slow Praxis

2.9–7.10.2023

co-curated by David Cass

This is an interactive exhibition book – view further artworks and purchase online by following caption hyperlinks

“Noticing the small changes requires the kind of communion that comes from knowing deeply … just when we needed to slow down and notice the subtle changes in the natural world that are telling us that something is seriously amiss, we have sped up … entered into the perpetual feed of the never-ending-now, slicing and dicing our attention spans as never before.”

— This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein

Sparrow at Work

Cairns in the Studio

This exhibition addresses the need for a slowed down, considered approach to our actions and practices during this period of worsening climate change.

Slow Praxis brings together a unique and diverse group of artists whose work, whilst not overtly describing environmental issues, is inspired by, or is a response to, their own deep connections to their chosen subjects and the belief that art making – like living – must be sustainable.

Each of these artists goes a step beyond, stressing the importance of thoughtful processes, deep exploration and the need to fully immerse in one’s subject, thus rendering it both muse and collaborator.

It is also clear that for each of these artists time is used as a medium in the creation of their artworks. A slow practice is undertaken, be that in waiting for certain events or effects to occur, in using materials requiring time-consuming techniques or in employing slow-build techniques which evolve over a certain period.

Together with co-curator David Cass, we bring you an exhibition in which we invite you to slow down, take time to engross yourselves in the beauty of the artworks and to spend a few moments contemplating how time and patience is woven into each piece and might also be woven into our own, increasingly busy individual lives.

Tatha Gallery

Steward in Cornwall

Though focussed on the topic of climate change, this is not an exhibition of despair or sweeping gestures imploring desperately that we solve the climate conundrum, rather, it’s an exhibition about slowing down, living sustainably and within our means, using and re-using what we already have, observing, listening deeply, and importantly, exercising restraint – perhaps the most powerful achievable strategy we as individuals have at our disposal. Aristotle wrote: ‘what it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.’ If we are to have a chance of moving away from a future characterised by runaway climate change, we must be mindful of the long-term impacts of our actions on the world around us. We must, like the artists in this exhibition, approach from alternative angles and question established processes.

These artists are bound by their profound awareness of time and matter, their practices thoughtfully crafted over years and after countless hours of immersion:

fleeting moments determinedly captured by Stewart, movingly expressing his lifelong pursuit of place, his deep affinity with the landscape; hours on end spent outdoors on cliffsides in Cornwall by Steward, surrendering himself to the land; days of layering paint upon reclaimed canvas in abstract patterns, informed by my own regular observations of changing sea; weeks of exposure to the elements have shaped Kermack’s copper creations; months of development and refinement by Sparrow present a perfectly balanced point at the intersection of minimalism and efficiency; years of gentle weather-washing, upon objects discovered and transformed by Cairns; decades of traces left by unknown hands upon repurposed domestic fragments carefully compiled by Fraser; centuries of Shetland’s weaving history distilled within Ross-Smith’s interventions; and thousands of years’ worth of processed peat, responsibly harvested by Gillespie – used in small quantities – as mark-making device upon scored Japanese paper.

This is, then, a versatile exhibition, with access points for all. Artists are in a unique position, in being able to respond creatively to climate change and social practices. These artists possess a deeply rooted desire to encourage us to take notice. To consider the power of our peatlands, the most efficient carbon sink on the planet; to marvel in nature and act to protect it; to use what is local and sustainable; to keep and offer new life to objects which have apparently ceased to function but which still hold value. In placing importance on acting collectively, like a chain of interlinked copper pieces or strands of woven wool, it is clear that coming together and combining efforts is what generates change.

David Cass

“Dear friends, would you look, only look, at what is here, and would you agree to astonishment, and to love? For love, allied to attention, will be urgently needed in the years to come.”

— Katherine Rundell, The Golden Mole

Iain Stewart

Tim Steward

Rita Kermack

Stuart Cairns

Samuel Sparrow

David Cass

Roland Fraser

Vivian Ross-Smith

Jean Gillespie

iain Stewart

My photographic work has immersed me in nature for thirty years, providing experiences and lessons of our place in the greater scheme of the natural world. To paraphrase the great conservationist John Muir – experiencing the outdoors is as much about understanding the journey within.* Out there, on the shoreline, in the forest, at the foot of the mountain, is where I lose myself. Happily, it’s also where I find myself: impossibly small, insignificant, in awe; but I process, take notes, make pictures, and try to connect. Putting one foot in front of the other on a stony path is my meditation, cleansing, rebalancing. I’m a subscriber to the Nan Shepherd ethos – the natural world is not there to be conquered or dominated, it’s to immerse, to enter, to respect and nurture. Leave only footprints, tread lightly. Take memories, take away images, but leave the landscape untouched – or improved, where possible.

