Explosive collection is a nostalgic treat

IN a logical extension to its folk art brief, Compton Verney explores the firmly established custom of fifth of November bonfires and firework displays.

Guy Fawkes features large as you would expect, but he isn’t allowed to dominate. The foolhardy ritual of carrying a barrel of burning tar around the town of Lewes easily eclipses everything else in this opening section of the show. The firelit processions and giant bonfires that also feature in this video display cannot match it for health and safety-busting recklessness.

The main body of the exhibition springs into more regulated life in a crackling, gallery-wide collection of fireworks and manufacturers posters.

This highly nostalgic area (it’s straight back to childhood) owes much of its existence to the acquisitive urges of an octogenarian explosives enthusiast, Maurice Evans. There’s blue touch paper galore of the “light and retire immediately” variety and more modern health and safety conscious versions in a historic collection that’s full of colour and attention-grabbing designs.

Primary colours prevail. They glow from the rocket displays and posters against the midnight blue of the walls. Pyrotechnic saturation point is passed early on and it doesn’t let up until the end of the show where a row of assiduously collected photos of Guy Fawkes stand-ins compete for attention. Look out for a suitably scary Sarah Palin. She beats the opposition by a mile.

And! There’s room for reflection on all this in a particularly well-organised and well-equipped children’s activity area. They won’t be short of materials and by the end of the show, they shouldn’t be short of ideas.

Peter McCarthy