Cambridge Envisaged — Exhibition at Michaelhouse Café

Cambridge Envisaged was a group exhibition held at Michaelhouse Café, Cambridge, bringing together three artists — Peter Corr, Paul Janssens, and Caroline Forward — each responding to the city from a distinct perspective. The exhibition explored Cambridge through its architecture, history, and street life, presenting diverse approaches to a shared subject.

The Work

The series of paintings I contributed to this exhibition are richly textured and glazed abstractions. They are not directly representational but are based on a grid structure of recurring rectangular shapes, placed at intervals and seen as if from above. They suggest the textures, patina, and irregular markings reminiscent of aged and worn surfaces; layers of translucent glaze recall stained glass, stone, and water. I wanted to reflect something of the spirit of thinking, order, imagination, reason, and invention that permeates the fabric of this particular city.

The Other Artists

Paul Janssens produced multi-layered paintings that capture the movement ever-present in the city and market. His work draws on wood, old maps, postcards, and found materials from the market to build up a vibrant complexity — a sense of authenticity, change, and history layered into the surface.

Caroline Forward's oil paintings explore the interplay of stained glass colour and light with stonework and architecture. She is drawn to the harmony and balance of geometric structure and the small architectural motifs that are easily overlooked in the historic buildings of Cambridge.

The result of this collaboration — the first time these three artists had exhibited together — was a rich, colourful, and contemporary response to a historic city.