Sculpture
Habitat, 1997, 130x74x50cm
Bunker, 1997, 95x95x92cm
Carapace, 1997, 90x70x50cm
Nest, 1996, 200x120x155cm
Refuge, 2004, 200x120x75cm
Shelter
It seems increasingly difficult and irrelevant to remember the moment that triggers an idea, but this collection, I know, has its roots in my trip to South Africa in 1995. My husband and I were invited to stay on a small homestead in the bush in Kwa Zulu, Natal.
Flying in to Cape Town at the beginning of the trip, I saw what appeared to be a gigantic patchwork. As we came closer this area revealed itself as a squatter camp covering mile after mile of land; homes assembled from any available material. This was the first of many humbling and life changing experiences during my trip and, to this day, my thoughts, feelings and work are coloured by this wonderful journey.
Above, I show a selection of my own attempts to make shelters from elements readily available to me; a possible reference to Zulu huts in the bush, the Cape Town squatter camps or, even the nests of weaver birds hanging in profusion from trees around Karkloof Falls.
The Fallen, 2026, 34x71x45cm
The Fallen, view 2
Memorial, 2021, 34x55x40cm
Memorial, detail
Loss, 2021, 120x100x12cm
Loss, detail
Suspended Female, 2015, 80x58cm
Suspended Female, view 2
Witness, 2010, 161x40x26cm
Witness, view 2
'Untitled', 1999, 95x110x12cm
Defender, 2018, 165x50x35cm
Child, 2018, 100x45cm
Consequence, 2020, life-size
Consequence
The installation Consequence, above, has been installed in various venues on a surface of aggregate and soil. This work in all its guises poses questions which appear to open the gateway to creative dialogue and thought. The understated references provoke a variety of responses including humour, an emotion seldom expressed around my creativity.
In Bermondsey Project Space, the trilogy accompanied the painting Aftermath. In Wells Cathedral the Child was shown alone. Mother and Child stood side by side on the stairwell of Merchant House Frome, abandoned by Defender, the title I gave to the father figure.
The artists I admire all pose challenging and exciting questions, they ‘rock my soul’. Without intention the process of making can reward you with unanticipated direction.
Altar, 1995, 13 preserved loaves, 86x100x40cm
Altar, detail
Woman & Throne
Friends interested in my work have always donated items they felt might be incorporated into my pieces. ‘Woman’, a dressmakers dummy and her accompanying ‘Throne’ are an example of this generosity.
Sewing has always, instinctively, found a place in my process having been exposed through my childhood to direct contact with my mother’s profession as a tailoress. At the age of 16 Margaret Kenyon left her home town of Burnley to learn her trade from a Jewish tailor in Leeds.
This sculpture was made rapidly with overt references to my mother’s stoic character. Damage and repair came to light translated into the use of domestic fabric and twine. Mother was the working title, later , giving the viewer the opportunity to decide on their own interpretation, I decided on ‘Woman’.
The accompanying piece ‘Throne’, an old metal garden chair, also donated, enabled me to express my admiration and gratitude for her unwavering support, by adorning it with simple elements of enduring history.
