Marshwood Mid-Month Special August 2020

Page 44

LIFE IN THE

Undergrowth LIFE in the Undergrowth is a project Fiona Campbell has developed during lockdown as a new way of looking at the world, and making art linked to nature and environment. ‘In isolation, I began taking life at a slower pace, sowing veggie seeds, and mending things. Appreciating, observing and attending to nature seemed vital.’ Fiona’s garden, until then somewhat neglected, became her world and route to wellbeing, providing a sense of peace and purpose. ‘Life in the Undergrowth’ was inspired by small hidden worlds in a garden that often get overlooked. It became a circular process— garden feeding art and art feeding garden. ‘While resurrecting my veggie patch, a fascination with the entanglement of roots, worms and shoots in upturned turf led to experimental responses using to-hand materials and found objects’. Fiona drew knotted clumps of earth and turf and worked through different processes. Dried duckweed from her pond, bleached by the sun, became paper; handmade tools from plant debris generated drawings and sculptural works evolved. Fiona explains: ‘I find something poignant and vital in these entangled knots—lines of interconnectedness, ‘entwined in myriad unfinished configurations…’’ (she quotes Donna Haraway). While digging the earth to make space for an outdoor studio bay, Fiona found a glut of old rusty nails and other found objects to use in her work. She sold her soil locally—creating a circular economy. Encounters between Fiona, her garden and nature helped her form a stronger bond with all that comes and goes. ‘Witnessing transformation, life and death, it has been emotional at times. Communing with small creatures, incidents happen, some wonderful, others very sad’ says Fiona. The deep seclusion allowed her time and space to process, surrender to the moment, and create awkward objects through a gentle tacit dialogue. During this time Fiona has improved her digital skills and is making a film about the project. She has published free online creative demos and launched a new online 5 week sculpture course (starting 3 August). If you’d like to enrol, visit: http:// fionacampbellart.co.uk/blog . These projects were enabled by the Art Council Emergency Response Fund.

44 The Marshwood Vale Magazine August 2 2020 Tel. 01308 423031

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