Andromeda: Wakefield-based artist to launch brand new exhibition, based on old Knottingley tale, this weekend

Using a blend of mediums, including painting, sculpture, installation and sound, and by embedding himself in his chosen location, Tony is set to take us back to 1800s Knottingley for his latest exhibition, Andromeda.

The tale begins with a popular Art Deco glass figurine, Andromeda, which was developed by the bottle factory, Bagley Glass, founded in Knottingley in the 1800s.

As the town gained popular status for glassmaking throughout the Victorian era, workers began smuggling the figurine out of the factory due to such high demand, and threw the glass into the Knottingley canal bed nearby to avoid being caught by their employer.

In the development of Andromeda, Wade embarked on a 28km canal-side walk from Knottingley Bridge to Goole, documenting the journey.

Using his own images of the figurine being thrown into the water, the artist collaborated with composers and musicians to interpret a musical score by overlaying a musical stave on the glass’s entry point and the splash of the water, thus generating its own piece of original music.

Inspired by both the story and the artist’s experience of visiting the sites, the exhibition will feature relevant material, maps and documentation.

These will accompany a brand-new, 1.8-metre-tall, 3D printed sculpture of the figurine, to be situated in a water base and lit up green.

A brand-new film of the 6-hour Goole to Knottingley journey featuring musicians performing specific musical scores along the way on the top deck of a canal barge, will also be screened throughout the exhibition.

Speaking on his new exhibition, artist Tony Wade said: ““As I was looking out across the water to where the factory was, I thought I must do something about this.

"And here I am, sailing the route to create a new film, ceremonially returning Andromeda back to Knottingley, and recreating this tiny figure as an epic statue standing tall above us, reclaiming her story.”

The Andromeda exhibition will launch on Saturday 8 July and run until Saturday 9 September 2023 in The Art House’s Tiled Gallery.