Welcome to our exhibition : adapt
adapt: to become adjusted to new conditions
A reflective exhibition of works by studio and associate members in our Studio Gallery, considering how our work, processes or thinking has helped us adapt to change or has changed due to new unsteady futures. Sharing the strange and relatable things which give us strength as artists, makers and documenters.
This exhibit was a ‘work in progress’ in itself and slowly evolved over the 10 day period from the 28th Nov to the 6th Dec. With more works, recordings and installations being added virtually, and physically at the studio gallery.
Click on links to artist’s profiles, sound files and videos and leave comments or ask questions below at the bottom of this page, we would love to hear from people who have visited!
The exhibition was open to the public physically from the 2nd-6th Dec after Lockdown restrictions were lifted. It has now been taken down but the virtual exhibit will remain and we may add to it occasionally.
'Means to adapt' Groups assemblage photo used as the main image to promote the exhibition / A collection of tools belonging to studio artists, used regularly in their work. Tools, whether passed down, bought, found, made or regularly replaced, have a history and have changed little in design since they were first created. Adapting is something we have always done and our connection to tools is intrinsic to this process. Importantly, art too is a tool which we use to adapt.
'Silver Lining' part of the 'Timelines' series by Karen Goonewardene / £POA / Glassfibre, Resin, Oils, Varnish, Grey Slate / 37cm x 13cm x 20cm / I took the opportunity this year to adapt my practice and create this exciting new series of abstract sculptures, painting in 3 dimensions, sculpting in colour. Mapping the journeys we have taken in 2020, twisting, turning, changing, going back on ourselves, adapting, accepting, progressing, reverting, yet continuously evolving into something new. Timelines marks a point in time from where new beginnings emerge.
'Migration' part of the 'Timelines' series by Karen Goonewardene / NFS / Fibreglass, Resin, Oils, Beeswax, Solid Steel .
Part of the 'Horizon' series by Emma Souter /£POA / Oil and pigment on board / H 99cm x W 82cm x D 5cm / There is a levelling effect to look as far as the eye can see. I think that's why I like pottery, or prioritising sound, it centres me in a similar way. This piece is based on a memory of an evening beach walk; choosing whether to head towards night or chase day. I have really struggled at times during restrictions not to be free to choose to go home and the walk by the sea.
'Squiggle' part of the 'Timelines' series by Karen Goonewardene / £POA / Fibreglass, Resin, Oils, Varnish, Aluminium, Lead.
'Circumlocution 1' part of 'looking to be still series' by Emma Souter / £95 unframed / Limited edition 1/50 reproduction print of charcoal and mixed media drawing on board / 22.5 W x 26 H x 0.2 D inch / Many parents have been struggling to work effectively this year; I have only completed one painting. As a solution I am producing limited editions of existing works to sell online. Something I should have been doing already.
'Cup of Joy' by Emma Souter / £25 made to order/ Limited edition of 50 / stoneware cup in a primary colour glaze. Simple pleasures have been something we have reevaluated or revisited this year. I drink a lot of tea, it is also what I turn to in times of stress. I wanted to make a cup that can bring joy to an ordinary, mundane or potentially irritating day. Tea and the mugs I use are my constant.
'Field cuckoo bumblebee' by Laura Murphy / £30 (20% of proceeds will be donated to The Bumblebee Conservation Trust) / Slip-cast Parian Porcelain
'Briar Patch' by Laura Murphy / Tealight Vessel £30 / Slip-cast Parian Porcelain
'Blue Tit Vessel Collection' by Laura Murphy / Jug £30, Small vase £30, Taller Vessel £45 / Slip-cast Parian Porcelain with coloured insertion.
'Daily Measure' by Laura Murphy Mug £34 / 7.5cm x 12cm / Slip-cast Parian Porcelain
'Canvas 3' By Becky Colwell / Acrylic on canvas / H 69 x W 69cm /This is the third incarnation for this canvas, the scars from its previous life adding to its texture and its vibrancy offering possibility for its future.
