Upcoming: Somerset Open Studios

Grass Roots, charcoal on Fabriano paper

I’m preparing for Somerset Open Studios (16 Sept - 1 Oct).  My studio and garden will be open to visitors at Venue 12, Cranmore BA4 4RH, daily 10-5. Thanks to East Somerset Railway for allowing me to use their engine shed for some small scale metal fabrication.

Wander_Land (Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens & Gallery, Penzance, Cornwall) is now over. It was such a joy to work together with colleagues from Royal Society of Sculptors. Creating, installing, and working behind the scenes has been all-consuming. It was lovely to have others’ responses to the work; feedback has been rewarding and encouraging. Flags of the Forest was challenging and ambitious in scale. People found it emotive, apocalyptic, tribal, hopeful, ephemeral, rapturous, joyous, ‘extending line out into the world.. with a sense of survival’… (Listen to my podcast with Doug Burton). The show ended with a Closing Event: talk/demo by Jane Fox, and performances by Barbara Beyer, Dallas Collins, Ann-Margreth Bohl and Tabatha Andrews.

My work was about caring for the environment, valuing every small thing, life’s entanglements. Sited on a hill overlooking the sea and St.Michael’s Mount, stormy weather was quite harsh on my outdoor piece, but I learnt to let go. Fading colours, wear and tear became part of the work. Tibetan prayer flags (reused in the work) are allowed to disintegrate over time. Tibetans believe the prayers will be spread by the wind and bring goodwill and compassion to all beings. Mine were made in honour of nature (esp. trees, forests..) to celebrate its resilience, despite our destructive, greedy tendencies, and repair a degrading world. There is hope that we might all join forces and make amends. It would be interesting to create a piece of work that intentionally invites the wind to do its tangling.

Thanks to: Neil Armstrong, owner of Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens for his support; Martin Holman who helped with curation and his excellent text; Steering Group (Seamus Moran, Ann-Margreth and Mark Richards). Special thanks to Shey and Jo Moran for their wonderful hospitality; Shey and Pauline Antram for helping with my takedown, and James Vane for excellent transportation.

Grateful to David Bird for the video (above) and to visitor Mick Waite for these detail pics of Flags of the Forest

Road trips

I’ve been taking some time off to pause, reflect, get inspiration, and reconnect with people. I ventured to art exhibitions and venues further afield, some I’d never visited, and have enjoyed meeting up with fellow practitioners and friends.

Above: 1 Fay Ballard, Lines of Empathy, Close Ltd; 2 Deborah Duffin, If Not Now, When, Hepworth Wakefield; 3 Cornelia Parker (“); 4 Raisa Kabir, Bluecoat, Liverpool; 5 Antony Gormley, Crosby Beach, Liverpool; 6, 7 Julien Creuzet, Tobacco Warehouse, Liverpool; 8 Albert Ibokwe Khozas Tobacco Warehouse; 9 Fachima Rodrigo Tate Liverpool; 10 El Anatsui Tate Liverpool; 11 Leonardo Drew, Yorkshire Sculpture Park; 12 Phyllida Barlow, Leeds Art Gallery; 13 Leeds Art Gallery; 14 Sonia Boyce, Leeds Art Gallery; 15 Gilbert Bayes Award Winners exhibition, The Art House; 16, 17 Anselm Kiefer, Finnegans Wake, White Cube; 18 Frances Carlile, WAC, Wells; 19 Will Cruikshank, Threads, Arnolfini Bristol; 20 Alice Shepherd-Fidler, Studio.

Loved Liverpool, now one of my favourite cities - such an impressive fusion of contemporary and heritage architecture, friendly people and a vibrant contemporary art scene, especially during the Biennial, this year curated by Khanyi Silembongwa. The Kiefer show at White Cube, London, reminds me of my (much smaller) collected hoards of scrap materials and how I can use and reuse old works for new beginnings.

My drawing Iris Roots, charcoal on Somerset paper, is entered into the London Graphic Centre exhibition and prize. The People’s Choice award is open for your vote until the end of Wed 16 Aug. If you like it, please vote for no 32 https://www.londongraphics.co.uk/peoples-choice-award-entries

Do also visit my online shop to purchase my work. Prices are going up soon…

Hope to see you at my Open Studios!

