A collection of works that evoke blue skies, a light breeze and warm sand, all prolonging the amiable feeling of summer, curated in collaboration with Sara J Beazley. The show includes Form of Instinct, Laura Ellen Bacon's Woman's Hour Craft Prize finalist work, which was exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum and other venues. The exhibition also includes objects, tapestries, furniture, fabrics, ceramics and glassware.
Laura Ellen Bacon | Christabel Balfour | Lucia Fraser | Geraldine Larkin | Bronwen Patterson | Katie Walker
The British sculptor Laura Ellen Bacon (born 1976) transforms raw, predominately natural materials into large-scale artworks in both interior and landscape settings. Her sculptures, which have been described as ‘monumental yet intimate’, ‘frenzied yet calm’, embrace, surround or engulf architectural and natural structures. Previously, the artist’s work has been seen in places such as Chatsworth, Somerset House, New Art Centre and Saatchi Gallery.
'The ambition in my work is to generate a kind of intrigue and an appeal that touches a powerful nerve (perhaps ancient in its origin) that we cannot precisely locate. My work has been driven by a personal (and solitary) desire to build and shape form with my hands. The thrill of making an internal space by turning and tying the material into position provokes a strong desire in me to make. It responds primarily to the structural features of a particular site, in much same way as the questing foot of a Weaver bird might regard the flex of a bough or a colony of wasps might collaborate within the rafters. I also respond to the feeling of the site and the opportunity to give the work (and in some way, the host structure) a sense of movement, of slow growth, as if the work will continue to grow when the viewer’s back is turned. Sometimes the curvaceous outline of the work will stand out in deep contrast with its surroundings and sometimes it is mistaken within a viewer’s peripheral vision as an assumed part of the natural world and is only fully registered during a quizzical second glance.
I am still powerfully driven to create spaces of some kind and over a decade into my work, my passions have returned not only to merging with the simplicity of dry stone walls (where I began), but also towards connections with architecture.'
Laura’s installation have inhabited the facades and grounds of the Holburne Museum, Bath; the Ruthin Craft Centre, Wales; The Gallery, Winchester Discovery Centre; Blackwell, The Arts and Crafts House, Cumbria; Derby Museum and Art Gallery and Chatsworth, amongst others.
Christabel Balfour is an artist and tapestry weaver, living and working in South London. She studied at Camberwell College of Art and the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art. Since graduating in 2013, she has developed a practice as a tapestry weaver and set up her studio in 2015. She specialises in rugs and woven wall hangings. Her process is very time consuming and she is drawn to working with the simplest of shapes and forms, continually stripping things down to their essence.
Award winning Katie Walker produces beautifully crafted contemporary furniture. Having studied at the Royal College of Art, she has a fine art based approach always striving to create pieces that are as beautiful as they are functional, often with an added element of surprise. Her pieces can be found in public galleries and private collections alike and she has also worked on projects with a number of retailers including Heals and John Lewis. All pieces are hand made in the UK using only the finest quality materials.
Geraldine Larkin is a Central St Martins graduate whose eponymous design studio is responsible for the reinvention of the ancient craft of embroidery though a design led application. She has worked on many exclusive private commissions and collaborated with many fashion houses including Romeo Gigli, Jill Sanders, Versace, Fendi and Tom Ford.
London based Lucia Fraser is a multidisciplinary artist specialising in painting and ceramics. Finding inspiration from the natural world she creates work that is gestural and expressive with a freedom of form that often journeys into abstraction.
South African born Bronwen Paterson’s multi layered works combine screenprinting, mono-printing and hand colouring. Images are created from cut out stencils, juxtaposing both positive and negative shapes to create the structure. Her imagery is often inspired by the forms and symbolism found in African artefacts. Bronwen uses the silhouettes of these objects which makes the objects become ambiguous.
Nomad Design sources textiles from all over the world to produce soft furnishings that tell a story. All products are made from their workshop in Stroud and their aim is to bridge the gap between artisan craft and contemporary luxury.
Sasha Kamen is a London born jewellery designer currently living with her family in Ibiza. Her pieces are delicate and easy to wear and she uses on the finest quality semi-precious stones.
