Bolsover Commission

The workshops are now complete after a lot of set backs from the snow over the last few weeks, but the 5 sphere sculptures are now woven and are looking stunning. 

Based at the Level Arts Centre in Rowsley for two weeks I have had the privilege to work with some lovely people who all took to the willow weaving so very well. During my time at the Level Arts Centre I’ve met with some other artists, one of which is Tim Haynes who works with light and projection to create installations, we teamed up and he attached a series of string lights to the interior and exterior of the sculptures. The result was amazing, the sculptures transformed before our eyes as the room was darkened and the lights were switched on. The space within the sculptures, which is usually hidden from view came alive with shapes and patterns of light. It has made me look at my sculptures in anew light, and I am very excited about the chance to experiment with light within my work.

The Evening Pavilion at Bolsover Castle has however has been postponed until February due to the sheer amount of snow that fell on the hill top town of Derbyshire. So watch this space in Feb for some images. But, in the meantime take a look at the images of the sculpture making sessions and the light installation.

New sculpture commission

A series of 5 giant spheres for Bolsover Castle, supported by Arts Council ‘Grants for the Arts’ and Junction Arts.

Inspired by the large stone balls upon the top of the gates at the castle, the giant spheres are going to be created from mild steel frames that are to be woven with a decorative layer of willow. Once woven the spheres will be lit from within and line the path leading from the visitors centre to the castle gates.

The sculptures will light the path for the many people attending the Bolsover Lantern Parade this December and should make a spectacular sight especially if the ground is still covered in snow.

Each sphere is going to be woven within the community through a series of workshops based at the Level Arts Centre in Rowsley, Derbyshire. 

Inspiration for Heanor Part 3.

Nottingham University Archives

The archives within the University of Nottingham hold an extensive collection of papers relating to and from the textile company of I & R Morleys, these consist of documents relating to many areas of the business from finance, letters and correspondence.

In addition to the documents are a collection of in house magazines titled ‘Threads Magazine’ these offer a rare chance to look into the history of the company from the perspective of the people within the factories. Spanning through the 1930-50’s it lists the achievements, news and advertisements of the company, but also shown is news from each individual branch. The branch news lists weddings, births and deaths of the employees, sporting news and activities of various clubs.

Through this magazine, and the rich wealth of the information, it really becomes clear that a company such as Morleys was not just an employer but a corner stone of the local community, providing houses, holidays, recreational activities and education. I was especially interested in the editions that spanned the second world war, every issue that still survives from that era lists every employee that has been drafted and offers updates on their whereabouts, it shows the community spirit of the employees putting together packages of goods to send out to their fellow employees posted overseas. 

There was so much to look through and learn it would have been easy to spend months and months just looking at Morleys, but I had to try and narrow my areas of inspiration, so what I hope I have collected from the archives is a taste of the company, the employees and the community in which it stood. The images of the machines, people and the advertisements of the day help to paint a picture of the past.

This has become such an emotional journey of research as this sculpture represents so much more than a town it represents the people within it both past and present and future. 

I hope I can make the town of my birth pleased with the sculpture and what it represents.

Inspiration for Heanor Part 2.

Yard Gallery.

Situated in the grounds of Wollaton Park, Yard Gallery holds a great collection of machines from the textile industry from the 1800’s onwards. 

As part of my research and development for the Heanor Gateway Sculpture, I have delved into the history of Heanors industrial past and found myself surrounded by the machines once responsible for creating stockings and other knitted items in the factories that once stood in the area. Now standing silent these large industrial machines feature a wide range of arms, pulleys and cogs. Made of cast metal, wood and leather the vast weight and scale of the machines is still there under a veil of dust, when you stand in the museum surrounded by these machines you can almost hear the clatter and noise from the machines, the smell of the cotton mixed with oil still resides in the museum. It is in this atmosphere that I created the vast majority of my sketches for the sculpture.

The staff at the museum very kindly gave me special permission to sit amongst the displays to get a real close up experience of the machinery, to see them close up really helps to get ideas flowing, studying the shapes, colours, tones and textures. The sketches produced helped to give the public attending the consultations for the sculpture a feel of the ideas that helped to form the final idea. 

Many thanks to the staff at Yard Gallery