Karl Allen

The 12 new works are painted in acrylic and soft pastel, drawn from Allen’s memories and experiences as a child. These are paired with extracts of recordings of people’s conversations on Brighton beach, which have been cut and spliced to create an almost dreamlike environment, where the original narrative has been disrupted and obscured.
Allen invites visitors to spend time observing the paintings while listening to the audio excerpts – a combination he hopes will activate the viewers’ subconscious memories in response to the works. The exhibition starts in the basement and then works its way up through the house, finishing in the bedroom on the top floor.
“I’m drawing on memories of childhood trips to Brighton, these paintings are accompanied by a soundscape of overheard seaside conversations — fragments of the past that blur with the present — inviting viewers to consider how sound and image shape the narratives we create about our own remembered lives.”