New Work on Show for Wander_Land, Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens

Flags of the Forest, reclaimed and found materials, 2023.. Photo Russell Sach

After months of prep and an intense week installing my work is now on show in Wander_Land, a large scale artist-led group exhibition of new sculpture at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens and Gallery, Penzance, Cornwall. The exhibition is about landscape and wandering, and includes 28 artists from Royal Society of Sculptors - open daily 1 July - 5 Aug, 11-4. Closing Event 5 Aug 11-4. The show spans several spaces inside and out. Works range in style and materiality, some pushing sculpture to its edges. It’s been a joy working together alongside great colleagues, and behind the scenes with steering group Seamus Moran, Mark Richards, Ann-Margreth Bohl, and curator/writer Martin Holman. See more here. Our Opening Evening was followed by a busy first weekend with Artist Talks. You can listen to artists talk about their work in a series of podcasts led by Doug Burton. Mine is here.

I created 2 pieces: Flags of the Forest (outdoors) and Above and Below (indoors).

Flags of the Forest. Photo Russell Sach

Flags of the Forest. Photo Barbara Beyer

Art writer Martin Holman, who assisted us with the curation, wrote in his introduction to the show:

‘Fiona Campbell’s ‘Above and Below’ distils that essentialness of the all-round effect of nature and transports it into the gallery as if challenging the enclosure that comes with architecture.’

‘The thicket of stem-like upright forms and trailing translucent pennants on the grass bank… suggests another way marker or a minor encampment of a travelling band. At the same time as these colourful ideas emerge, others focused on sculptural properties like line, volume, space and surface occur. The piece assembles a wide array of natural matter and woven fabrics acquired in all manner of exchange and appropriation, or bring obliquely to mind the pattern of commerce, profit and exploitation in the manufacture of fashion items for western consumption.’ (Flags of the Forest).

Grid images below: Flags of the Forest installation process. Photo credits: 4,5,6,7,8,9,24,29 Barbara Beyer

Flags of the Forest. Photos (above x 2) by Russell Sach

Photo Barbara Beyer

Visitors’ silent walk to see Flags of the Forest before Artist Talks. Photo David Bird

Above: visitor with Flag

Left: photo by Jane Jobling

Flags of the Forest took almost a year to make, in between other work. Inspired by walks in woodlands, it was developed from an indoor piece to a large outdoor installation. The flags celebrate bio-diversity, hopeful of nature being more cared for, and thriving. The work includes tall heavy scrap metal and found wood components with fragile hand-stitched patchworks of semi-translucent textiles elements - some I’ve botanically dyed, eco-printed or embedded with found objects collected on walks. It’s a first for me - and a steep learning curve - to include a water feature as part of an installation. Labour-intensive processes included digging a ditch/pond/water feature and carrying many buckets of water uphill…  Have enjoyed seeing the work activated by wind, rain and sunshine.  It tinkles, reflects in the inky water, and casts strong shadows. Have loved chatting to visitors and their dogs. I couldn’t dream of a better view for this work - across the sea to St Michael’s Mount, a tidal island, place of pilgrimage and the inspiration for the show.

Above and Below is a response to the entanglements of matter, rhizomic systems and debris that make up the strata we walk on. Interconnected lines of life, in a process of becoming, growing, ‘frothing and tangling and fusing.. layering and layering and layering…..’ (Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life). ‘Fungal networks lace woodland soil… slow stories… making and remaking…. Vascular systems of forest wisdom.’’ (Robert Macfarlane, Underland).

Above and Below, reclaimed and found materials including metal, wood, insects, twine, tree bark, pods, fishing net, roots, grasses, bones, pondweed, nest, aluminium, sisal,, botanically dyed fabric, wax, 2023

Above and Below, Wander_Land. Photo Russell Sach

Images above: Above and Below install, Opening Evening, Artist Talk and exhibition overview. Photo credits: 1,3 Mark Richards; 4 Rob Marshall; 5,10,11 Barbara Beyer; 8 Jane Jobling; 9,20 Seamus Moran; 14,19 Russell Sach; 16 Doug Burton; 17 Jo Hague.

