As Old as the Hills

Collett Park Day drop-in workshop, As Old as the Hills. Making & embedding paper with recycled/found river & sea debris. Community work will form part of our final exhibition. Photo: Kirsten Madeira-Revell & me, by Barbara Voules

As Old as the Hills is a community art project I’m co-curating with Jan Ollis. Rooted in heritage and environment, it culminates in an immersive contemporary art exhibition & events in the iconic Bauhaus building (Zig Zag), Glastonbury for Somerset Art Weeks Festival (21 Sept-6 Oct).

The project looks at climate change, floods, water pollution, and the ancient layered history of Mendip & Somerset Levels – interdependent landscapes. The exhibition takes place on the top floor of a disused space, once Morlands leather factory. I’m interested in placing art in unusual spaces that bring their own atmosphere. The Zig Zag is unique; light floods in through long banks of windows which span both lengths of the building. Thrilled to be collaborating with a great selection of artists, working in a range of disciplines from large-scale sculptural installations and textiles to photography and performance: Madi Acharya Baskerville , Nikki Allford, Fiona Campbell, Duncan Cameron, David Kefford, Di Milstein, Penelope O’Gara, Catriona Robertson, Jan Ollis, Richard Tomlinson.

Sadly we didn’t get ACE funding, but we’re very grateful to those who have supported us. Funders include The Arts Society, Gane Trust, Shepton Mallet Town Council, individual donations and a great deal of in-kind.

A range of workshops are open to the public. Jan and I had a great time running a free drop-in workshop at Collett Park Day on 8 June (pics above/below). We’ll be running more workshops in local schools. There are plenty of workshops to join, including a fabulous day at Avalon Marshes: ‘Memory, Mud, Mind’: Walk, Talk, Workshop, Sat 6 July, 10am-4pm, Glastonbury BA6 9TT.  Info & book here.

Photo credits (above): 1, 11 Barbara Voules; 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 Richard Tomlinson; 4 Jan Ollis

Work in Progress

I’m making a series of stilt structures, precarious hybrid forms around the notion of resilience, adaptation, making do. The tripod sculptures are assemblages of recycled & found mixed media, layered, stitched and patched together, advocating reuse, care and repair in the context of global consumerism and waste. They’ll be showcased in As Old as the Hills.

Stilt houses, built to avoid floods, exist on the edges of safety in slums around the world . People in Landes used to move about on stilts in boggy ground. Somali nomads transport their homes/belongings - elaborate overladen bundles - on camels (symbols of adaptability, endurance, trade routes). Growing up in Kenya, I have vivid memories of African women bent over with heavy loads piled high on their backs. My work also refers to the ancient timber Sweet Track found in Avalon marshes, Somerset, dating 3800BC. These stilt structures are a means of survival in adversity, and suggest treading the earth gently. Have always been fascinated by Dali’s elephants.

Stilt Structure II, found, recycled & waste materials: wood branches, coir, copper wire, handmade naturally dyed fabric, leather, plastic netting, polyester stuffing, jute, sisal, wool, thread, nylon tights

Stilt Structure III: maquette (above), found, recycled & waste materials: wood, steel, wire, paper, cardboard, teabags, bark, plant debris, sisal

Stilt Structure III: collage (below), found, recycled & waste materials: cardboard, paper, wood, wire, leaves, leather, plastic, bark, plant debris

Stilt Structure III (far below), work in progress, found, recycled & waste materials: wood, steel, wire, paper, cardboard, fabric, jute, bark…

With limited studio space, working large-scale has its problems. I utilise other spaces including my garden, but with such poor weather this summer in UK, I haven’t been able to work outside much. Luckily I’ve had access to a neighbour’s garage, so my latest piece is developing there.

Upcoming Exhibitions

Delighted my work has been selected for the Royal Society of Sculptors Summer Show, curated by David McAlmont. The exhibition will be held at Dora House, 108 Old Brompton Rd, South Kensington, London
SW7 3RA; 22 July-21 Sept. PV Sat 20 July, 11am-2pm.

I’ll be installing work in Truro Cathedral, Cornwall soon for Solastalgia, an exhibition curated by Summer Auty, It runs 1-14 July. 

I’ll be showing 2 drawings in Landscape (Re)View) at The Wall, Musgrove Hospital, 2 July-29 Oct, & small works at Brewhouse, Taunton in September - part of Somerset Reacquainted.

