Alan Turing room

Welcome to the ‘Ghislaine Howard Collection’ at Elliot House, home of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

The rooms on the first floor are open to visit as is the space on the second floor. If not in use, the four rooms on the ground floor may also be visited.

From 12pm to 5pm on the last Friday of the month, all the spaces in the Chamber are open to visitors.

We hope that you enjoy your visit. For further information or for any enquiries regarding the work, please contact Ghislaine on: info@ghislainehoward.com

1. My Mother Walking

These paintings came about from drawings made in the days just before my mother moved from our old family home to a smaller, more manageable house. Together we walked through the now empty spaces from cellar to attic. My mum suffered from Parkinson’s Disease which meant that she had to will her body to obey her needs. It was intensely moving to see my mother’s dance-like movements and gestures that suggested not those of an old woman, but those of a young girl - which in her heart she was and always remained.

2. My Mother in the Corridor

My mother rests for a moment, leaning against the cellar wall, wearing a light summer dress that caught the light beautifully.

3. The White Dress

A little painting made in memory of my mother that also connects with my fascination with the image of Saint Veronica. According to legend, Veronica was so moved by seeing Jesus carrying the cross to Calvary that she offered him her veil so that he could wipe his forehead. When he returned the cloth it was found to have received the imprint of his face. Hence the vera icon - the ‘true image’, miraculously revealed without the intervening agency of the human hand. A beautiful story that raises all sorts of ideas that relate to the nature of representation - can there ever be a ‘true’ representation?