Stencilled Ballroom c. 1936

Editor: Here we have Ray Holden’s "Stencilled Ballroom," a drawing made with pencil on paper around 1936. It has a real… well, quaint feel. The stenciled patterns create a surprisingly strong sense of domestic space. What do you make of this piece? Curator: Oh, "quaint" is a perfect starting point, I think! But behind the seemingly simple patterns, there's a rather sophisticated dance happening. It feels like stepping back in time, doesn't it? But don't you find it fascinating how Holden uses the stenciled patterns not just as decoration but to really define and almost construct the architecture itself? It’s a bit like wallpaper turned ambitious storyteller! Do you sense that almost ghostly impression, maybe a lost love or waltz in the ether? Editor: I can see that! It’s less about showing a room and more about the rhythm of life lived in it. But who would want this stencilled room anyway? Curator: Ha! Exactly! Imagine the commission – would they dance? We have all these repetitive, comforting images but I like to consider them to be portals in a lost civilisation of beauty, that all of us modern souls secretly crave. How is this similar to patterns in nature you appreciate? Or don't appreciate... Editor: Oh, patterns in nature. So much is repeated. But if someone created it, is it still genuine? This artist definitely had an appreciation of repeating motifs. Maybe he found the beauty in them? Curator: See, now you are hitting it! In fact maybe his world in general repeated more frequently, than modern experiences are these days? That is an art installation I would go see. Editor: I see what you mean. Maybe it’s a matter of finding the rhythm in something, rather than just the image, after all.