Flags of the Forest, Seed Pop Up, Angel Place, Bridgwater. Photos 1-5 (above & below) by Kate Pearce
Flags of the Forest was re-created as a site-responsive installation in an empty shop space in Angel Place, Bridgwater last month, commissioned by Seed Sedgemoor. I so enjoyed spending time with the installations, welcoming and speaking to visitors, hearing their perspectives and watching their interactions. I had many stimulating conversations about art, trees, animals, recycling and ‘rubbish’ we can creatively transform. Thanks to those who visited.
I’d created a few additional elements and adaptations since its first placement in ‘23 was outdoors at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens. Being in the space all week gave me more time to consider the work and receive thoughtful feedback. I’m galvanised to add more to this installation in the future.
The commission was focussed on actively engaging people in the creative arts. I was present daily and ran a drop-in workshop. I’m hugely grateful to Seed for the commission, and for their support. It was a fantastic opportunity to recreate my 2 installations (the other in February) in the space and see them hang in a different setting/light. Each install felt a bit like a residency.
Considering Art Podcast
It was a real pleasure talking to Bob Chaundy recently about my work for his Podcast series Considering Art. We had a conversation about my background and inspiration, and how environmental issues are at the heart of my work, materials and processes. I’m grateful to Bob for inviting me. You can listen here:
Check out other artist interviews here
The Arts Society Wessex Area
Delighted to have been granted some funds by The Arts Society Wessex Area towards delivering a workshop (date TBC) for One Island - Many Visions, plus towards costs for the exhibition catalogue & symposium. I’m currently developing work for this show in Portland (6 Sept - 31 Oct). The exhibition is a collaboration with Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust and fellow members of the Royal Society of Sculptors. I’m also working behind the scenes in the Steering Group.
My piece Riot is inspired by Maritime Sunburst Lichen (Xanthoria Parietina) growing on the rocks at Tout Quarry, their colour, folds, and radial growth. Ancient life forms of fungi, algae, and cyanobacteria in symbiosis. Created from recycled materials including beach waste, Riot is a reflection on ‘troubled beauty’, Arts Precario. Labour-intensive processes of weaving, wrapping and hand stitching refer to line as energy, tentacularity, thread as the universal component of the cosmos. A site-responsive intervention at Tout Quarry, Riot is also wearable sculpture, There will be a performance in which the human body activates the work during the exhibition.
Riot, being trialled at Tout Quarry. Photo by Russell Sach
I’m now working on the second part to it.
Spring Clean
Feeling cleansed after a big studio clear up (see below: last 2 images of the mess before..)! For a while I’ve been working anywhere but my studio, which had become a dumping ground for stuff as projects mounted up. Although I have a studio outbuilding - historically the laundry building for my village - I prefer working out in the garden especially when it’s sunny. I use a separate shed for metal/woodwork, and grateful to a neighbour Roger Spear who lets me use his large workshop for occasional jobs. Roger passed on to me an old catering tray/trolley, which I transformed into a storage shelving unit with plywood offcuts, and used some repurposed marquee poles and wood blocks to make a folder rack.
FAB
An image of ‘Sack’ has been selected for Insert There, curated by Roger Clarke, part of Fringe Arts Bath Festival ‘25. It will be displayed on a wall in 'The Street' at Bath Spa University's Locksbrook Campus, BA1 3EL. FAB runs 23 May to 7 June.
Sack 2024. Placed via AI in the industrial wasteland of Barreiro, Portugal, where the work was once destined to be sited during my PADA residency last year. AI by Ellie Forman-Peck
Workshops and Courses
I worked with approximately 90 children from St Joseph and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School creating small creatures and plant forms for a permanent artwork at their school. Looking forward to seeing it in situ soon - here are a few pics of work in progress.
My next Eco Sculpture Course with Frome Community Education starts on Wednesday 4 June, 2-4pm and runs for 5 weeks at Makers’ Yard, 37 Lower Keyford, Frome BA11 4AR. £60 + £5 materials. Book here
If you’re further afield and want to do a self-directed course along similar lines, I have an Online Sculpture Course you might like to book.
Both great value!
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Enjoy the best of Spring!