Inspiration

Just had a great time with Laura, attending an event at the Harley Gallery, an evening In Conversation with Ivan Hicks and Julian Marsh.

Fellow maker Laura Ellen Bacon and I decided to attend this talk by Landscape Designer Ivan Hicks and architect Julian Marsh presented by the Harley Studio Group, to listen to their talks and to be inspired. It did just that, I have arrived home and I do feel inspired. Ivan Hicks has created some amazing gardens that are stunning, quirky, eccentric, fun, interesting to name a few descriptions. His use of found objects or readymades can often be comical or thought provoking, the wide range of materials and use of processes are experimental and inspiring, so much so that I want to go out hunting for found objects that I can weave into one of my sculptures, enveloping them into the surface of the willow. Laura as always is such great company and I enjoy the bouncing of ideas and the discussions that we have.

The last few days has been a roller coaster of inspiration, I met up with an old friend for dinner and a chat and although it can sometimes be over a year since we last met, we always seem to pick up were we left off. Talking to her really fires up new ideas or revisits old ideas that were forgotten, or the prospect of collaborating within a project. The food is always an added bonus.

Yesterday I gave a talk to people who were in the process of setting up their own creative business and I arrived with my power-point and talked about things that has worked for me, lessons I have learnt in my own creative business. It was lovely to receive positive comments about my talk and to hear about other creatives that are in the same vicinity and find new contacts. I used to detest networking but now I love it and always come away buzzing with ideas, new directions and possibilities. 

Wow! with all that inspiration I don’t think I will ever sleep again. Time for some tea.

Inspiration for Heanor Part 1.

After 2 months of research into the history of Heanor’s industrial past, I can now share with you my vision for the gateway sculpture and the research that has inspired it. 

Part 1. I & R Morleys and Heanor Library.

In Heanor, the mining industry has been widely represented in the form of Mining wheels around the area, so I particularly wanted to look into the link with the textile industry which came from I & R Morleys.

My research began with the local library which gave me a good base to start with in the form of images of Morley’s, newspaper clippings and a book written by the local history society.

I & R Morley arrived in Heanor in 1874 employed an estimated 15% of the local population making hosiery and other textiles. It was one of the first companies in the world to sew a label into their products, which began with a label featuring the letter M.

The company trade mark, know as the flying wheel, became widely known and features a pair of wings and a wheel in the centre.

Further reading into the history of Heanor can be found in ‘A Portrait of Heanor & District’ by Heanor & District Local History Society. 

Rachel secures new commission for Heanor, Derbyshire

The Gateway sculpture will mark the entrance into the town of Heanor in Derbyshire.

Commissioned by Amber Valley Borough Council, the brief is to design and create a sculpture that captures the history of the towns relationship with industry, in particular I & R Morleys which once dominated a large site which is now where the current Tesco supermarket sits.

The sculpture commission marks the beginning of the councils plans for regeneration in the area.

Personally, this is a really good opportunity for my work to be seen in a more public setting rather that within a garden/landscape setting. The chance to work on a large scale such as this is very exciting and a direction my work has been moving along over the last few years. Since showing at Chelsea Flower show this year, my commissions have allowed me not only to experiment with size and scale, but with process and materials too. Having this chance to develop your work through different methods is essential to growth as an artist and can often prevent work becoming stale or unrewarding.

Watch this space for the next few weeks where I will be discussing my research, ideas and proposals for the sculpture.