Skool’s Out 2 by Mark Davies The Acorn Gallery

So, as I write this narrative, it is a week or so into the summer holidays, my daughter is sunning herself in Spain and I’m watching the sheer frustration of my mate who is struggling to get his two young boys to do anything meaningful whilst he is sat with me having a cuppa. You would think that bringing a football and his boys to the studio grounds with a vast lawn, lake and woods would be a sure thing for them to have a great time but sadly no. Without their phones or tablets they don’t have any desire to be kids and go and play. Sad really. Whilst I appreciate that not all kids are like that, nor do I think every child wants to act out the adventures of the ‘Secret Seven’ or ‘The Famous Five’, it just reinforces to me just how things are so glaringly different for us when we where their age. Oh, the good old days eh! 

It was an age where everything seemed so much more fun and when kids really played with freedom and imagination, and the only ‘influencer’ was the person who told you to be back for tea. So, when the bell rang out, it kick-started six weeks of scorched grass and grazed knees, grabbing your bike and having the absolute time of your life, day after day, and for the days when it rained, there was kids TV! Luckily our innocent little eyes were oblivious to ‘Bungle’ being a bit, well, dodgy! So where do you go when you’ve burnt your arse on that huge metal slide in the park?… To the Lido of course! 

I have such vivid memories of my summer break from school as a kid growing up in the 80’s, is that because everything was bolder and brighter back then or because I, like you, really lived and loved every day. It is those days of being free and with your family and friends that stand out over any major holiday abroad. I lived close to a great park back then, the river was just down the ‘court’ from our house, and we were just a 5-minute train journey to our local outdoor swimming pool. It’s funny because I’m pretty sure that it didn’t look like what I’ve just created, but that’s the whole point isn’t it. Everything is always bigger and brighter when you reminisce. 

The lido that you see within ‘Skool’s Out! 2’ is based on the iconic ‘Saltdean Lido in Brighton, primarily for its cracking architecture, I love how the community there have kick-started the renovations to bring it back to life. Secondly, the client who commissioned ‘The Memory Remains’ is from Brighton, so it continues the story where those toys went with their new owners. Like I said before, the holidays were all about being with your family and friends, so there are bikes everywhere and two deckchairs in view, one for you and one for your best mate. Toys and teddies are littering the Serengeti-esque grass and taking over the pool. I like to think differently, so I’m going to bet my ‘Fat Willy’s hat that this is the first time you’ve seen Humpty riding an inflatable flamingo! 

I’ve thrown everything into this piece, it’s chaotic and wonderfully random and comes from such a great place. I never set out with a set list of references to include, and this is a cracking example of how, when you open your mind back up, you are overwhelmed with those little details that have remained dormant for years. It’s a piece that I didn’t want to stop but it had to or risk becoming like one of those ‘Where’s Wally’ jigsaws! I genuinely hope that my love for my childhood shines through here and that it stirs up so many amazing memories for you lot, my collectors are fucking brilliant, and we are all in this together. So, dive in, there’s no risk of verruca’s or floaters and heavy petting IS allowed here!