'Mussels' by Aniko Dioszegi / £ 35 / Necklace made from gold and copper painted inner tube / I know that paintings won't come for restoration for a while, so new things came to my mind, I am free to create jewellery.
'Italian landscape' by Aniko Dioszegi /£ 3200 / Oil on canvas /100cm x 120cm / Sunlight, silence, ancient ruins and pine trees.
'Fish out of water' by Aniko Dioszegi / Acrylic and drawing on paper / £200 / 25cm x 52cm
Tregardock #25 by Tim Steward /£495 /Pastel, ink, condensed charcoal, pencil and wax on paper / 77 x 58cm / I used much of the first lockdown this year to experiment with materials. Whilst our location in Cornwall was quite isolated, there was still an element of slowing down and additional work in the studio, as opposed to on the cliffs. It was in retrospect a consolidating time, where I was able to take stock on the previous few months working outside.
'Jazz' by Jo Ferguson (Cracktpot Jo) / Dishy fish on a stick / £25 / Pique assiette mosaic / Named after the china used, in this case, the jazz age ceramic, a plate dated from the 1920's.
'Broken (but) Still Life' by Jo Ferguson (CracktPot Jo) / £80 / Vintage china on reclaimed board / 43cm x 28cm / During the first lockdown I had a strong desire to make a still life, a simple image, clean and reflective. Without realising at the time, I was making a comforting image of remembered pots from my childhood. Pique assiette mosaics reflect and transfer a previous history, a past life into a new image or object, in this case the comfort of unconditional love.
'Lockdown I Mama' by Magda Kozarzewska / NFS / Oil in canvas / H 60cm x W 50cm / In February my dearest mom died. We were very close. Over the years I painted many portraits of her. So it was only natural to continue her legacy and carry on painting her from drawings and photographs during the lockdown. I didn’t want the painting to look like a photograph. I wanted to show her personality and her spirit .
'Lockdown II Mama' by Magda Kozarzewska / NFS / Oil on canvas /H 25 x W 30 cm / I didn’t want the painting to look like a photograph. Instead, I wanted to show the warmth and the love they had for each other.
'Lockdown 5 Card players' by Magda Kozarzewska / NFS/ Oil on canvas / H 60cm x W 80cm /My mother and I playing cards. Long winter evening, warm light and a vodka or two...
'Almeria' by Magda Kozarzewska/£ 1500 / Oil on canvas /H 60cm x W 50cm x D 2cm / I visited Almeria on one of the cruises I teach on. I painted this during lockdown from memory and drawings. It’s about heat, shapes, light and space.
'Traditionally upholstered nursing chair' by Kate Pullan Upholstery / £1125 / Every element has been hand crafted to create a traditionally upholstered, independent sprung edge nursing chair that will last for years to come. My love for the upholstery craft is growing and growing. I am thankful every day that I get to do this as my job.
'Harvest Moon' By Yolande Nye / £200 / Mixed media on board / H 75 x W 55 cm / Escape to remembered views of landscape.
'Summer Gardens' by Yolande Nye / £200 / Acrylic on board / 63 x 43cm / Views of the colours of gardens.
'Winter Rain; by Yolande Nye / £200 / Acrylic on board / H 63 x W 43cm / Miserable feeling of gloomy weather but still calming colours.
'Sunrise' by Yolande Nye / £70 / Acrylic and pastel on card / 15 x 10cm
'A table for one' by gé_workshop / An installation of functional ceramic vessels, reflecting upon the new rules of life in isolation during the pandemic. Meal-sharing is one of the most important manifestations and celebrations of society in all cultures. The act of eating together demonstrates the power of a meal to forge relationships and confirms our sense of belonging to a community. In our new covid-altered reality, for many people meal-sharing has become temporarily unavailable. This is a 'celebration' in isolation.