I have 3 pieces on show in The Piano Shop Bath, 1&2 Canton Place BA1 6AA. Nest, String Theory, & Starfish were created for Played and Remade using discarded piano parts. Available for sale & online.

I have some handmade books on exhibition at Create@#8, 8 Town St, Shepton Mallet, as part of Art Book Shepton. Open 14-23 June (Fri-Sun). I’ll be there on Sun 16th if you want to pop in.

1 Kenyan Tree Rubbings, graphite, paper: I made the tree rubbings in Kenya on an ACE-funded DYCP trip in ‘22. The book is special to me as it documents an important time revisiting my Kenyan roots, and seeing my Dad for the last time.

2. Fungi, paper

For more about my DYCP year see @fiona_campbell_dycp and my film.

I’m raising funds to go on a trip to Vietnam at the end of the year. Please consider purchasing something from my shop. I’ve added an Online Sculpture Course, which has no time limit (self-directed) - great value!

Art and Community

My focus this past month has been The Gleaning, a community art project I’m co-curating with Gill Sakakini. It’s thrilling to see all the installations looking so fabulous in the church windows, and to receive such wonderful reception. it’s been a huge success - all-consuming, as usual with ambitious projects involving numerous strands and people. We had a great Launch on 22 September, opened by Rt Rev Bishop Ruth Worsley (of Taunton, and Bath & Wells Diocese), and have since had excellent attendance at our exhibition with numerous events almost daily, still ongoing. This weekend is the finale of our exhibitions/events, part of Somerset Art Weeks Festival.  The project has been rewarding in many ways, and I’ve enjoyed collaborating with so many different people.

Open Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5, St Peter & Paul’s church, Shepton Mallet, Church Lane BA4 5BW

Events

Sat 8th Oct, 3pm, "Song & Celebration" - Local School Choirs perform a specially-commissioned song for The Gleaning with a balletic response by dancer Joe Ducille

Sun 9th Oct, 8-10pm, Evening at the Gleaning. A celebration: poets, musicians and artists share their responses to The Gleaning

We’ll reopen for Shepton on Show next Friday evening, 14th October 6-8pm.
We’ve had some excellent publicity. This evening (Fri 7 Oct) I’ll be chatting to Jenna on BBC Somerset Radio at 6.10pm 95.5FM, if you fancy listening in!

To see the development of the project visit instagram page

Thanks to supporters including Shepton Mallet Town Council, The Arts Society Wessex Area, Diocese of Bath & Wells, Glastonbury Festivals, Tesco, The Eaton Fund, Cranmore Parish Council and Chrisi Kennedy.

Special thanks to Polly Hall, Bella Frey, Chris Lee, Rosalind Teesdale-Ives, Lizzie Britain, Steve Bruce-Jones, Alastair Bolt, Dominic Weston, Mark Adler, Vaughan Ives, Martyn Sheppard, Jenny Short and Beacon Photography Group. And thanks to the many people who joined us in the making process, and who donated recycled materials to the project. The project relied on a great deal of time, labour, goodwill and voluntary work. We have a donate button on the website if you’d like to support.

Do visit if you can!

Curators Gill Sakakini & Fiona Campbell, with Polly Hall, Shepton Mallet church. Photo Vaughan Ives

ACE Developing Your Creative Practice Award

I’ve been researching Kenyan artists in advance of my trip to Kenya later next month. Have also been sketching, walking, stitching, and gathering a few more ideas. Visit my DYCP instagram page for details.

The Gleaning

Over the Summer, I worked with various people on textiles artworks in my garden and locally for an exhibition The Gleaning launching this month.

Earthlings in progress, created by me with community involvement. Test hang in St Peter & Paul’s church

The Gleaning is an inclusive arts project co-curated by Gill Sakakini and me, working closely with writer Polly Hall. For over 5 months, we’ve been working on several large-scale textiles panels concurrently. Each panel has a theme, including Earthlings, War, Peace, Gratitude, Ruth’s Story, Place, Care and Repair, Journeys, Generosity. Stories reflect different styles and cultures using found and recycled materials, all created with involvement of local community. People from all walks of life around Shepton Mallet have joined together in making elements for our collaborative exhibition. Translucent textile and paper artworks will be suspended in front of 11 clear glass windows in Shepton Mallet’s beautiful 12th century church, as part of Somerset Art Weeks’ Festival, supported by events. They combine a range of found objects gleaned from our locality, incorporated into mini artworks, hand-stitched together. Parts have been printed in workshops on fabric dyed with rust, indigo, buddleia, onion skins, tea, and other home-made botanical inks, which I’ve enjoyed developing. Other processes include drawing, collage, tie-dye, batik, appliqué and patchwork on recycled fabric, paper and plastic. Sustainability has been key.

