flora residency Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Jan-Feb 2016
flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales
flora residency Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Bulletin #1 18/1/16 _________________________________________________________ I am now in Cwmbran after a 24 hour journey down from the Isle of Skye on Friday. I am settling in to Llantarnam Grange Art Centre where I’ll be resident both physically in person and virtually for the next four weeks.
I am thinking about – how we, as humans, interact with plants, both consciously and unconsciously the layers in the landscape with human industry dominating, balanced with the plant landscape dominating and how these two opposites alternate and flow and are linked the balance between man-made and plant-made
Initial images from Cwmbran Desire line outside Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre – a desire line is the term given to lines which form in the landscape as a result of humans making a path where there is no planned path
flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales
flora residency Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre (bulletin #1 cont.) _________________________________________________________ Flower/sweet wrapper – it is only when you look closely you realise it is a sweet wrapper, does it matter?
Plant maintenance – How we manage plants and corral them to our wishes
Plant material 16th Jan – Each day I will gather some plant material from around Cwmbran, whatever I notice and is in excess, this is some gathered on Saturday morning not far from the Art centre, lovely long thin flexible twigs lying on the ground….
Trolley and moss – beautiful green moss growing on a bare red brick wall, Cwmbran is apparently known as ‘trolleyville’, there are a lot of trolleys around
flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales
flora residency Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Bulletin #2 25/1/16 _________________________________________________________ Well it has been a busy week – I have got to grips with the numerous roundabouts and nearly know my way around Cwmbran!
I met with Steve Williams the Ecologist from Torfaen council who was extremely helpful, telling me about the various different habitats all in and close to Cwmbran. We visited a number of places which I would never have found on my own. I have chosen to focus on five different habitats: ancient woodland, meadow, water’s edge, upland and one other which is not decided yet. I have gathered a range of different plants which I will work with, these are sorted and drying; meanwhile I am doing research into the different traditional footwear in Wales.
flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales
flora residency Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre (bulletin #2 cont.) _________________________________________________________
I also visited the National Botanic Garden of Wales and met with Bruce Langridge, Head of Interpretation. We had a really interesting chat about the function of a contemporary Botanic garden and the different ways in which we can open up the wonderful world of plants to more people. I visited St Fagans National history museum, a huge collection of historic buildings from all different periods throughout Wales, extremely interesting and very atmospheric with fires burning in the hearths and someone in each house to explain the history while your eyes got accustomed to the darkness. I am going back to Skye tomorrow and have left the studio/gallery with a few different things to see in my absence. Ongoing to see is the plant of the day which needs to be observed using the hand lens provided, the past plants are now hung on a string beside it and cast wonderful shadows. There is a small tableaux laid out on a plinth which is made using some of the plants gathered from around Cwmbran during the week. There is a wall of work in progress, experiments made using the found plants, some photographs and notes as well as the plants which I have gathered during the week sorted and laid out into different habitat locations. There are also three selected plants which hang upside down at eye level, giving the visitor a way to look more closely at these ‘weeds’. flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales
flora residency Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre (bulletin #2 cont.) _________________________________________________________
flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales
flora residency Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Bulletin #3 02/2/16 _________________________________________________________ I have been back at home on Skye with the wind and the rain, weather to take notice of. I brought back some of the plant materials from the week’s gathering in Cwmbran and have used these up. Lots of ideas and options are being processed quickly in my head as I need to make decisions very quickly. I am interested in making shoes to reflect specific habitats in and around Cwmbran. I am finalising the specific sites and habitats, the designs for different types of shoes and doing the relevant research.
do I make pairs of shoes? which plants do I use for each? which techniques are best to use? how much can I make in the time available?
Work in progress
Sea view
Studio wall
St Dial’s Slipper
flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales
flora residency Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Bulletin #4 09/2/16 _________________________________________________________ It is great to be back in Cwmbran at the Llantarnam Grange Art Centre. I arrived back in on Saturday to find a collection of gifts on the table in the exhibition space where I am working. Some beautiful plants which I will try and incorporate into what I am making – On Saturday I helped out with the children’s workshops teaching rope making using rushes and making them reed pens from the reeds I had got from the Boating Lake in Cwmbran.
Over the weekend, in pouring rain and bitter wind, I have gathered materials from a woodland habitat in Cwmbran and an upland habitat in Blaenavon. This is to give time to let them dry before I use them.
flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales
flora residency Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre (bulletin #4 cont.) _________________________________________________________
Woodland
upland
Gathering at Blaenavon
I have finalised and resolved some ideas for the exhibition, but there is a lot still to think about and balance. For the exhibition I will make a series of, possibly five if I have the time, pairs of shoes made using plants gathered from a range of contrasting habitats all close to or in Cwmbran.
flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales
flora residency Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre (bulletin #4 cont.) _________________________________________________________ For each pair of shoes I need to resolve: the design; this is influenced by the research referencing a number of different sources through time, local sources etc. the place chosen and the type of habitat that this represents a title or name for each reflecting the location the materials which are available and that I can work with for that place the techniques which I will use; balancing the material available, the design and timescale
Weaving test
4 strand plait – New Zealand flax
I am trying to get a good mix for the overall series of shoes. I would like to: show a range of habitats, use a mixture of materials and techniques as well as referencing different basic types of shoe and periods in history.
flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales
flora residency Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre Bulletin #5 14/2/16 __________________________________________________ Well it has been an intense week – I have been making as much as I can in the time available and it is never enough! I am working with new materials found close to the Llantarnam Grange Art Centre in Cwmbran; pine needles, Cyprus twigs and New Zealand Flax. I am also using techniques that I am not so used to; weaving using the Scots pine needles, binding the Cyprus twigs and plaiting the New Zealand Flax.
I did discover some new places too; very atmospheric wetland and shore line at the mouth of the river Usk and the Severn estuary and another day excellent upland/moorland on the hills above Blaenavon. On this walk we also came across the old tramline which was laid between the Blaenavon Iron works and the canal near Abergavenny, a straight green line amid the rock and bracken.
flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales
flora residency Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange Arts Centre (bulletin #5 cont.) __________________________________________________ Caroline Dear, Llantarnam Grange
I have not managed to make as many pairs of shoes as I had hoped, too optimistic about what I can achieve in the time! I have finished St.Dial’s slippers and Llantarnam Grange Loafers. The plants were gathered from close to the art centre and from a field off St.Dial’s road, a meadow habitat where I found Dyer’s Green weed, a plant which is new to me and is an indicator of ancient meadow. Many thanks to Steve Williams the Ecologist at Torfaen council for helping me find these great sites and for interesting plant information.
I have been setting up the space today: a wall of experimental work, a trolley of plants gathered but not used, three delicate hanging plants and some shoes
flora is an Oriel Davies project that spans across Wales in which the powerful effect flowers have in art is explored. A National Touring project supported by Arts Council of Wales