What a week!
Through the eyes of others
Last week I had the immense, slightly surreal and overwhelming privilege of sharing my work in the Bothy Gallery at YSP.
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In 2022, I sat in that same space collecting stories for Stitched Stories. I never imagined I’d return to it midway through Wrapped in Cold Hard Comfort, sharing work that is still very much in process, and which will be installed in the park in early July.
This project marks a turning point in my practice. I’ve been thinking about what happens when materials associated with softness and care are pushed into contact with something heavy and resistant. Slate carries a real physical weight. Working into it has felt demanding sometimes stubborn. I began using it during a period of personal struggle; its density felt reflective of that time.
I’ve also been asking how softness might return. Not as a neat resolution, but as something negotiated. Something worked back in.
Rather than presenting the work as complete, I shared it as a live point in an ongoing enquiry. The samples held process and more questions as much as outcome. Comfort, for me, isn’t uncomplicated. It can soothe, but it can also confine. It can change over time.
Instead of giving a short talk, I invited visitors to begin from their questions. The generosity in the room was extraordinary. People spoke about what they noticed, where the work sat with them, what the materials made them feel materially, emotionally, bodily.
I also learned something unexpected: slate sizes were historically named after female royal titles Queen, Empress, Princess, Duchess, Marchioness, Countess. The weight of the material, paired with gendered naming was an interesting discovery. There are many more layers still to uncover.
More soon as the work moves towards its installation in July.