The Gatekeeper

Art – Culture – Entertainment (A.C.E)

Pollyanne Trapmore-Shaw

Self confessed culture-vulture and dog lover! @PresentDayPolly

Front of House, Promotions and Gallery Curator at the Embassy Theatre, Skegness.

Love it or loath it we are children of the digital revolution and I for one embrace it, to a point. How many times do we ponder how it would now be to switch off the saturation of fast, high impact attention grabbing media interaction we are all part of – easier said than done and I have come to the conclusion that the best we can do is to employ a filter. This month is not a slur but more lamenting the sometimes forgotten charm of what we now term nostalgia and in recognition that our own inner Gatekeepers are maintaining a balance on our behalf.

Introducing this concept is “The Gatekeeper Within” a collaborative exhibition of artworks by contemporary Lincolnshire artists Lind Anso, Nicki Jarvis, Michael Sanders, Jason Wilsher-Mills and Malcolm Tait.

The exhibition, curated by Malcolm Tait for The Embassy Art Gallery, seeks to introduce the idea that humans, as individuals and as a whole, must regularly decide which information, from the barrage we receive daily, we will retain to strengthen or alter our concepts of life and humanity and what we reject.

Sculpture, Installations, Textiles and iPad art will be on display in addition to 2D traditional, abstract and figurative painting.

A preview and launch event will take place on Friday 28 June at 7.00 pm when the artists will be present to chat about their works. The Gallery will then be open daily throughout SO Festival and with every show performance at The Embassy Theatre until August 25th.

On the same weekend - Sunday 30^th June at 3pm Big Band aficionados are in for a real treat as the Glenn Miller Orchestra with Band leader Ray McVay take the stage for an afternoon of pure musicianship! Featuring the fabulous harmonies of the Moonlight Serenaders, sublime vocals of Catherine Sykes and Colin Anthony as well as Ray Wordsworth with the swinging jazz band The Uptown Hall Gang.

Crooners Sinatra, Dean Martin and Louis Armstrong are all featured with the story of the Big Band and a very special tribute to the late great Ted Heath Orchestra.

Audiences of all ages will be thrilled by the sounds, style and seemingly effortless glamour of this Amazing Big Band. No synthesizers attached!

In a month when billions of big kids around the globe are lapping up every release, demonstration, live feed and sneak preview of the new generation gaming consoles currently raging war prior to release - July brings a refreshing difference to Skegness!  A hobby that is pursued with equal vigour and obsession but focused on construction as opposed to destruction FPS style - I refer to Meccano.

With Millions of fans worldwide the annual exhibition visits Skegness from Friday 5^th – Sunday 7^th July for its 32^nd year – the largest in Europe aimed at and enjoyed by all ages, boys, girls and families.

Exhibitors will travel from Denmark, France, Germany and the UK to show and share tips whilst parading their labours of love to each other and visitors to the exhibition.

Starring a scale model Lancaster Bomber with 8 foot wing span there are literally hundreds of intricate working creations to view and workshops to interact with. I guarantee that a visit will re-kindle the toy loving kid and delight the gadget geek alike and just maybe (instead of spending the next 4months until release date contemplating and debating the pros and cons of the new X-Box1 versus the PS4) a box of nuts and bolts will keep the keenest of gamer occupied......until the next Call of Duty is released anyhow!