winged Turbot (or Scophthalums Arthistorisos) is thought to have evolved from the ancient cave fish, Scophthalums Cavaholus, which itself was an unusual fish.  The male of the species would assert its dominance within the shoal and attempt to attract a mate by communicating an extensive knowledge of art history and theory through subtle movements of its fins.  Gradually over time through natural selection the fish developed larger fins to better express its cultural knowledge and ultimately the large fins evolved into wings when contemporary art progressed from cave painting and the fishes had to travel further to get to exhibitions.

Michelin’s I-Spy Book of Art Galleries II (1995) rates the Winged Turbot as ‘Very Rare’ awarding a sighting 50 points, but this was not always the case.  Up until the nineteenth century it was quite a common sight in art houses and museums all over the world but the fish garnered unsavoury connotations when it was witnessed in large numbers prior to the 1837 fire in the Dulwich Picture Gallery.  The Winged Turbot was branded a harbinger of exhibition disorganisation and art disappearance and hunted to the brink of extinction by rabid artists and curators in the latter half of the century.

Although they are now few in numbers the Winged Turbot remains an obsession for many in the art world.  Anthony Gormley is one such man.  He has spent his entire career trying to devise deterrents and traps for Winged Turbot including the scarecrow-like Angel of the North.  Other contemporary artworks which are thought to be Turbot deterrents include: Hirst’s pickled shark, Banksy’s threatening Fish Sticks sculpture and Sterling Ruby’s crab pot-like Recondite.

Just as it is vilified by artists the Winged Turbot is worshipped by art thieves, who see it as a holy animal.  The French art thief Stephane Breitwieser actually recounts in his biography a time when a large winged turbot transported him to safety when he was trapped on the roof of the Louvre after a botched robbery.

Although their numbers dwindled dangerously during the early nineties, and it was thought that the Winged Turbot could go the same way as the Small-Bearded Salamander and the Bi-spectacled Otter, the future of the species does look secure as a London organisation has started a successful conservation breeding scheme and reintroduction programme: www.londonsoundart.wordpress.com.

Wil Crisp

http://www.futurecity.co.uk

Ahh they're just copying Antony Gormley...

Jo Matthews

For a while, however, all I could see of my hometown was the fake tan and garish commercial sleaze of West Street on the one hand, and, in no franker terms, hippies on the other. All that Brighton seemed to offer in the way of culture were prosaic variations on the inoffensive beach hut and pebble painting and an anthropological site of ‘booze Britain’ in miniature. As far as I was concerned, the view of Brighton as ‘centre of creativity’ amounted to nothing more than hearsay.

In Regency times, the Prince Regent used to take mini-breaks to Brighton from London. Did he get boozed up on the beach too??

Fast forward a few years, however, and things are changing. One Revolution of the Skinnies later, underpinned by an influx of eager young students and peripatetic creatives on ‘time-out’ from the Big Smoke, and Brighton seems to be experiencing a cultural Golden Age of its own. Compounding this are two universities which appear to be growing from strength to strength.

Owing much to the city’s cultural regeneration are Brighton University’s art and design faculties which have attracted a huge number of fresh, young, creative minds in recent times. Celebrating this is the most recent exhibition at Grand Parade, From Art School to University: Art and Design at Brighton 1859-2009. Curated by Professor Jonathan M Woodham, of the University’s Faculty of Arts and Architecture, the exhibition charts the rise of Brighton Art School, now University, and its real contribution to the arts over the past century and a half.

Amongst the exhibits are works by Turner Prize winners, Rachel Whiteread, Keith Tyson, and now-national treasure Anthony Gormley. That the institution is able to draw associations with an accolade which is arguably, the foremost cultural icon of late-twentieth and early-twenty-first century British art, perhaps demonstrates its foothold in the often impenetrable contemporary art world.

