Lasting Impressions update

Lasting Impressions: Cloth Taxonomies, 2017. Hannah Lamb & Claire Wellesley-Smith (photo Hannah Lamb)

Over the last two years I have been working with friend and fellow artist Claire Wellesley-Smith on Lasting Impressions, an artwork commissioned by Saltaire Inspired. During Saltaire Arts Trail in May 2016 and 2017 we created a performative and participatory work in the spinning room at Salts Mill, which aimed to capture a record of the clothes worn by visitors, start discussions about cloth and archive these responses through making.

Given the wealth of responses and the discussions provoked by the work it seemed fitting to capture all of this in a publication. Our Lasting Impressions artists' book will be launched at this years' Saltaire Arts Trail, 5th - 7th May at my Open Studio. Join us at the Butterfly Rooms, Gordon Terrace as we present elements of the project.

If you can't make it along we will be announcing how you can buy a copy after the event.

When a thread breaks...

... is it a problem or a possibility?

So many ideas from playing with materials sent by Claire.

Sticker Project

It's was a relief this afternoon to submit the work I have done for the sticker project at Bradford College, having beavered away all this week. I have been making a series of six handmade textile and paper 'stickers' titled 'Enter the Woods' based on a found verse (I think from an old hymn). If anyone knows who wrote this please let me know.

I think God gave the woods to us,

That we might steal away,

Alone to those green solitudes,

From all the noise of day,

I think God gave the woods to us,

To teach our souls to pray.

Each sticker includes a line from the verse enclosed within a folded piece of plant dyed cloth. I have used fine silk and metallic fabrics in subtle colours that seemed to mimic the colours of weathered concrete, wood and metal. This work aims to entice the viewer to explore green spaces, escaping the noise and bustle of city life. I imagine the stickers positioned around the urban environment, to be found in an intimate encounter with an unexpected artwork.

Below are some photos I took to see how the stickers might look in situ.

The stickers will join a large number of self-adhesive mini artworks by fellow Bradford staff and students, in locations in Spain and England to coincide with the Bilbao Art Fair. Rather than exhibit work in a gallery or art fair the project seeks to explore alternative, temporary locations for art by placing stickers outside the gallery, in urban spaces, on walls, pavements and unexpected public places. If anyone manages to see one let me know!

You can look at more fabulous sticker inspiration here.

Fresh Ideas

I could smell the rain before I saw or heard it; transforming and refreshing the landscape. Rain at last after almost no rain for two months here. It seems the refreshing rains have seen some transformations and fresh ideas.

The textile pieces I am creating for Art in the Woods are going well with images being built up on the surface. The final part I had planned was a layer of stitched 'handwritten' notes from my observations of the site... but then it dawned on me that the text is perhaps the most important element; what if I just used the layer of text on it's own? Could the text be seen to float between the trees? I was immediately excited by the idea of creating something more refined, less cluttered and a completely new idea to me. I was worried about abandoning the pieces I had already started but think I will complete a few of these as well as working on my new idea.

This evening I have also been discussing ideas for a great little collaborative project. Working alongside other creative people on a project venturing into drawing, stitch and marks will get the cogs moving and I like the idea of working towards something undetermined. Exciting times!

I find my best ideas emerge on the cusp of waking and sleeping and I wondered how or where other people get their thunderbolt breakthroughs and ideas. I'd love to hear from you.