Hannah Platt: Playing Out at Threshold

Artist Hannah Platt’s vibrant and mischievous work makes an appearance at Threshold – an unassuming front garden of a Leeds terraced house that doubles as an open-air sculpture project space.

Hannah Platt: Playing Out, explores the playful, often overlooked elements of everyday urban life. Known for her wry humour, Platt usually captures the peculiarities of our built environment – quirky signage, aging architecture, derelict shopfronts – through photography. In Playing Out, she steps into new territory, assembling a three-dimensional outdoor installation using found and salvaged materials. 

The places she usually photographs are almost too familiar – we walk past them every day and no longer notice the missing letters on a chip shop sign, the strange neon lights or the shopfront frozen in time since the 80s. Platt’s keen eye is able to pick them all out, but most importantly, highlights the mischief. Capturing derelict shops and graffiti can be a direct form of social commentary but she doesn’t settle for that – her photos are buzzing with energy and humour. In one image, a pink hair salon displays the word “hair” in four different fonts, while in another a furiously handwritten sign says “beware of the DOGS”. 

Platt’s humorous look at public spaces is rooted in the warmth of familiarity: “Argie Terrace is undeniably one of the most perfect places to show my work.” she says. “I’ve lived and breathed Burley Park for the majority of my adult life. I have such rich memories of the layered, alive nature of living in a Leeds back-to-back [and] the daily rituals (…)” Now, her work is displayed in the kind of setting she usually depicts, coming full circle.

In Playing Out, the artist is expanding on her usual themes but through new mediums, ones that encourage more interaction than a wall-based image. She describes the act of sourcing materials as an instinctive, imaginative process that aligns with her practice as a whole: “that resourcefulness, making something joyful out of what’s already around me, really echoes the very spirit of playing out as a kid.”

The resulting installation blends itself into the surroundings at first glance yet triggers a double-take with its bright colours and… giant googly eyes. Pop by and enjoy the atmosphere of mild mischief.

Hannah Platt: Playing Out is co-curated by Julia McKinlay and Jonathan Orlek. The exhibition accompanied by a limited edition publication of the same title, available to purchase for £12 through Threshold Editions.