The exhibition launches Thursday 22 September, 6-8pm, open from 23 September-9 October, Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm. Hope you can visit!

See our instagram page @thegleaning_shepton and do follow!

It was an immense privilege to be part of Together We Rise at Chichester Cathedral, an exhibition by members of Royal Society of Sculptors, curated by Jacquiline Creswell. Delighted that London Art Critic Tabish Khan selected it for his Top 5 summer exhibitions! I took down my installation Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand this week. The work related to the plight of pangolins - most trafficked mammal, care and repair. It was sad to leave that wonderful space.

Time playing with ideas in my studio has been precious. I’ve been making small scale 3d sketches with found objects, revisiting the concept of taking a line for a walk and line as life, energy.  Entangled Life (Merlin Sheldrake) - a great book about fungi - describes the way mycelium infiltrates roots and other life forms - fascinating and vital. Mycelial ‘highways’ interact across boundaries/species, and can be environmental remediators.

I’m gradually discovering new plant dye colours (iris bulbs produce an intriguing pale lilac grey) and experimenting with bundle-dyeing, a multi-staged process of gathering flowers/leaves, mordanting/fixing, creating the bundle (sandwiched flowers etc in fabric, wrapped round stick), steaming and untying to reveal the imprints.. it’s addictive!

Work in progress inspired by roots and algae hanging into the water at Vobster Quay where I’ve started swimming.

Play is an important element in the process.  There’s a synergy between consciousness and chance, allowing intuitive, tacit responses.  I’m allowing myself to explore various paths, not necessarily leading to conclusions. Hoping to spend longer hours developing new work over the coming months.  Check out my instagram page @fiona_campbell_dycp dedicated to my Arts Council England funded ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ work.

Deeply saddened by the passing of our Queen, I am so grateful for her support of Arts Council England, and the arts and culture sector in general over so many years, from which I have benefitted along with so many others.

All The Colours - CALL OUT!

Help brighten up the buses! 

I am one of the commissioned artists leading a community art project via Seed, called Art First.  We are engaging the public, especially those in Sedgemoor who travel on buses.

‘Fiona Campbell, Karl Bevis, Jem Dick and Sharon Jacksties are working on three projects, which will produce artworks co-created with Buses of Somerset passengers and staff, and other members of the community. The finished works will be displayed on 30 buses across Sedgemoor.’

In my project All The Colours I am inviting people to create a collage or submit a photo in one dominant colour, reflecting on your responses to the past year. The images will be transformed into a hologram chameleon. This will change colours at different viewpoints and will be featured on buses for passengers and community to enjoy.

I’ll be running free (covid-safe) workshops; there will be prizes (tickets to Somerset Rural Life Museum), and an online exhibition of all submissions. 

For further information about the project please visit Art First. To submit an image visit All The Colours. 

I’d love you to get involved!

Thanks to those who’ve submitted already.

Image submissions below by: (top) Ann Diment, Jo Hudson, Susie Horner, Carol Fry; (centre) Dimitris Koutroumpas, Diana Terry, Daniel Clayton, Karen Mates; (bottom) Susie Deeprose, Nessa Lloyd-Jones, Carol Fry, Sue Dragt

Spring News: Exhibitions, Conversations, Community

After a month filled with community art projects, the leap into Spring heralds a flurry of new exhibitions. I’m delighted to be featuring in these forthcoming shows:

Incendiary, a multi-site exhibition in Corsham curated by Patricia O’Brien, 19 March - 18 April. I’ve been making a new piece Pyre (image above) for the show - a response to the catastrophic Amazon and Australian wildfires.  It’s made from collected found objects (some I’ve treasured for many years), wrapped and charred as grief bundles, commemorations of lives lost.

Materiality, with Kate McConnell, Kelly O’Brien, Nicola Turner and Matthew Dibble, Walcot Chapel, Bath, 26-29 March, open 12-6pm. Preview, Wed 25 March, 6-8pm. 

About Trees, Heritage Courtyard Gallery, 6 Heritage Courtyard, Sadler St, Wells BA5 2RR, 21 March - 14 April. Private View Fri 20 March, 6.30-8pm.

