Congregation

Congregation brought together the work of 8 sculptors, a dance filmmaker, and a composer, in an exhibition thoughtfully curated by Jacquiline Creswell, at the Chapel, Tuckingmill, Tisbury, between 24 – 26th March 2023. Our curator selected works that illustrated multiple connections between our practices, prompting many conversations, with a characteristic freshness of vision. Mindful placement of artworks capitalised on the architecture, the light, and the high ceilings of the chapel.

Laura Ford’s, Shifty Slugs, are playful and fantastic and notice a small detail of the natural world, slugs, which are sometimes overlooked, to be seen differently. Almuth Tebbenhoff’s, Hedge and Bricked Up installation inspired conversations about boundaries and utopian politics. Amy Stephens and Mark Richards commented upon the man-made and questioned perceptions of the natural and industrial landscape. Simon Hitchens’s work inspired thought about geological time, absence, and presence. Barbara Beyer’s work played with the evidence of our actions, of volume and materiality. Nicola Anthony preserved fragments of the stories of displaced people and layered texts which reveal further complexity on closer inspection. Rebecca Newnham‘s Lichen installation references climate, and the harmony of symbiosis, demonstrating a mutually beneficial relationship with the natural world, and wall panels consider an experience of place and simultaneously existing views. In Lizzie Sykes’s film, The Greeting, her dancers responded to the natural world with transcending grace. Karen Wimhurst’s performance on clarinet and bass clarinet of her improvised response to the various artworks made tangible that which often only exists inside someone’s head, that is, how the artwork feels to them. She filled the chapel with sonorous tones, making the most of the acoustics of the space, describing her experience of encountering the artwork in sound.

It was most enjoyable to host this exciting exhibition in the studio. It brought a thoughtful group of artists together and allowed us to engage with our new neighbourhood in a meaningful and constructive way. The dialogue between the artist’s work was both deeper and brighter than anticipated, and it was the most rewarding experience.

Thank you to our curator, to the artists, and to our supporters.

 

https://youtu.be/75vxBH3dHrE

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