To mark the end of my 2018 sabbatical, I presented new work at DINA Sheffield;
‘What are we going to do with all this stuff?’

Using the period Jara room with its seven sash windows and dark painted walls, I created an installation of domestic tables on which were placed the small sculpture The Dilemma of the Non-ephemeral Artefact and Other Possibilities for Non-essential Utensils.

I also showed a lightbox and series of photographs of sculptural objects, Making a Promise. 

Peter Griffiths has made some works in response to my sculpture which he displayed in the form of a lightbox and two screen prints.

www.peter-griffiths.com

To mark the end of my 2018 sabbatical, I am presenting new work at DINA Sheffield.

Friday 7th September, 4-7 and Saturday 8th September 10-4.

I will be showing three new series of work; The Dilemma of the Non-ephemeral Artefact, Making a Promise and Other Possibilities for Non-essential Utensils. This is not a selling event; it is an opportunity for me to share what I have been making and get feedback from friends, colleagues and anyone else who drops by.

On Friday there will be drinks and nibbles.

On Saturday DINA Diner is open for vegetarian/vegan food and drink.

The event will take place upstairs in the Jara room, the entrance of which is on Bethel Walk, off Cambridge Street, right next to DINA Diner.

DINA, 32 Cambridge Street, Sheffield, S1 4HP

As a way of disseminating this new body of work, I have produced a leporello leaflet.
Please email me if you would like a copy.

I am currently taking an unpaid sabbatical for six months from working with Nottingham Contemporary and The Hepworth Wakefield so I can focus on my studio practice.

I still intend to seek out interesting projects and commissions during this period.

A Nottinghamshire YMCA and Nottingham Contemporary partnership. 

Since October 2016 I have been collaborating with lens artist Ben Harriott on Interconnect, an Arts Council funded project to develop an identity for the new training area of the YMCA homeless hostel in Nottingham City Centre, by developing artistic interventions and artworks with the hostel community.

For more details see main project page 

The generous support of Julie MacDonald, High Sheriff of South Yorkshire 2016-17, enabled Yorkshire Artspace to commission me in May 2016 to work with around 90 children to create a permanent artwork for Manor Lodge Primary School that celebrates Sheffield’s past and present as a city of makers.

The artwork was launched in December and is made up of eight wall panels, with individual elements created by all 90 pupils mounted onto them.

For more details, see main project page.

I am moving studio this Summer so I am having a two day show of my large sculpture which I won’t be able to move with me. This work has been seen in exhibitions around the country.

The show will be in the Atrium at Yorkshire Artspace’s Persistence Works, 21 Brown Street, Sheffield S1 2BS.

I am inviting all my friends to come and see it for the last time. If there is a piece you would like for your garden, please make me an offer; money, services, even pots of jam will all be considered. It would be nice if at least some of the pieces found good homes.

The show will be open:

Friday 17th June, 12 – 7 pm
Saturday 18th June, 11 am – 5 pm.

Looking forward to seeing lots of friends there and feel free to bring your friends too.

Since May 2015, Jo Dacombe and I have been working with the Learning Team at Yorkshire Sculpture Park on their action research project ‘Learning Together’, exploring new ways to engage families. We worked with families from five schools in the Wakefield District, looking at lots of different ways to interact with and interpret the sculpture and  landscape.

As a result of our discoveries, we have developed some resources and activities for families to use to increase their enjoyment and understanding while visiting the Park, which should be available sometime in 2016.

Loudspeaker conference: discussing and making

On 27th November 2015 the conference ‘Finding Our Voice’ was held at Nottingham Contemporary to share learning from the Loudspeaker project with delegates from the creative, voluntary, education, health and criminal justice sectors.  As the artists who delivered this innovative project for women facing complex life challenges, Jo Dacombe and I spoke about our experiences of working with around 70 women from Nottingham over the past three years, and how contemporary art and creative practice can play a positive role in engaging and supporting people.

A short film essay made by myself, Jo Dacombe and Ben Harriott with women who had participated in Loudspeaker was screened. You can watch the film here.

Dementia and Imagination: Making Connections through Contemporary Art

I worked with artist Jo Dacombe and Researcher Dr Kat Taylor to curate and present an exhibition of artwork made by people with dementia at the Saints Parish Centre in Chesterfield.

The works were made as part of a major national research study taking place in Derbyshire NHS services during arts interventions in clinical settings led by myself and other artists from Nottingham Contemporary.

Over 300 people across the UK participated in this research exploring how art can improve the lives of people with dementia, and impact on the communities around them. “It wasn’t just meeting people it was sharing an experience that was interesting. It made me connect to people again and that’s been so important to me.”

More details are available on the website:

http://dementiaandimagination.org.uk