Bringing a new dimension to travel and wellbeing, Seaham Hall has appointed their very own art curator Julie Anne Parsons… and we couldn’t wait to meet her!

What do you feel art brings to the travel experience?

Art is a universal visual language that can pass beyond man made limitations such as cultural barriers; it is a constant within a fast paced mobile world where travel is integral to our existence. Whether journeying for work, or pleasure, observing fine art whilst on our trip engages us, captivates us and feeds us spiritually… it may be a fleeting glance at a sculpture in an airport, or an extended exchange with an abstract expressionist painting in a hotel lobby that greets its guests upon arrival and departure, each time surrendering a little more of its narrative until the next visit. Art creates a welcoming ambience enhancing its travellers experience; we develop a relationship with it and in turn it makes our travel memorable.

Can it be a part of wellbeing?

It’s not just about making us feel happy. Art can provide a much broader range of wellbeing outcomes resulting in a state of contentment. An intensely emotive painting, for example can provide a deep sense of narrative to the onlooker, a beautiful image brings a sense of ease, a striking subject matter a sense of exhilaration, an abundance of relaxing colour, peace and restfulness.

Perhaps most importantly of all however, is that each encounter places the viewer into ‘a moment’ where an experiential exchange occurs which, for that moment, banishes the demands of our world where we are not thinking about the past or the future, but simply what is in front of us.

What did you do before you joined Seaham Hall?

I studied locally, gaining a first class degree in Fashion Marketing at the University of Northumbria, Newcastle. Post-graduation presented a number of career opportunities, including, Principal Lecturer at The London School of Fashion; University of the Arts, and more recently a Managing Director position in a lifestyle branding company. I have since returned to Seaham in order to pursue a MA Fine Art at Sunderland University. I aim to study a practiced based PhD in Fine Art at Northumbria University from 2016.

What do you hope to bring to the hotel and its guests?

My hope is that visitor’s experience a visceral moment; a moment where they stop and intimately engage with fine art. I want them to revisit the art whether on route to breakfast, on route to the spa or during the night. I love the idea that, unlike a gallery, the art is never ‘off limits’, the installation is never closed. Like the web it is available 24/7, however this concept goes one step further, it is available in its flesh to provide a full, contextual effect.

Do you have a favourite artist?

My favourite artist is Egon Schiele for his ability to beautifully record life in its most brutal form. I adore Lucien Freud and Euan Uglow for their painterly techniques, and Francis Bacon for his knack of “getting the paint down in such a curious way that it comes back on the nervous system more exactly and more profoundly”.

What inspires you?

Looking at creativity, listening to nature and music, painting, playing the piano and violin, philosophising.

What makes you feel on top of the world?

Creating a painting that brings attention to itself.

Give us a hint about something exciting we can look forward to at Seaham in the New Year?

My idea for Seaham Hall is inspired by philosopher Marcel Duchamp, who said: “Art is not about itself, but the attention we bring to it”. As the hotel’s new Curator in Residence, I aim to oversee a rolling programme of contemporary fine art exhibitions from emerging artists in collaboration with Northumbria University. A leader in the North East cultural sector, they are committed to investing in and developing new artistic talent while working in partnership with key organisations regionally, nationally and internationally.

The New Year will see the programme firmly establishing itself as an exciting, living installation space that displays the finest talent studying in the North East of England.