'Begin Again #1'/ by Chris West A2 - £43/ Glicée print on Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm/ When the first lockdown started I took the opportunity for daily walks to escape a suddenly very busy house. Home life was chaos, outside was refuge. The more I walked the more interesting things I saw. At first I took photos with my phone and later I started taking my SLR with me. This photograph is in an area I walked past often and I experimented with various versions of this photo before getting a shot that communicates what I saw there.
'Cavern'/by Chris West A2 - £43/ Glicée print on Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm/ One of the things I liked most about the first lockdown is how quiet the streets were. Almost no traffic and very few people. This allowed me the opportunity to take photos I couldn't before. I stood in the middle of roundabouts, in the middle of empty streets and saw a new perspective on places I've known for years. I took a series of photos of rust patterns on a garage door while standing in a normally busy road. It's a photograph I couldn't take in normal times.
Hand tufted rugs by Hannah Heys/from the 'Homewares' collection/ "The huge changes to my schedule of exhibitions and art fairs guided me in a completely unforeseen direction. Being within the same 4 walls for such a long time and without exhibitions gave me the space and also necessity to tweak the way that my pieces were finished. With all of these changes and space to think, homewares felt like the next logical step, mostly because I wanted to brighten up my own home initially if I'm honest, but it has morphed into something quite wonderful that I really wanted to share"!
Cushions made using reclaimed yarn by Hannah Heys/ from the 'Homewares' collection./"Although the leap to make my homewares suitable for sale was swift… it was just the beginning of one of the longest development processes for a range I think I have ever had. I wanted the pieces to be fully made by me, I had quite a clear vision of what I wanted them to look like and to keep them in line with the quality of the handmade wall hangings, I wanted to keep control of all processes... This meant a lot of learning, wrestling with hefty pieces that aren't really traditionally meant for homewares, some very sore fingers and quite a few bent needles, but due to the changes in the way we lived throughout 2020, a long development period fit in well".
Artists Videos & Recordings
‘A Home In Isolation' by the Neoteric Dance Company, is a short dance film which explores the impact that the Coronavirus is having on both the artists that make up Neoteric Dance Company, coupled with the experiences held by other freelance and independent artists.
Each dancer created and filmed their solos in the safety of their own homes, in a space that best reflects their current situation. These were then woven together to share a combined narrative. This project was completely created through email and video correspondence, with non of the artists having a chance to work with one another or to see each others movement contributions.
At the point of this short film being made NDC had one dancer with the virus, one was stuck outside the UK, some had to self isolate due to underlying health issues and one was pregnant.
The spoken word artist created a short poem that incorporated not only her experiences, but those of participants, who left their thoughts, feelings and movement suggestions on a comment thread on FB.
A musician offered us some music that he felt best reflected the current situation and which perfectly linked with the dancers movements.
'A Home In Isolation' is merely a marker of what many may be feeling and hopes to be a piece that supports the viewers in knowing they are not alone, that in isolation there are still ways to be connected to others whilst opening up a platform for conversations to take place. To find out more about NDC, or to be involved in upcoming projects please visit www.neotericdancecompany.com or on FB /IG @NeotericDanceCompany
‘I’m saying something’ by Eirwyn Souter Rees
‘Migration’ by Karen Goonewardene.
Karen took the opportunity this year to adapt her practice and create this exciting new series of sculptures, Timelines. Mapping the journeys we have taken in 2020, twisting, turning, changing, going back on ourselves, adapting, accepting, progressing, reverting, yet continuously evolving into something new, Timelines marks a point in time from where new beginnings emerge.
'Silver Lining' by Karen Goonewardene. Part of Timelines, a new series of abstract sculptures.
"Painting in 3 dimensions, sculpting in colour"
Hand Carved Oolitic Limestone Egg by Karen Goonewardene
Participating artists:
Karen Goonewardene, Aniko Dioszegi, Emma Souter, Laura Murphy, Kate Pullan, Yolande Nye, Becky Colwell, gé_workshop, Magda Kozarzewska, Jo Ferguson (CrackPotJo), Tim Steward, Emma Dickson (Neoteric Dance Company), Kristina Paxton, Chris West and Eirwyn Souter Rees.