Collection | Arrangements
Arrangements
An engagement with objects and the act of arranging things is embedded in this series of works. Finding, acquiring, arranging and curating as a way to distil order and governance to situations and occurrences out of our control. To provide a portal to another place of imagination that allows one's self to become disconnected; in turn, becoming more connected with an inner sense of who we are. We have always collected, assembled and arranged to bring about a desired outcome, invoke a memory or create a sense of place.
These things are arranged, in place, in time
For you, for I
In tandem, to call upon, invoked, these things are arranged
"Arrangements" is a series of works that are arranged and informed by acts of arranging, collecting, and assembling. Recently on display during London Craft Week 2023.
I firmly believe that the process of collecting, arranging, and rearranging is a significant and multi-faceted act with which I deeply resonate. From childhood memories to adulthood, arranging has allowed me to comprehend situations, explore ideas, and inform decision-making.
The act of collecting and arranging is often regarded as a nostalgic memory associated with a connection to place, land, and spaces. It is a cherished childhood activity often revisited in conversations, where we recall collecting rocks, shells, sea glass, and other captivating curiosities washed up on the shoreline. I reminisce about the gentle ebb and flow of the sea tide, lapping against the sandy shore or pebbles, while the sun brightly illuminates the sky.
We hold on to the memories and the connections forged through the act of combing the beach for fascinating and intriguing objects. As I reflect upon these moments and ponder why, even as an adult, I feel an inherent attachment to the acts of finding, collecting, and arranging, I realize how they bear resemblance to the process of gathering ingredients, creating a home, surrounding oneself with objects that have a reflection on our day to day activities. These objects take on profound meanings, stories, and memories, and each day we establish a connection with them. I find myself questioning my childhood acts of collecting and arranging and how finding objects served as an escape from whatever else was transpiring around me. It was a means of making sense of the world and myself by projecting ideas onto these objects. Would this piece of sea glass be from a long-lost ship or a forgotten city beneath the waters? Deep down, I knew it was not, but in my imagination, it transported me to another realm, offering respite from the realities of my daily life and allowing me to get lost in my own world.
The large wall piece in this collection and subsequent smaller works, are arranged on the wall as a collage. Three pieces are displayed in relation to one another and are inspired by a sense of place. A memory of Cornwall and its many Pagan sites, standing stones and burial grounds which we frequented as family and as children. I was fascinated by them then and I am still connected to them now. Here they are a reflection on safe spaces that took me to a world of imagination and again escape as a child in a rural setting. An ode to structures, to picking up rocks, pebbles and stones and standing amongst the monoliths of the Cornish landscape.
The work on the plinth is connected to the act of arranging and connecting to everyday objects and materials. It invokes a sense of ritualistic placement, where sculptural objects become elemental figures that when arranged in order or in conjunction with one another invoke and manifest to the users’ will. A commentary on the use of objects and how through collecting, arranging and assembling the owner may command a sense of self.
For these works, I wanted to explore my love for print, mark-making and painting, which has been a big part of my practice in a way that incorporates fundamental processes. Processes that can be achieved in a domestic setting with materials that are readily available. I am an advocate for being able to create with what you have around you and growing up that is what we did, and that is what I do now in my creative practice. I painted large pieces of fabric on my studio table at home, limited by its size and shape, which provides limitations to the work and a series of constraints to work into. Each piece is then stitched together before it is constructed into the quilt and then hand-quilted.
The work on the point, “Cast” in a series of patchworked textiles that have also been handpainted with various marks. Adding texture to fabrics, which are then collaged together to form the final arrangement of fabrics. Personal objects and moveable textiles pieces are then arranged into a ritualistic assemblage which can be re-arranged across the surface of the work.
The personal objects I included in this installation of the work were:
Blackened Bowl - Infused with Patchouli and Frankincense - representative of the artist's mother and the Christian upbringing in a Cornish school. It also represents the elements of fire and air.
White chalk - from the cliffs of Sussex, representing the earth in its purest form. Used to draw, write and communicate. A loose connection to school blackboards and childhood memories.
Copper platter - Patchworked copper platter, beaten with a rock to form a textured surface - a conduit for electricity and directing energy. Charging power and representative of Fire.
Obsidian Mirror - A doorway, to beckon and invoke, to question and bring forth, the obsidian mirror represents black waters.
Works on display:
Arrangement One - Maen
Arrangement two - Cast
Arrangement three - Karn I
Arrangement four Karn II
Each piece in this collection will be coming to the online store soon. Do contact me if you are interested in any of the work on display.
Image Credits - Tim Crocker Photography