Resilience

Pyre, Royal Society Summer Show, curated by David McAlmont. Photo: Mike Glide Photography

Recover, bounce back, resilience, keep going - mantras I’ve been telling myself after a series of setbacks recently. Machine breakdowns have affected smooth running on a major scale. I hate to be so reliant on these, but..! Fridge, lawnmower, laptop and my truck, which has been my trusty friend for 14 years. It died on the way to an exhibition install in Cornwall and I’ve been without transport for over a month, until this week, when I purchased a replacement. Living in rural Somerset, it’s had a significant impact on day-to-day stuff, and hit me financially. I’m so grateful to friends and family who’ve helped out. Totally indebted to Seamus Moran, Roger Spear, and Chris Summerfield. Also Penn O’Gara, Jude Clough, Vic Grinter, Caroline James, Anthony Wilkinson, Jack Robson, Polly Hall, Christina White, Gill Sakakini, and others who’ve purchased from my shop, and/or supported me.

There have been some great events I’ve been part of this past month, and I’ve enjoyed visiting a few excellent shows locally, Cornwall and London.

Royal Society of Sculptors Summer Show

Pyre is currently on show at Royal Society of Sculptors Summer Show: ‘Reality Check’, Dora House, 108 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3RA, 22 July- 21 Sept, curated by David McAlmont. The PV was such fun, wonderful to catch up with so many, and meet new faces.

Pyre (detail) and the Summer Show. Photos above: Mike Glide Photography

Exhibitions

Continuing with the curation of As Old as the HiIls, a community art project which leads to an exhibition at Zig Zag, Glastonbury (21 Sept-6 Oct). Jan Ollis and I spent a lovely morning in my garden (on the hottest UK day of the year) working on the layout of paper artworks we created with the community. These will be stitched together to become hangings in our exhibition. We will hold a drop-in stitch day; if you’d like to take part let me know. We also have a free Sweet Track Making workshop coming up this month at the Zig Zag on 17/18 August. We’re thrilled that we’ve been granted a Somerset Art Works Audience Development Fund. The fund is to support our project and engagement with wider audiences for this year's Art Weeks Festival ‘24.

I have an upcoming exhibition Elemental at Sou’ - Sou’ -West, Bridport with Jan Alison Edwards and Ally Matthews (19 Oct-10 Nov), so am making new work for this.

Charcoal drawing in progress - Sprouting Potato

Workshops

I led an experimental sculpture workshop at TOMA, Southend-on-Sea with some fantastic students as part of their alternative MA course. And worked with over 60 children at Nunney First School making wire figures related to their Olympics theme.

I am adding new items to my shop, including these small bulrushes, if you fancy taking a look.

The Love 2 Learn Courses I was running at Bath College were axed, but there’s a chance I’ll be teaching some new adult courses at the Somer Valley campus (Radstock) - watch this space!

Follow me on instagram for regular updates

PS If you’re looking for a replacement car, I recommend this company Car Finance, they were amazing and made it very easy: use this refer a friend link: cf247.link/rl3t7

Solastalgia

Glut and Pyre, Truro Cathedral

The exhibition Solastalgia Issue 2 ‘Terrafurie’ at Truro Cathedral, features artists from Solastalgia Magazine Issue 2. The magazine is named after a word coined by Glenn Albrecht in 2003. “Solastalgia” is a portmanteau of the words ‘solace’ and ‘nostalgia,’ describing the feeling of distress associated with environmental change.

Open for just 2 more days - it ends this Sunday 14th July (Sat: 10-5, Sun: 11:30-4). If you’re in Cornwall, do visit!

I’m hugely grateful to Seamus Moran for all his help: transporting my work (after my truck broke down), lending his scaffold tower, and his patient assistance setting up over 2 days. Thanks also to Summer Auty for curating the show.

Pyre will also soon be on show at Royal Society of Sculptors Summer Show, Dora House, 22 July- 21 Sept, curated by David McAlmont. Private view Sat 20 July, 11am-2pm.

I recently led 2 workshops with Jan Ollis at West Pennard and St Benedict’s C of E Junior Schools, working with years 3-6. We cast and embedded debris collected from rivers, sea, marshes, and bogs in handmade paper, and made paper pulp. The work will be shown as part of As Old as the Hills, a proect I’m co-curating.

We had a wonderful day of walk, talks and.creative workshops, exploring, both land and materials with Duncan Cameron, David Kefford and Richard Tomlinson at Avalon Marshes Centre. Our next As Old as the Hills event will be to re-create a smaller version of the 3800BC yr old timber Sweet Track (see below). Free! Book here.

I have 2 drawings currently showing in ‘Landscape (Re)View I’ at The Wall, Musgrove Park Hospital until 29th October, open daily. The exhibition explores reconnecting with, caring for and living with the Somerset landscape.

Iris Rhizomes (↑) & Iris Roots (→), charcoal on Somerset paper; on show at Musgrove Hospital

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

My sculptures feel a bit like life as an artist - precarious! What with a broken down truck, the axing of a programme of courses I was teaching regularly and other trials, I’m so grateful to friends and colleagues who continue to support.

I’m offering an Online Sculpture Course (self-directed) for £40 - great value!  Alternativley, please visit my shop.

And do follow me on instagram for regular updates :-)

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!

