‘A Greek theatre presupposes tragedy and comedy, and by extension of the presence
of the city's people and their allegiance to their heroes and gods. In theatrical
space, music, choruses, masks, tiering - all such elements converge with language
and actors. A spatial action overcomes conflicts, at least momentarily, even though
it does not resolve them; it opens a way from everyday concerns to collective joy.’
– Henri Lefebvre
The extraordinary art environment created privately in a rented flat over decades
by Ron Gittins, better known as Ron's Place, is like a personal stage set. Powerful,
symphonic, and at times jarring, dimensional scenography occupies every surface, corner
and ceiling. Gittins' domestic space became his theatrical platform, where traditional
painting confined to canvas or sculptures existing as solitary objects would not suffice
his creative vision. Ron's Place is abundant with renderings of ancient pharaohs,
emperors and imagery of powerful past civilisations. Sculptural replicas of helmets,
chest plates, rifles, swords and dismembered body parts echo military battles throughout
history. The concept of power itself was important to Gittins. His niece Jan commented
that her uncle ‘was always obsessed with power’ (Hogarth, 2021). While this certainly
appears evident in his references to war, military and reign, his intrigue for power
could also be considered through a personal lens, in his assertions of agency and
control over the transformation of his domestic space. Gittins, in considering his
flat a theatre, was all-powerful as its director, producer and lead actor.
Fig. 1.
Ron's Place, view of the minotaur in Greek-inspired room, 2021. Photo credit: Cathy
Ward for brutjournal
Ron Gittins was born in Birkenhead, a Northern English town across the River Mersey
from Liverpool in 1939. He was creative from a young age in theatre, music and visual
arts (even briefly attending Laird School of Art). His interest in historical power
also emerged during his youth. Gittins' sister noted him sculpting small soldiers
from plasticine, detailing their uniforms from distinct global regiments with great
detail (Davis, 2020). In 1975, while living with his parents, he transformed his bedroom
into a Roman Villa. This precursor to his magnum opus received local press attention.
Family and friends noted that mental health issues were present for Gittins throughout
his life. His character could be both flamboyant and eccentric, but also difficult
and erratic. Gittins had respect for particular powers and authorities including the
law and the queen; however, he struggled under the direction of others and to operate
within set boundaries. Therefore, while he worked several jobs throughout adulthood,
employment was limited and he lived in relative poverty. He was known locally for
bombastic performative activities – strolling his neighbourhood while adorned in costume
and reciting Shakespeare loudly on the streets – however, the creative transformation
of his Wirral flat (rented from 1986) was kept significantly private until his unexpected
death in September 2019.
Fig. 2.
Ron's Place, view Roman-inspired room, 2021. Photo credit: Cathy Ward for brutjournal
After Gittins' death, the majority of his creative modifications have been preserved,
while the condition of Ron's Place (the flat itself) still requires repairs. When
stepping over the threshold of 8 Silverdale Rd, the vibrant murals on cracked and
chipped walls immediately contribute to the comedy, tragedy and drama of theatre.
1
Though Gittins no longer occupies that space physically, the spatial activity still
has an aura of performance and creativity. This consideration of aura or theatrical
experience is apropos for visiting Ron's Place.
2
Each room assumes the role of a carefully constructed backdrop but also feels like
entering a play mid-act, unaware if outsiders (us) are extras or trespassers. His
flat is a cacophony of the past and present; fact and fiction, the personal and universal;
morphing ancient/cultural history with his personal experience. This exploration of
Ron's Place is in the spirit of thoughtful interpretation rather than conclusiveness.
Fig. 3.
Ron's Place, view of three portraits in Georgian-inspired room, 2021. Photo credit:
Cody Ledvina
Hieroglyphics are one of the first visual references when entering Ron's Place, with
the entrance/main hallway primarily Egyptian in concept. Here ancient symbols, depictions
of the god Anubis, King Tut, Cleopatra and the Sphinx, have been meticulously rendered.
Noticeable immediately in the hallway but pertinent to the entire environment is that
Gittins' creative actions teetered between replicating architectural adornments and
gestures that were pure artistic representations. For example, the hallway features
a painted monochromic frieze of hieroglyphics and ancient relics akin to the scenery
in the classic film ‘The Ten Commandments’ juxtapositioned with a vibrant full-colour
Egyptian Queen with erotic undertones. Other styles are evocative of wall drawings
found in an ancient tomb. Some could mistakenly equate the mix-match styles as amateurism,
while a more apt consideration could be that Gittins' diverse aesthetic captures the
fluidity of historical presentation.
Fig. 4.
Ron's Place, detail of papier-mache head, 2021. Photo credit: Credit: Lisa Slominski
Moving through the flat, a divergent array of papier-mache helmets and accessories
are noticeable in the left front room, piled in the corner. Some appear 20th-century
military, others Greco-Roman, and a few have been left in their infancy, only exposing
their layers of newspaper. Though Ron's Place has been subject to organisation and
removal by those leading the preservation legacy, the remaining assorted volume speaks
to an assumed intensity Gittins had for producing a theatrical aura.
3
His intrigue into power also seems evident in the subject matter of battle helmets,
and an array of scrupulously replicated weapons: Roman swords, civil-war muskets and
Western rifles. His astuteness for historical accuracy is apparent in the worn books
throughout the flat, including The Art of War in the Western World by Archer Jones
(1987) and Greek & Roman Mythology by Malcolm Couch (1997). These few details lend
a glimpse into the inner workings of Gittins' process, but also provide consideration
for the performative potential in his practice.
