Act II: The Voyage: And one day set foot upon an exotic Island 1980

This vibrant image, "Act II: The Voyage: And one day set foot upon an exotic Island", was made by Arthur Tress. A ship is stranded centre-stage against the backdrop of a jungle, as if shipwrecked in the middle of an opera! Imagine Tress there in his studio, snipping and sticking with the patience of a surgeon, thinking about theatre and adventure. I wonder if he ever felt like a pirate, plundering different images to create something new? He’s offering us this cornucopia of fruit in the foreground, all these sensual textures of fruit, inviting us into his world of fantasy. The ship and the jungle, with their floral wallpaper, feel like a stage set, evoking a dreamlike atmosphere. It reminds me of Joseph Cornell’s shadow boxes, where objects are arranged to create surreal narratives. Artists are all magpies, aren't we, borrowing and transforming, speaking to each other across time. This image feels so current, as if Tress is saying let's play, let's experiment, let's keep the conversation going.