A
trace of memory
This is an exhibition about memory, about remembering - recalling experiences
or impressions. The artists allude to memories that are both real and
imagined, finding their own visual language in pursuit of lines and
marks that have a very personal resonance. Often the marks are indistinct,
fragile, barely there. Tracing the evidence of past moments, the work
becomes a document of a relationship or event. A glimpse of a button
or a fragment of handwriting can trigger memories. These tiny inconsequential
objects have the power to summon voices, conversations, conjure moments
that perhaps had been forgotten. So much of this trail of evidence is
domestic, found in the home. The exhibition celebrates the intimacy
of domestic remnants and the histories and stories of the lives of women.
Memory is a fragile fabric, to be traced, discovered. It can be imperceptible
yet the process of searching and making connections transforms. The
juxtaposing of objects and textures, the ring of a tea stain on a hand
written envelope, enables connections to be made, moments to be lived
again. The home is the theatre in which existence can be traced and
documented, it's fabric recording the texture of our daily lives.
The Language of Ghosts - Henny Burnett
Henny
creates large scale installations out of materials which have
a profound emotional impact and communicate something very personal
about her life experience. Henny has had an ongoing preoccupation
with the development of imagery concerned with fragility and transience.
Elements from her inherited collection of family memorabilia often
become incorporated into the forms and structures she creates.
Veils are printed with fragmented images from different eras -
photographs, wedding lists, orders of service - and handbags become
vehicles for tiny miniature domestic utensils such as a food mixer
and a dustpan and brush. Her installations are rooted in the fabric
of the home, exploring impermanence and memory. |
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Jennifer
Collier
Jennifer
creates innovative textiles and craft pieces using fruit. Through
methods of weaving, waxing, knitting and stitching fruit and peel
she creates unusual materials which are then developed into garments
and accessories. She often utilises plastics and fabrics into
her pieces. The works have the power to communicate ideas about
recycling, as well as themes exploring the body. Jennifer's work
is often inspired by literature. A collection of shoes and dresses
was inspired by 'Oranges are not the only fruit' by Jeanette Winterson.
The work is non-functional and aims to encourage people to speculate
on the nature of value. Jennifer enjoys the idea of working with
disposable organic materials that are transient in nature, imbuing
them with worth and creating something intriguing of great beauty. |
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Julie Haslam
Julie
design company, Domestic Bliss, is a fusion of digital technology
and traditional concepts. The fusion of technology and product
driven design is used to create home interior products inspired
by every day, familiar, domestic experiences. Her work transforms
these experiences into must-have accessories for the design conscious.
Ironing board covers and cheese boards inspire memory, making
reference to collected memorabilia from an earlier age. |
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Anna
Lewis
Anna
has had an enduring fascination with personal history and the
importance of memory in preserving personal identity. Her works
are inspired by family photography and the strong bonds created
with personal possessions that have the power to evoke memory.
The delicate nature of Anna's work is full of metaphor, expressing
the ephemeral nature of memory. She works with feathers, sometimes
printed with traces of imagery, enjoying their delicate qualities,
but also employing their symbolic possibilities. A feather is
said to be the measure of a soul, and Anna's emotional body pieces
drape the neck and shoulders like a security blanket. The sensitivity
and lightness of the feathers is juxtaposed with the idea of memory
being heavy with meaning. |
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| Emer
O'Sullivan
Emer draws inspiration form objects that were once an essential
part of domestic household activities. Her studio displays a collection
of rusting ladles and colanders, alongside fragments of old lace
and wallpaper. Emer is fascinated by the environments that once
housed these objects. Her curiosity for enamel jugs and miscellaneous
cups and saucers inside wallpapered cupboards help to initiate
ideas that are then developed in ceramics and textiles. She creates
slab built utilitarian ware and functional vessels using earthenware
clay. These carry traces of lace and stitched fabric, impressed
into the clay to create subtle texture and evoke nostalgia for
the past. Her ceramics, textiles and drawings have a quiet, delicate
quality, reflecting the intangible, fragile sense of memory. |
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