4
The most predominant visual in the room is an immense 3M high sculpture of a Minotaur,
a bull-like character integral to Greek mythology. The concrete relief was erected
directly from the wall, overtaking the pre-existing architecture. Shaped with a shovel
and trowel, its mouth was moulded around a fireplace. Its dominating presence sets
the theatrical aura of ancient Greece accentuated by amputated limbs and costumed
chest plates scattered through the room. The backdrop of this ancient Greco-room stylistically
mimics fresco with scenes (unfinished) of emperors and philosophers. The decorative
frieze-like border honours specific Greek historical figures, including the philosopher
Plato and ancient playwrights Euripides, and Sophocles. Homage to these Greek writers,
known as tragedians for their compositions based on human suffering, demonstrates
Gittins' interest in tragedy. Conversely, he was also an admirer of comedy, with a
mass of VHS tapes of 1970s British television comedies (found but removed from his
flat) (Ward, 2021).
Across the hallway, a second mammoth sculpture of a roaring lion employs another pre-existing
fireplace with ferocious teeth clenched around the hearth cavity. The dramatics of
this room are predominantly Roman; perhaps the lion is in reference to damnatio ad
bestias, the ancient Roman act of punishing the condemned by being attacked by wild
beasts. Looking up, the painted ceiling inspires a moment of awe. Seemingly inspired
by Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, a trio of delicate and angelic figures is confronted
by a Roman soldier with a shield and sword surrounded by billowing clouds. Consistent
with Gittins' penchant for architectural detail, the room's painted cornice resembles
villagers completing daily tasks. The villagers' figures are silhouetted by a deep
black paint that appears to have been a secondary decision; the black perhaps covers
a previous, unsatisfactory background. Whereas the unfinished elements of papier-mache
helmets and murals in the adjacent room infer Gittins' innate urge to create until
his death, the markings amongst this Roman room suggest his urge for power and control;
amending and editing his environment until it was exactly ‘right’. The walls feature
a vibrant, almost violent, red with dramatic trompe l'oeil decorative roping. Two
isolated murals flank the concrete lion and a third large mural on the main wall indistinguishably
reads between a window and a painting. Gittins worked for a tailor previously, skills
evident in a well-constructed Napoleonic era Redcoat hanging in an armoire; made distinct
with a large ‘£’ stitched on the back. If an element of power for Gittins was to be
the actor in his theatrical world, this military uniform would certainly have served
as his costume in an authoritative scene. Dimensional objects on view, like the Recoatt,
depart from ancient Rome but not of intrigue. An erotic and life-size bust of a dark
brunette, possibly another nod to Cleopatra, with ample breasts is posed as if an
actress in his play, mid-dance.
The third main room feels English, specifically Georgian. A pale red with cracking
caused by apparent dampness covers the walls. A light blue wash for the upper border
features a series of exquisite circular portraits as if peering through portholes,
one resembling Shakespeare. Three significant portraits are painted directly on one
wall; each features an ornate frame demarcating it from the red background. The frames
are also signifiers that these portraits are important; each an emblematic character
of distinct power. Left, appears to be Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and
right, British admiral, Lord Nelson, while centre-stage above the fireplace is an
oval portrait of women. The portrait could be considered as Lady Emma Hamilton; however,
research into Gittins' written archive and insight from his family infer, the woman
is from an actual romantic relationship. A mural on the main wall adopts the same
decorative detail of a painted frame that captures a more serene scene of boats on
the water with a volcano reminiscent of Mount Vesuvius from the Bay of Naples. Gittins'
creative decision to create a ‘gallery’ in this room could again be evocative of the
transformation of his environment as an exercise of conceptual authority. Another
fantastical ceiling mural is featured in this room proliferating the theatrical aura.
An almost pointillistic, more expressive, style was used to depict a nautical theme,
where our perspective may be from underwater watching a mermaid's hand reach towards
a Spartan. The specific personal effects that remain in this room allude to entertainment
or perhaps the score of Gittins' opus. This includes several televisions and radios,
and a guitar, but also an extensive collection of paintbrushes, allowing us to consider
the details of Gittins' process.
Even the bathroom and kitchen were worthy spaces for Gittins' creativity. The theatrical
backdrop of his bathroom is an underwater aquatic adventure, suiting for the large
bathtub within. Octopi, fish, stingrays and sharks circle in the blue water throughout,
while on the ceiling, one can catch a glimpse of the world above water, with fireflies
and butterflies against the painted blue sky. In the kitchen, the stove area was transformed
into an ancient Roman altar. Sculpted out of concrete with the same precision as the
lion and minotaur, it features a detailed version of the Grand Master of the Knights
Templar seal, including a detailed rendering of the insignia SIGILLUM MILITUM XPISTI
(Seal of the Soldiers of Christ). Ephemera, source material, paintings made for interaction,
historical references and papier-mache body parts are abundant throughout Ron's Place,
and considering that the majority of his personal, gathered and creative holdings
were removed from the flat after death, he was undoubtedly prolific.
5
Experiencing, or considering, Ron's Place through the lens of theatre allows the possibility
of appreciating not only the outcome of Gittins' environment but also the traces of
his activity and the creative aura produced. He demonstrated a performative proclivity
outwardly to his community; however, the theatrical spatial aura referred to by Lefebvre
need not the city's people present to be powerful. Gittins' multidimensional practice
reverberates within Ron's Place, where like other artists who have transformed their
homes, it becomes a ‘cultural container’ presenting a complicated but extraordinary
relationship between Gittins and his domestic, transformed space (Umberger, 2007).
If the concept of theatre, as a spatial action, provides a moment to overcome conflict
and allows us to step away from everyday concerns, Ron's Place could have provided
as such to him, and certainly to those of us able to experience it following his death.
Oscillating between an idiosyncratic subjectivity and universal offering, the power
held in Ron's Place is undeniable.