Grid Visions and Artsite exhibition, Joliffe Studios, Wyvern Theatre, Swindon

If you are in the mood for a highly non-chocolate box visual arts experience, be sure to make your way to the top of the Wyvern this week and get an eyeful of what is reckoned to be cutting edge contemporary art.

The main attraction, Grid Visions, comprises a series of repetitive and sequentially presented photographic images in grid arrangements, which create patterns, moods, sometimes a sense of movement, and maybe even meaning.

For example, Gavin Hipkins' exhibition, the most representational of the lot, titled Zerfall, which is a German word for ruin or decay, is made up of strips of photographs of household objects, many of which could also be seen as significant parts of the body.

A pattern is there, and so is movement, but making meaning out of it all is an entirely personal matter. Have fun! You are allowed to.

But make sure you take it seriously too because Grid Visions is an important touring exhibition out of the Southern Arts stable, which has taken two years to bring to town and represents the work of four internationally-known artists.

One of these, Effie Paleologou, who says she gets inspirations from reading, explains that art tries to put the world into order, and that by repetition and symmetry, the grid creates a meditative ritual which makes order out of chaos.

Effie made one of her two exhibits by taking lots of photographs of the first thing she saw when opening her eyes in the morning; her ceiling.

The result is a sort of pale ceiling-like series of photographs of patches of ceiling.

Also part of this adventurous exhibition in the Joliffe's splendid viewing spaces is a display of work by Swindon's own Artsite.

These include a collaborative installation of busts and slides, body joint x-rays made art, profoundly abstract oil and wax works, and even one or two almost entirely representational life line drawings.

Clearly the work of ambitious and committed artists who demonstrate a thought-provoking range and quality in their exhibits.

And who are also looking for more studio and exhibition space in town.

This new and unusual exhibition, representing something of a coup for the Borough's Visual Arts team and a nice bit of outreach by the Wyvern Theatre, is only here until Saturday.

It is open daily from 10am to 6pm. For further details, telephone project manager Paul Ricketts on 466508.

Matt Holland