Above and Below, exhibition invite, workshops

Really enjoying my residency in the empty shop in Shepton Mallet - Create@#8. It’s been liberating to spread out in a huge space, view my work as a collection, and get absorbed in making. I’m using the residency to develop work as part of my Arts Council England ‘Developing Your Creative Practice Award’. Ongoing work will be shown in a solo exhibition 11-19 March. Come to the Opening Event on Sat 11 March, 2-4pm! There’ll be a soundscape in response to works by Ushara Dilrukshan. Open Mon-Sat 11am-4pm.

I’m making a sculpture Above and Below - a response to the entanglements of matter, rhizomic systems and debris that make up the strata we walk on.  All are continuously transforming in a process of becoming, ‘..frothing and tangling and fusing.. layering and layering and layering… millions of fungal skeins suspended.. a gossamer web at least as intricate as the cables.. that hang beneath our cities..,’ (Merlin Sheldrake).

Linear uprights extrude through layered substrates - a mass of interwoven lines. It’s made from reclaimed/discarded materials and objects sourced from different places, each with a story, including steel, copper, plant fibres/roots/debris, twine, wire, wool, rope, feathers, rusted paper.. Life above and below; ‘as above, so below..’ I’ve since learnt Freud took this line ‘Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo’ to describe the currents of psychological underland that rush beneath our sunlit uplands of conscious mind, here and there surging up…

The work will be exhibited at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens this summer together with my outdoor Flag pieces. I’ll be showing alongside 30 Royal Society of Sculptors - see here for more about our Wander_Land exhibition.

I’ve been spending many hours hammering and ‘stitching’ bottle tops together with fine copper wire. They’re being added in blocks are to a handwoven backing I previously made for another project (Chelsea Flower Show) - now being reused and transformed for my Flags of the Forest. Layers of translucent netting and fabric will be added. The original design references endangered species across the globe. There will eventually be several eco flags that stand together. The flags will be made from a range of found and reclaimed materials stitched together, representing bio-diversity, making do, hopeful of nature being more cared for, and thriving. The work was inspired by walks in woodlands and a phrase ‘the word for world is forest’ (Ursula Le Guin). Woods and forests provide vital ecosystems.

My giant snowdrop sculptures (made from discarded materials including plastic, wire and tent fabric) were installed in Shepton Mallet for the Snowdrop Festival until 20 February. It was lovely to see people engaging with them as we put them up outside the Baptist Church. One of Shepton Mallet’s annual highlights, the festival events had a massive attendance through the week.

Next week I’ll be running a free one-day art and creative writing workshop with Polly Hall. Join us to create a suspended artwork for Shepton Mallet library window featuring Market Cross. We’ll delve into the history of this iconic landmark, create written responses and drawing on textiles with botanical dyes. Supported by Shepton Mallet Town Council, part of their Winter Series. Friday 3 March, 10am-4pm. Shepton Mallet Library, 2 Market Place BA4 5AZ. Book: eventbrite

I’ll also be running an Eco Sculpture Workshop on Saturday, 18 March, 2-4pm. Create@#8, Shepton Mallet BA4 5BG. Book: eventbrite

Great to be showing Entangled VI in Darkness to Hope exhibition, Atkinson Gallery, 27 Feb - 30 March.

It’s your last chance to take advantage of my February Love Art shop discount! I’m offering 15% off all orders over £10 until the end of this month when my prices go up!  Quote this code at checkout: LOVEARTFEBSALE

Hope to see you at the Opening Event!

Film: Kenyan Art Research Trip

I’ve made a film about my Kenyan Art Research trip. 

I immersed myself in Kenyan culture, met some inspiring contemporary artists and curators, visited galleries, museums, markets, other places of interest, and had wonderful adventures. In the final week I went to Nanyuki, on the edge of Ol Pejeta game reserve which overlooks Mount Kenya, for more wildlife, sketching, a bit of relaxation and family time.

I learnt so much and made many new connections.

Threads of ideas are brewing for new work.  I brought back various materials/found objects, sketchbook of notes/drawings, photos/footage/sound recordings (used in this film), and bark rubbings, now made into a small handmade book.