Fashion conscious... Jerwood Prize winner Caroline Broadhead's 'Seven Seams,' on display at the exhibition

Adding to this is a pedigree of alumni many schools could only dream of – the fashion and textiles department being particularly fruitful with such graduates as Julian MacDonald, Mark Eley of high-end urban fashion brand, Eley Kishimoto and Biba legend, Barbara Halunicki. Clearly, over the years Brighton has clocked up a number of cultural brownie points and it is only until recently that we have started to see and experience the impact.

So why has Brighton become such a magnet for young creative types in recent times? Local history shows well-off urbanites flocking to the sea for ‘health benefits’. Before private jets, Brighton was the place of choice for the Royals to spend their summer holidays. Though the city’s present clientele would probably balk at such associations, contemporary motivations bear an uncanny resemblance to those of their aristocratic predecessors.

For many people, it is still Brighton’s physical landscape of the sea and the Southdowns which attracts them. The natural environment creates an ambience which is hard to find elsewhere. For James, a first year Sculpture student at Brighton University, ‘it is something about being by the sea – it clears your head’. Fine Art student, Rosie, likens being a student here to ‘being on holiday’: clearly, Brighton has a therapeutic effect on the individual. Whereas in London, one might get bogged down with psychological clutter built-up from stressful urban living, here, one can relax. For the artist, this is perhaps essential, giving time for self-reflection and the clarification of artistic vision.

The Southdowns

Further factors seem to set Brighton up as an alternative to the capital. Going hand-in-hand with its aforementioned laid-back atmosphere is its offer of a growing art scene which has less of the pretensions that London has. On the topic of art schools, James believes that in the capital, there is ‘too much emphasis on sharpening your teeth’. This can stifle creative development and in a way, exacerbate the inherent contradiction of the art school itself. Crucially, Brighton invests one with a sense of freedom which is vital really, if you want to make art.

Nevertheless, it is Brighton’s proximity to London as well as its separateness which has fuelled a now burgeoning creative culture. Contemporary Brighton bears many resemblances to historical Brighton – a town of pleasure, frivolity and essentially, escapism. Many of its visitors and indeed, residents are in fact Londoners on ‘time-out’. This, however, prompts concerns over the longevity of Brighton arts and its potential to really gain stature as a permanent hub of creativity – is it not effectively working on borrowed time and money?

According to art student, James, most third years he knows plan to leave what he calls ‘the goldfish bowl of Brighton’ for East London warehouses or squatter communes in Berlin. Rosie also expresses an interest in moving to London simply because of the opportunities it offers the professional artist. For her, the change of scenery is also a good thing – ‘you won’t learn anything from staying in the same place.’ Topping this is the fact that Brighton simply does not have enough jobs to go round. So whilst Brighton is currently reeling in a lot of young creative people, won’t these people ultimately leave?

But it is the connection with London which is making a difference to and, indeed, impacting the increasingly dynamic arts scene here. Though people come and go, if the balance is right, development can be sustained. Combine this with a growing student population, a local council which actively injects dollar into the local arts industry and a subsequent ‘energy breeding energy’ process, and Brighton is noticeably changing.

The Crane Kalman Gallery in the North Laines

Indicative of such change has been the arrival of new contemporary art galleries in the North Laines – a welcome challenge to the Brighton ‘beach-art’ variety – and exciting venues such as The Basement, a space dedicated to live-art and experimental theatre. Last autumn introduced the first White Night Festival, a fantastic endeavour which saw the opening of the city’s galleries overnight (honestly, an entirely different experience of art to what you get during the day…), and this year’s Brighton Festival is guest curated by Anish Kapoor. Hot stuff.

Clearly, Brighton’s art culture is on the up. Let’s just hope the credit crunch doesn’t shit all over it!

Rachel Collins and Lizzie Simner

Gormley says that ‘through elevation onto the plinth and removal from common ground, the subjective living body becomes both representation and representative, encouraging consideration of diversity, vulnerability and the individual in contemporary society.’

http://www.london.gov.uk/fourthplinth/

The plinth. It could be you...

Jo Matthews