Every First Thursday, I set my goals high, I cross reference various walking routes to the exhibitions and openings I check online beforehand, but without fail, every First Thursday I make it to two or three, run into friends and end up at dinner. Not this time, this was the first First Thursday that I had a bicycle and an unstoppable plan. The following are not the highlights of my night, they were my whole night and all of them very worthwhile. If you plan to see these spaces in one afternoon, begin with scrumptious lunch as Stour Space's Counter cafe.
Halifax born artist Daisy Bentley, as is her nature as a collector of things, collected found notes for five years amounting to the length of a novella. Found Notes is an exhibition of over 150 messages displayed in no particular narrative order. What better reflection of simple, unaffected humanity than notes and letters that were meant to be seen by few? There are spiritual reminders "you are not alone", good mornings and good deeds, letters from grandparents and letters to God, grocery lists, notes passed in class, labels, instructions, apologies, and warnings. The found notes on sticky notes, scraps of paper, and on official letter head, then photographed and shown in found vintage frames are generously exposed for readers to imagine their authors. The notes are events of humour, great empathy and hopefulness.