I’m very grateful to Arts Council England for supporting the trip via my DYCP award, and to those who hosted/supported me in Kenya including Untethered Magic, Ian & Andrew Campbell. And thanks to all artists, curators and galleries who gave their time.

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.

The Fall

The Fall (detail) - work in progress

The changing seasons here in UK are a poignant reminder of life’s cycle.  Falling leaves reveal skeletal structures of trees, signifying loss, decay, repression.  In this beauty there is sadness, but also hope and promise.

In Cranmore woods, where rusty autumn leaves thickly cover the ground, I found a couple of fallen trees.  Ripped from the ground, their exposed roots are a mass of interconnecting lines.  My drawings led to new sculptural work, in progress. 

Playing with lines, The Fall is a drawing in space using locally sourced, to-hand-materials: steel rod, copper wire, found wood, wool, sisal, leaves… I’ve been collecting feathers - picking them up wherever I go.  Waxing and burning them produces interesting results.  I’m thinking about Icarus, roots, life’s interconnectedness and lines that ‘give us life.’ (Life of Lines, Tim Ingold).  I’m reading a book The Overstory (Richard Powers) about trees, connections and human/nature conflict.  My thoughts often return to Donna’s Haraway’s phrase staying with the trouble - sticking with the entanglements of life.

Shepton On Show 

Last month I was involved in Shepton On Show - a community event organised by The Art Bank, involving window performances around Shepton Mallet.  I had fun creating a large scale backlit performative drawing in the window of One Craft Gallery in 2 hours, linked to The Big Draw.  Made with egg ink on paper (170 x 180cms), people watched it emerge, alongside other performances. 

The slideshow documents the event from prep drawing to live version.  It was inspired by my @life_intheundergrowth project. 

Exhibition News 

3 film stills from from my film Life in the Undergrowth are showing in the Being Human New Worlds Exhibition.  The work was displayed outside Queen Mary University of London last week and is currently online.  The exhibition shares people's experiences of Covid-19, and the Festival reflects on the radical global changes of 2020, from the Covid-19 pandemic to the Black Lives Matter protests and US election.

Our Somerset Reacquainted exhibition at Somerset Rural Life Museum, Glastonbury has been extended until 16 January. Once lockdown has lifted, do try to visit if you can, it’s a very moving experience.

Shop

I have developed a little sideline making small copper bowls, each annealed and hammered, plus other copper goodies, ideal for Christmas gifts and copper wedding anniversaries. The bowls are on sale at Hauser & Wirth Somerset’s new Durslade Farm Shop, Somerset, where you can buy locally made quality artisan eco products and foodstuffs.  Very pleased that they are selling well :-)

I’ve added a Shop to my website, which includes these, together with affordable drawings, small sculptures, prints and cards.  Enjoy a browse and if there’s anything you’d like to see added, please get in touch.

A few projects and exhibitions are in the planning stages for 2021. As part of an artist group IN:CH (Incubation Chamber), we are excited with developments for our travelling exhibition next year.  Inch by IN:CH is an artist-led project bringing contemporary art out of the protected space of studios and galleries and into communal areas of our everyday lives.  Small-scale works in cases will be transported from place to place, migrating outwards in a spiral. Artists will engage with local communities through workshops, talks and performances.  We’re seeking match-funding prior to our ACE application.  If you’re able to support in any way do please get in touch.

Next Online Sculpture Course

After the success of this year’s Online Sculpture Course, I’m running one from 11 Jan - 14 Feb ’21. It’s a 5 week course to create a nature-inspired sculpture using found & recycled materials. Aimed at adults, art students, teachers and those who want to get creative, it’s suitable for mixed abilities.  This showreel gives you a flavour of my work and Introduces the course.  Places are limited so book now if interested! To enrol (and receive your free tools list) e: fionacampbell-art@sky.com . It might make a nice Christmas present ;-)

I am thrilled to be featured in The Arts Society winter magazine about my sculpture workshops with art teachers! It was great to be involved in the initiative!

I was invited to run a wire sculpture bugs workshop at Preston School, Yeovil last week.   I really enjoyed being back in school working with young people face to face after so many months.  Students made a lovely range of small creatures.

Stay safe!