Telling stories in the dark

Spent a couple of hours on Sunday at the National Trust's A la Ronde property in Exmouth. The house is currently 'put to bed' for winter, but you can go on a guided torchlight tour, peeking under dustsheets and into dark cabinets. As an added treat, there's contemporary work by artist Hayley Lock on show.

A la Ronde is a unique 16-sided house, created in the 18th century by the Parminter cousins, two ladies who loved to travel, to collect and to make things, especially out of shells, feathers, sand, and cut-out paper. Hayley Lock's (Now that would be) Telling is the perfect match - a collection of miniature, sparkly and eccentric items placed around the house.

Apart from its slicker digital elements and its cheeky knowingness, Lock's work could almost have been made by the Parminters themselves. It's accompanied by a text by Liz Williams that re-imagines the daily life of the cousins, moving around the house, following the sun.

(Now that would be) Telling is at A la Ronde, Summer Lane,  Exmouth, Devon EX8 5BD until 5th February 2012

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/alaronde/