Thanks to:

Jason Nosworthy and Mike Belcher for helping me install; Seamus and Jo Moran for their hospitality all week during and post install; Jane Jobling and other exhibiting artists; Neil Armstrong & team at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens; Martin Holman for his help curating; Arts Council England for my DYCP award which enabled me to develop this work to an ambitious scale; Mark Devereux Projects for mentoring support this year.

If you haven’t yet, do visit!  And see @wanderland2023 for more..

My year of ACE DYCP has now come to an end, but I will be continuing in the same vein towards a more sustainable practice, taking risks, exploring and developing further.

I was delighted to see my work settled in its new home. Above and Below I (mixed media collage) looks fabulous framed up so beautifully, and in a perfect spot. I’ll now be focusing on new work for Somerset Open Studios (16 Sept - 1 Oct). In the meantime, if you’d like to purchase any of my works please visit my shop.

Above and Below 1, mixed media collage

Opening Event Invite, Wander_Land

I’m delighted to invite you to the Opening Event of Wander_Land, a major exhibition at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens & Gallery, Cornwall, with Royal Society of Sculptors members.  I've created two new works for the show.  The Opening Evening is on 30th June, 6-8pm, and the exhibition runs from 1st July - 5th August, with events. Please see here for further details.

I hope you can make it!  

Wander_Land, DYCP, Sovereign Nature

Above and Below (detail)

I’m delighted to invite you to

Wander_Land

1 July - 5 August
An exhibition of sculpture by members of the Royal Society of Sculptors at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens and Gallery. I will be showing 2 new works made this year, Flags of the Forest and Above and Below, around the theme of woodlands/forests, biodiversity, rhizomic systems and entanglements of matter. I’ve been developing the Flags as an outdoor installation. Both works are made using eco-friendly materials and approaches: recycled, found, discarded and re-purposed materials, including home-made botanically dyed textiles, hand-stitched.

Inspired by a pilgrimage route that passes through Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, Wander_Land explores our relationship between landscape and wandering. 

Please join us for the Private View:
Friday 30 June, 6 - 8pm

1st July: Artist Talks 2.30-4pm

5th August: Closing Event am & pm

Open 11am-4pm daily
Tremenhere Sculpture Gallery, Nr. Gulval, Penzance, Cornwall TR20 8YL (T: 01736 448089)

Instagram: @wanderland2023

Below: pics of work in progress for Flags of the Forest. Thanks to Nigel Evans for his assistance.

As my Arts Council England ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ Award draws to the end of its year, I’ve been looking back at what I’ve learnt and achieved. Huge thanks to ACE for the grant, Mark Devereux Projects for the bi-monthly mentoring sessions, and all who’ve contributed, engaged and followed my progress.

I’ve really appreciated the conversations and advice given my Mark Devereux over the 6 sessions. They were helpful in staging my progress, each building on the last. Mark helped to pinpoint key aspects of my practice, made sensitive observations and offered suggestions for development. In light of his questioning, I’m thinking more about presentation, the sensory, and my Kenya connections.

Kenya (my birthplace) is an underlying thread which I’m drawing out in my work. The tie is emotional. I’m focusing more on making do, ingenious uses of materials, embedding life and art, use of colour, textiles, space, connecting with earth, creatures, plants.. In my new series of work, I’ve explored and tested scale, materials, processes, ideas and different qualities through maquettes, drawings and larger pieces. I’m planting a dyers garden which will enable more home grown inks to be produced, expanding my repertoire of botanical dyes and eco prints. 

I was asked to create a river train and oak copse crown/headdress for a giant puppet’s costume (ACE-funded project via Spoken World). I used recycled/found materials to create the pieces, including eco-dyed fabric, wire, plastic, found wood and leaves for the crown. The river train took many hours to stitch together! I led a community workshop at Create@#8, Shepton Mallet to create some of the elements, and grateful to all those who helped. The giant Sovereign Nature has been processioning at Somerset Festivals. I enjoyed performing with her at the Green Scythe Fair.

Jem Dick made the giant and worked with project director/storyteller Sharon Jacksties and community groups to create the gown.