New Work in Progress

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

I’ve been creating hybrid forms around the notion of resilience, adaptation, making do. These precarious, awkward sculptural assemblages incorporate hand-stitched and woven textiles, which carry histories of land, past lives, labour, craft, trade routes, consumerism and waste. Labour-intensive processes relate to care and repair.

Grateful to Roger Spear for the use of his wood workshop and technical assistance.

As Old as the Hills

I’m co-curating a project As Old as the Hills, rooted in heritage and environment, highlighting issues of sustainability. It culminates in a contemporary art exhibition plus events for SAW Festival in the Bauhaus building, Glastonbury. 10 artists will create site-responsive work, some with the community, developing collaborative art: installation, sculpture, textiles, film, photography, performance. Our artworks will respond to place, deep time, climate change: floods, water pollution, and precarity of the peat bogs. The project will be approached as a collective conversation. We want to celebrate biodiversity in the levels & marshes, re-framing the notion ‘as old as the hills’ as forward-thinking rather than anti-progressive.

Upcoming Drop-in Workshop at Collett Park Day, Shepton Mallet, 8 June, with me & Jan Ollis making simple paper casts and embedding river & sea debris. All day; all welcome! Work made will be part of the final As Old as the Hills exhibition.

Awaiting news on our ACE project grant application; work + events will be scaled according to funds. Visit @as.old.as.the.hills for more about the project and my Artist Instagram Takeover this week.

Played and Remade (launched this week)

Thrilled to be part of a new collaborative art & music project with The Piano Shop Bath. Discarded piano parts have been upcycled and transformed into artworks. My 3 pieces Nest, String Theory, & Starfish are for sale. All artworks are available to view online and in The Piano Shop Bath, 1&2 Canton Place BA1 6AA. See article in The Guardian and visit @playedandremade for more info.

Nest, for Played and Remade

Elysia

In April I collaborated with dance artist Vanessa Grasse on her Elysia R&D project in a residency at Create@#8, Shepton Mallet for a week. We collected materials on walks, hand dyed natural recycled fabric remnants with homemade botanical inks, and made eco sculptural wearable artworks. The work relates to hybridity, interconnection between the human and non-human world. The name’s inspired by Elysia chlorotica, a sea slug with plant-like qualities - living testament to hybridity and symbiosis.

It was fascinating creating sculptural textiles to move with the body, and see elements in action.  We shared work in progress on our last day, encouraged people to make a small part, and were treated to a performance - those watching were transfixed. See more in my previous blog.

Elysia, work in progress

Upcoming

Solastalgia Exhibition, Truro Cathedral, Cornwall, 1-14 July. This follows an excellent publication about Environmental art, edited by Summer Auty.  I’ll be showing Glut and Pyre.

Site visits for future projects

Tout Quarry, Portland; Avalon Marshes; Bridies Mount; Mendip Hills

Take a look at my website additions, and follow my instagram channel for more regular updates

Elysia, collaboration with Dance Artist Vanessa Grasse

I’ve spent the past few days working with Dance artist/Choreographer Vanessa Grasse. I was asked to mentor and collaborate with Vanessa on her R&D Project Elysia, to explore the creation of wearable sculptures made from natural and recycled materials.

Based in Leeds, Vanessa has been staying with me in rural Somerset. We’ve been collecting natural materials on walks, hand colouring natural fabric remnants with homemade botanical dyes, exchanging ideas around contemporary sculpture and dance, slime mould and lichen, and working daily at our residency in a large empty shop space Create@#8, Shepton Mallet. The project name is inspired by the Elysia chlorotica, a sea slug with plant-like qualities - a living testament to hybridity and symbiosis. The themes are very much up my street.  See Vanessa’s newsletter here.

It’s been an incredibly refreshing and energising experience, working across disciplines, learning new ways of thinking, approaching art in motion - something I’d like to explore further.  We’ve had fun playing with materials, colours, cavities, lines and blobs, improvising with assemblages around the body in movement, hand-stitching…

We’ll be sharing the work in progress on our last day - Thursday 11 April, 4-5pm. Please join us at Create@#8, 8 Town Street, Shepton Mallet. All welcome!

Elysia R&D project delves into the profound interconnection between humans and the non-human world. It blends outdoor choreography, ecological sculpture, and Land Art processes, towards the creation of a visceral, sculptural, and playful outdoor performance, where hybrid creatures, bodies, natural materials, and the landscape are in metamorphosis.

Humans are intricate ecosystems of a multiplicity of species. Awakening an awareness of our inherent hybridity, has the capacity to alter how we perceive our place in the world and our connection with our ecosystems.

The creative research includes exchanges with academic researchers; sculptors, costume makers and land artists. Elysia is supported by Arts Council England, University of Leeds; Yorkshire Dance, Create@#8.

New Courses:

Vanessa and I met when she did my Online Sculpture Course earlier this year. If you’re interested in doing an art course with me, I’ll be running some new adult Love 2 Learn art courses at Bath College from 17 April:

Sculpture: (Wed am and/or pm)

https://www.bathcollege.ac.uk/course/view/3109/introduction-to-sculpture-23-24

Drawing and Painting (Wed or Thurs)

https://www.bathcollege.ac.uk/course/view/3069/drawing-and-painting-23-24

Please book asap as spaces are limited!