Raw - Tactile Viscera
Saturday 7th - Sunday 29th September
3 week exhibition with accompanying first week of artist in residence at Lavenham Guildhall, Suffolk
Her second solo show follows two intertwining paths of exploration; the journey of raw materials as they become refined materials and objects, the traversing of that defining line, and how the strong emotions and thoughts, often difficult to put into words, can be better expressed through 3D mediums and active interactions with the senses instead of the need for spoken communication.
Works and installations are brought to life using a range of craft techniques with a focus on wood and natural fibres, and placing importance on how one pair of hands can harvest, process and shape a material into an external expression of internal feeling.
Welcome to Raw: Tactile Viscera
This exhibition is focused on the raw natural materials around us and what can be with them with one pair of hands (and a pair of feet too).
We can forget how engaging our sense of touch can be, and by being involved with every stage of a process, from picking and cutting to weaving and carving, how the act of making can light up our world. Ideas and feelings go straight from eyes and ears to fingertips.
The finished item does not have be to perfect but it surely will be, by the nature of its creation and of the journey it has undergone.
You never know what will strike you as important, be it the structure of a piece, the materials used, the sounds, the texture, the colour, the place of display, the place of making, where the materials are sourced from, but from all these many threads you can choose the most significant elements to tell
your tidings.
Not every voice needs to be heard in words.
This exhibition is lucky to contain wood and dyes from the Guildhall itself, all the pieces present being made specifically for this exhibition and to be displayed here.
Photographs of the pieces taken just before opening by Richard Allenby-Pratt of The Suffolk Project / IG
I am very grateful for all the help and support I have received from the National Trust, both on site and from the central team. Their help with materials and practical help is much appreciated.
Also for the wonderful colleagues and friends who have been so generous with their time and expertise to help me nurture and grow these ideas into the 3D, and who have helped me begin to expand my own boundaries as an artist and maker; even when things were a bit technically ambitious they never said no, they showed how.
Thanks to Kim Morgan of The Saori Shed, Arthur Purdy of Woodgate Forge, Judith Goodman and David Ross, Rebecca Illet, and Paul Jackson, and to Gemma of The Green Cupboard, and Karen and Peter.
A most sincere and heartfelt gratitude to Karen Bek and Sergio Muelle who were right with me from when the first ideas landed, listened to endless questions and kindly donated their time, materials and expertise to help me lasso these dreams. Blades of Grass, The Dreamer and Pearl would not have been possible without them, and they are equal makers of these pieces.
And of course, my splendid friends, both temporal and spiritual, who continued to believe even when I wavered, and helped in any way they could. Clare and Angie, Sarah F and Vic, Sarah G, Shannon, Charlie and Angus. I appreciate the space in your hearts and the patience of your ears. You’re all fantastic.
ACTA NON VERBA
Photos from the week + gallery
Coming soon!