Upcoming giant processions:
15-16/7 Pitchfolk Festival
3-6/8 Fanny’s Meadow
and appearances at various residential care homes. 

My work House on Fire is showing at Stone Lane Sculpture Exhibition, Stone Lane Gardens, Stone Farm, Stone Lane, Chagford TQ13 8JU, 1 June-31 October. The gardens are magical and there’s a great range of sculpture on show - do visit!

Flags, Crowns, Costumes, Giants

Flags of the Forest in progress

I hope you’ve been enjoying the May bank holidays (with extra coronation one for those of us in UK). I spent it with friends in North Cornwall (see pics at end). Flags, Crowns, Costumes and Giants have been recurring themes lately…

I’m working on my Flags of the Forest series - eco-flag pieces inspired by woodlands.   Some have different qulities/themes and hoping they’ll speak to each other.  I’ve used labour-intensive methods such as hand-stitching, weaving, and hand-made eco dyes to celebrate biodiversity, hopeful of nature being more cared for, and thriving. Placed in the landscape near Tremenheere’s woodland, and reflected in a water feature, the flags become way markers. The concept was inspired by Ursula Le Guin’s book title ‘The Word for World is Forest’. Woods and forests provide vital ecosystems - crucial to our survival.

The work’s being developed for Wander_Land. Follow our weekly instagram @wanderland2023 artist takeovers by Royal Society of Sculptors members leading up to our exhibition at Tremenheere Sculpture Garden and Gallery, 1 July - 5 August, (PV 30 June 6-8pm). 

I’m involved in an ACE funded project to create a processional giant puppet ‘Sovereign Nature’ via Spoken World, for upcoming Somerset festivals in June/July.  ‘Built by a professional giant maker Jem Dick, Sovereign Nature’s costume will be created with textile artist Fiona Campbell, project director/storyteller Sharon Jacksties and community groups. ‘ I’m creating parts of the costume using recycled/found materials.  Currently working on the oak copse crown/headdress comprising handmade leaves, and eco-dyed fabric.  We are holding several community workshops.  These start in May - one at Create@#8, (8 Town Street, Shepton Mallet BA4 5BG) on Tuesday 23 May, 6-8pm, run by me and project leader/storyteller Sharon Jacksties.  This free community workshop is to help make a large recycled fabric river train.  The making process will include storytelling and sharing stories about Nature - reviving the age-old practice of telling/listening whilst making.  The more hand-stitchers the merrier, so do join us!  We’ll also be doing some drawings of Somerset's endangered creatures on fabric for the giant’s dress sleeves   Book: eventbrite

Listen to a BBC radio chat about the project (3:16-3:36)

Sovereign Nature Events: 10/6 Taunton Green Fair, Castle Green, Museum of Somerset, Taunton; 11/6 The Green Scythe Fair, Thorney Lakes; 15-16/7 Pitchfolk Festival, Sedgemoor. Plus various residential care homes..

I led a flower-crown workshop for Jack in the Green via The Old Stores Studio on May 1. High Wire Mystic Chris Bullzini was the master of ceremony, always a pleasure to witness. The cloak he wears was made last time by me and the community.

I also made a crown for my local village church (St. Bart’s) for the coronation, and installed the work with Gill Sakakini.

Yesterday I installed my piece House on Fire at Stone Lane Gardens for Stone Lane Sculpture Exhibition, part of the Ashburner Prize. It opens 1 June and runs throughout the summer. The theme is ‘Sense of Place’. Thanks to Jason Nosworthy for his help with the install!

House on Fire, reclaimed materials: found wood, wire, steel, twine, fabric, plastic..

Other news:

Honoured to have been invited to join the board as a Trustee at Somerset Art Works. I was a Rep ’13-’19.

A few sketches done on my mini break in North Cornwall. We did some gorgeous coastal walks around Rock, The Rumps, Padstow, and Daymer Bay.

Pics below include a heart-making workshop I ran for a Community Spirit giant - to be installed in Shepton Mallet this summer; prepping work for Flags of the Forest; and London exhibitions (Mike Nelson at Hayward & Souls Grown Deep.. at RA)