"A trio of Folkestone-based sculptural artists are taking their collaborative show to a London gallery"
Folkestone has garnered a reputation for artist-led regeneration, with masses of press coverage for its place-making' through the promotion of art in and around the town, from around the world. Individual artists and small galleries, however, are having a tougher time getting attention. If ever there was a time for artists to collaborate, this is it. And what better way to get your work 'out there than to do it yourself? Last November, three Folkestone-based artists - Robyn Neild, Maria Smith and Thurle Wright - did exactly that by staging The Story of Place: Crafting Personal Narratives Through Materials at the Folkestone Art Gallery. The resulting show was a refreshingly coherent exposition of their distinctive styles and caught the attention of Andrea Harari, curator of jaggedart, a London gallery with a specific interest in the unusual and delicate use of materials. Andrea visited the artists' Folkestone studios in January and the outcome is a new show in the capital - The Story of Place: Folkestone to London, which opens on 24 April for a month. Robyn has had success crafting beautiful bronze figures inspired by the world of high fashion. Her works are much more complex than merely decorative models, intricately woven through with spiky natural forms. Textile artist Maria's dedication to process makes her more interested in the feeling' of making as a way of thinking, rather than making work simply to sell. Thurle's textual "domestic storytelling" pieces use affordable materials - paper, fabric, found objects - all that can be worked on from a kitchen table. The coherence achieved in their joint exhibition is perhaps not surprising, as there had been a lot of preparation and discussion for months beforehand. So, it is not so much a collaboration as a co-operation, founded on a dedication to materials, process and overall, a sense of place. Robyn, Maria and Thurle all work from studios within five minutes of each other in the Creative Quarter and all have spent time in the nearby wild Romney Marsh landscape. It's not unusual for artists sharing studio space to exhibit together, but these three have many more "common threads" than those outlined in the small handmade booklet accompanying the show. Each has had a long career in the arts that has supported them and feeds into their work. It is fascinating to see how they have fashioned this work/life balance, each element weaving into the other. Despite having carved out their own distinctive practice, Robyn, Maria and Thurle have spoken of
learning from each other through this process. This generosity of spirit and openness has fed directly into the work for the new London show.
