Infinite Variety - a photographic exhibition

Whilst we do not intend to stop traffic and trigger volleys of whistle calls from building sites, a little bit of attention is welcome and does wonder to lift one's morale! However, most of us have experienced the feeling of invisibility of advancing years. To counter such disappearance and invisibility, I would like to recommend an exhibition which just opened at the National Theatre in the foyer of the Olivier Theatre. The exhibition which has already traveled to venues such as the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, Capital Centre for the Arts at Warwick University, the Cheltenham Literary Festival and most recently the Salisbury Arts Centre is on until mid-August. Curated by actress Harriet Walter with the assistance of picture editor Alex Myers, the exhibition shows pictures of a wide variety of women of different nationalities, ethnic backgrounds and types.

 Jane Birkin/Charlotte Rampling and Annie Lennox

The title of the exhibition was inspired by Harriet Walter’s 2006 performance as Cleopatra in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Anthony and Cleopatra – “Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety.”  A respected stage actress, Harriet Walter is also known for her roles in films such as Sense and Sensibility, Atonement and The Young Victoria and most recently in the ITV television drama Law and Order: UK.  She is currently appearing on stage at the National’s Olivier Theatre in director Marianne Elliott’s production of Thomas Middleton’s Women Beware Women.

I attended the Questions and Answers session which featured Harriet Walter, journalist Joan Bakewell who referred jokingly to the weight of her nickname "the thinking man's crumpet" and photographer actress turned photographer Jill Kennington (pictured below).

Asked what could be done to make older women more visible in today's youth obsessed world, Joan Bakewell made the point that older women are "part of a generation which is so abundent. You are part of a huge social change." Harriet Walter added: "I am going to make you very visible. We can't hope to turn heads like we used to, and that's fine - men are looking for a mate. " But she extolled other qualities that older women have, "a slower-burn visibility" that makes them ideal sitting companions at long dinners. She also broadened the type of visibility older women get to visibility to one another, to children and grand-children, to a lasting network of friends.

 Jocelyn Ross

Amelia

I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition and took great pleasure in seeing beautifully wheathered, real, faces that express personalities, character and qualities. Those faces tell stories and question the viewer; they are the repositories of whole lives, a window into human experience and prompt us to want to know more about those amazing women.

Infinite Variety
National Theatre – Olivier Theatre
Thursday 1 July – Sunday 15 August, 2010
Monday – Saturday, 9:30am – 11:00pm
Sunday, 12:00 – 6:00pm (when there is a performance in the building)