TWO budding artists are currently holding an art exhibition at the unusual location of a nightclub. The photographic exhibition at Level 1 in Southampton contains the work of second year Southampton Institute photography degree students Holly Deacon and Laura Latham.

They both see holding the exhibition at Level 1 as a way of taking art to people who would not normally view their work. This notion is something that the current government is taking more than a passing interest in.

Although figures of attendance to art galleries are on the increase, there are still a lot of people and certain areas of society that do not go to galleries or get the opportunity to see art.

The government wants more and more people to have the opportunity to see art and are looking at ways of doing this.

Art is indeed trying to take itself to the people instead of relying on people taking themselves to the art.

Godfrey Worsdale, manager of Southampton City Art Gallery, said: "You can roughly guess what type of person comes regularly to the gallery. Generally they are fairly well off, educated and middle-aged with a bit of time on their hands.

"It is not that they appreciate art any more than anybody else, it is just that they have the time to be able to visit the gallery. A single mother of three might well love to visit the gallery but just doesn't have the time. That is the issue that we are trying to address."

Southampton City Art Gallery's approach to taking art to people can be seen in the fact that it is looking at ways of bringing art exhibits out into the community and schools in particular.

Not only would this give people a chance to see art but would also target a huge potential market - the youth of today. Mr Worsdale added: "It is quite difficult to take art out to the people because the permanent collection that we have is of course very valuable. If we are to send our works out of the gallery, we have to be sure that they are going somewhere secure.

"We are very interested in the idea of taking art out because not only is it a way of letting people see the art, but it is also a good way of advertising the gallery."

It is an innovative step by both Holly Deacon and Laura Latham to exhibit their art at a nightclub. The atmosphere compared to that of an art gallery is very different and would be much more appealing to the youth of today.

It was very relaxed during the exhibition and the music that was playing in the background only proved to enhance that. There were no long and drawn out silences that are commonplace at art galleries. The music almost acted as a stimulant that made people want to communicate with each other.

Southampton City Art Gallery also used music to complement works when it held an exhibition called Accelerator.

During the exhibition that contained pictures of DJs at work, dance music was pumped through huge speakers to enhance the atmosphere. It even distributed flyers at local nightclubs to promote the event, so it is not as if galleries aren't trying appeal to the youth of today.

The confined spaces at Level 1 on the preview night of the girls' self-portrait exhibition did not choke the atmosphere or make it claustropho-bic, as one might expect, but instead brought you closer to the work. It was possible to really examine the photographs closely and feel the emotion that each one was trying to convey. Very often at a gallery you are so far away from the work that you need binoculars to see what you are looking at.

The atmosphere at a gallery makes people distance themselves from the art. The art is generally elevated and placed in a way that makes you stand back. The wide spaces and deafening silences also make you view work from afar.

There are reasons for this and with certain pieces of art the setting has to be sensitive to the artist's intentions so that the art is seen how the artist wanted it to be done. However if art can be taken out to people it can only be of benefit to all concerned.

Maybe this is the way forward for art into the new millennium. The young often miss out on the joys and beauty of art because many of them do not get to go to galleries.

In essence that is why Southampton City Art Gallery is looking to take art to the schools. It would give art a wider appeal if it were to be shown in different places that would attract people from all walks of life.

It is blinkered to suggest art should totally move away from the gallery to venues such as clubs so that it can appeal to a wider audience.

It is also blinkered to say that art has no place at this sort of venue. It is true that anyone is welcome to visit an art gallery but many people do not.

The government is very keen on access and is eager to get museums to take collections out to as many people as possible.

The year 2000 is the year of the artist. A new initiative is in the pipeline where artists of all natures can send proposals to the Arts Council sounding out their particular ideas and suggested locations to exhibit their work.

The ones chosen will get to showcase their work at the stated venue, but it is clear that the council is interested in holding the works at more diverse venues such as working men's clubs and shopping centres.

The aim is to target as wide an audience as possible and to give those who do not get to see art the opportunity to do so. Let's just hope that, as we move into the new millennium, that art is going to follow. The signs at least look positive.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.