You are warmly invited to these Private Views - or visit when you can!

Last chance to catch these exhibitions ending soon:

Fifty Bees 4, Black Swan Arts, Frome continues until 14 March, when we have a Wrap Party with Artist Talks. My sculptural installation Path of Pollination is sited in 2 parts - the ground floor hallway (amazing how many people miss it when they walk past) and up the stairs to the Long Gallery.  The piece incorporates radically different unorthodox materials: old washing up sponges, dusters, mustard powder, tumeric, wax, plastic netting, steel, copper, violet oil essence…  Researching the Welted Mason bee’s path of pollination I got hooked on pollen as matter (see previous post for further info).  

Gilbert Bayes Award Winners 2019 Exhibition: I took part in a Sculpture Slam at Royal Society of Sculptors (Dora House, London SW7 3RA), as part of our Gilbert Bayes exhibition. Each artist gave a short talk about our work - it was great to glean more about each other’s practice.  If you haven’t yet visited, it runs until 20 March 2020, then tours to Grizedale Sculpture, Cumbria. I’ll be invigilating on Tuesday 10 March, 1.45-5pm; if you’re in the area pop by.

Window Wanderland commission, Tesco Shepton Mallet

I was commissioned to create a window wanderland display for Tesco Shepton Mallet by Make the Sun Shine and The Rubbish Art Project.  I like placing art in unexpected places. An opportunity to use recycled materials as part of the message, the work includes a collection of found objects, recycled plastic netting, plastic bags, bottletops, twine, copper wire, wax, steel springs and coloured tissue paper, all united by my re-purposed copper wire sculpture Tendril.

After several days gathering and making various elements for 2 large windows, I spent all night at Tesco installing (‘til 5.45am - a surreal experience!). With so many enormous windows and other distractions at the superstore, it’s been challenging making it dynamic. The brief was to incorporate some of the local community projects they support through bags of help: Snowdrop Festival, Happy Landings, (close to my heart), Sugar for the Bees, Book Table,  Community Food Donation, Knit and Chat. Delicately papered 3-d wire snowdrops sprout, tails embrace, bees buzz and giant books fly.  The knitters kindly created 2 pieces, which sets it off. The work changes depending on times of day - both sides have different qualities. For the real 3-d experience go for a shop in Tesco Shepton Mallet!

I’m glad Tesco has made the first steps to reduce some of their plastic wrapping and hope this increases.

Window Wonderland in Shepton runs 5-8 March with a launch at the Anglo Trading Estate, today 5 March, 7-9pm.

I ran some Climate Emergency workshops and gave a talk via Somerset Council and Somerset Art Works.

Held as part of the Somerset Council Climate Emergency Events, my drop-in workshops in Bridgwater, Shepton Mallet, and Yeovil offered people of all ages an opportunity to create sculptural artworks inspired by flora and fauna, highlighting waste and the importance of our natural world.  Participants learnt new skills and how to be imaginative with ‘rubbish’.  They had time to think, explore and exchange ideas about sustainability and creativity. Alongside these, I gave a talk Art and The Climate Emergency.

The more the world wide web and social media increase their grip on us, the more I savour face to face interaction.  Through leading workshops, talks, invigilating and private views, I’ve had conversations with all sorts of people recently, mainly revolving around art, wildlife and the climate emergency: how we can work together for a better world, how art has a role to play in helping to turn the tide of awareness for positive action. 

In order to create the massive behavioural change needed we have to emotionalise that data (Olafur Eliasson, 2018). 

For me, a socially engaged practice is important.  Human stories emerge.  Connections are made between people.  Through making, conversations flow.

I’m looking forward to working with Mead Community Primary School, Trowbridge on the Masterpieces in Schools project, which I was selected for via RSS.

I continue to run workshops and masterclasses at the Holburne Museum, Bath. My next one is 9 April, a 1 day sculpture workshop on Nature’s Wonders for their Spring Art Camps.

Other news:

I’m thrilled to be featured in Creating Spaces, a book by Graham McLaren celebrating Bath School of Art & Design’s long history.

Other potential projects are in the air - meetings and applications still in progress. More news on them later.

Final thoughts:  face-to-face conversations are valuable, but a period of self-isolation due to the Coronavirus will be a wonderful excuse for some sustained art in my studio - benefits of working from home ;-)

Hope to have conversations with you at some of these events before then!