Installation
Whitecleave Theodolite (2022)
Willow, earth, sand, straw, limewash
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This sculpture was made in the summer of 2022, inspired by the cob house building tradition in the rural South West. It consists of two elements- an arch and a pillar, with wattle frames made from locally gathered willow, which was plastered with "cob", a mixture of earth, sand, and straw. They were then painted with limewash.
Taking inspiration from the lime kilns in my village, I constructed a lime kiln in which to create my own burnt lime to make lime wash from.
The piece is named for Whitecleave Quarry, a disused limestone quarry which overlooks my village. The stones used to make the limewash come from there.
The two pieces align with one another- it was intended that if the arch and pillar were lined up with one another, the setting sun on the summer solstice would be framed within the hole in the pillar. Unfortunately this piece was never installed in it's final location, but I hope to come back to the project someday.
The Hembury Hill Burial Assemblage (2021)
Nettle fibre, feathers, wool, cotton, copper, bronze, wood
This ensemble of various ritual garments was produced over several months in 2020-21. This work draws from prehistoric burial assemblages that are displayed in museums, and the way they define an absent person through the objects of their life. I am interested in the idea that material objects become part of our minds, of our wider culture- external, physical components of these otherwise immaterial things. This piece was included as part of the exhibtion Common Ground: Folklore at North Lincs Museum, Scunthorpe
Abonos (2021)
Ash wood, Birch tar
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Anaerobic soil conditions can preserve bog wood, or abonos, for thousands of years, such as the houses of Bronze age people that were revealed at Must farm in Cambridgeshire. Ash dieback, caused by a fungus which was accidentally introduced into the UK by humans, is projected to kill 80% of our ash trees. The sight of stands of this native tree lining the banks and hedgerows may soon be but a memory.
This house, grown like a fungus or excavated from beneath the earth, is a house of memory. Memory and last respects to the ash trees from which it was made, and a reminder that our legacy remains ever present with us, beneath our feet. It will outlast us, and sometimes, conveniently or not, may rise up to meet us.
