Ards Arts Centre is delighted to welcome two new exhibitions this month; Watching a Sunset 8.52pm by Andy Parsons and Picture Houses: From East to the Ards by Stuart Marshall.

Both solo exhibitions will open on Friday 30 October and run until Saturday 28 November.

Andy Parson’s current body of work is about watching a sunset. It is based on people coming together to experience things collectively. It stems from a scene he witnessed: a large group seated quietly by a riverbank, sharing the beauty of nature. Because he only saw the moment briefly and did not photograph it, the artist’s memory became the work’s source material. As recollections shift and merge with other images, new possibilities emerge, each carrying its own truth.

The work presented in Watching a Sunset 8.52pm explores spectacle, leisure, community and pleasure, while questioning the spectator’s role through figures whose gaze is returned within the gallery space.

Picture Houses: From East to the Ards features a selection of hand-made models and drawings exploring the lost architectural heritage of cinemas in East Belfast, Newtownards and North Down. From the Picturedrome and the Palace, to the Regal and the Tonic, take a trip down memory lane and rediscover some of the glamour of going to ‘the pictures’ over the past 100 years.

Stuart Marshall has worked as a set designer for many years, most notably for the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. This exhibition is part of an ongoing personal project researching and recreating local entertainment venues from the past that have been lost or forgotten.

Stuart will give an informal talk at 7.30pm at the opening of his exhibition, on Thursday 5 November, where he will share some of his working methods and give some background to the works displayed.

All are welcome to attend the open reception on Thursday 5 November, 7–9pm, to view the artworks and meet the artists.