My work has taken me to beautiful places that I’ve wanted to document and share, it has also increasingly led me to a desire to conserve and protect them. The work included in this exhibition comes from Inner Sound, made mostly in 2016, from a section of the project called The Storm. As I assembled the work, turmoil raged in the world, a planet-trampling wrecker became President of the so called Free World, and other nations followed. Our forests burned and our oceans rose but fires were stoked, profit came before planet, any promises to care or repair were empty and false. No artist works in isolation and these dark times are inevitably reflected in the work. Disrespect nature at your peril; we all know what followed, and the severe warning signs we continue to experience must be our global wake up call; the planet is suffering, we are killing it.

We need to change, fundamentally. In our thoughts and deeds, the very way we think about our surroundings and the way we behave. The storm rises – we must rethink our course.

* John Muir “I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”

Book cover: Cascade | Next page left: Acheron I | Next page right: Outrun II c-type prints on Fuji crystal archive paper, 12 x 16in, A/P editions of 10

This body of work seeks to understand and express how we can be changed by our natural environment, in our conscious and unconscious minds. The connection to specific places, and the desire to understand them has always been a voyage of discovery for me. Drawing and painting the North Cornish coast through the seasons over the last six years, I observe a connected change and shift within myself. The way in which I see and feel has become more sensitive, and my attachment to the land has deepened.

Absorption in an environment, by focussing in on a specific place, heightens my process of connection, as I become ‘placed’ within the land, grounded and sensitised.

Top: Gladdening Light | Bottom: Verve oil on board, 20 x 25cm | oil & wax on board, 24 x 30cm

image: Paul Lewis

Left: The Blueness of Dusk

Right: Shoreline oil & wax on linen, 120 x 120cm oil & wax on board, 25 x 35cm

Overleaf: Dune Migration

Manipulated corrosion on copper

140 x 75cm

rita Kermack

I am intrigued by geomorphological processes and the way landscapes change. I am particularly fascinated by the Scottish coastline where we find habitats with highly specialised ecosystems: rock pools, estuaries, cliffs and beaches. My work aims to shine a light on the fragility and transient nature of these places on which environmental issues, such as climate change, pollution and human construction have a detrimental effect.

My projects are based on fieldwork and are often site-specific. I try and immerse myself in the environment taking note of visual information as well as my holistic experiences while being there.

I express my ideas by using experimental methods and materials that allow me to mimic the morphological processes in the landscape for example using malleable copper sheets (see previous spread). By laying the copper on rocks or other textured surfaces found in the location and tapping it with a hammer I am able to emboss it with their structure. Then I douse the copper in a patina bath and leave it outside exposed to the elements until a satisfying patina has built up. The process is slow and for that part out of my control. Later on I have a chance to manipulate the work that nature had an active part in creating.

My collage work (overleaf) is inspired by memories and holistic experiences made during my fieldwork. The process is one of contemplation, trial and error, involving an almost rhythmic layering and erasing in order to bring the memories to life.

Sharing my creative process with others is part of my art practice. I always hope that people will find different ways of seeing and looking at our environment and forming deeper connections by doing so.

Overleaf: detail of Intertidal Haptic Memories: Lunan Bay monoprint collage, 64 x 64cm

The works included in this exhibition – vessels, utensils and other things – spring from a deep love and connection to place. Gathered moments, taken from wanders and walks through the landscape appear through surfaces, shapes and the material language of the land whether found or fabricated.

Here, the found objects and natural materials are treated as the precious material, the metals merely forming the canvas which they are set against to be fully seen. In displaying what I cherish the hope is that others might, too, see what could be treated as wondrous. How the simple and the ordinary can be reused and transformed into the extraordinary. It is a reflection of the poet Mary Oliver’s repeated exhortation to look: “everyday I see something that more or less kills me with delight.”

In the face of climate change and ecological breakdown, I hope to show that this world is a beautiful place, offering visual richness in the everyday, and as such, is worth saving.

Overleaf: Jagged Shore Vessel silver, linen thread & rose stems, 25 x 53 x 12cm

stuart Cairns

samuel Sparrow

My work aims to celebrate simplicity and functionality, highlighting the inherent beauty of objects that are made by hand.

Large Bowl

Teapot

hand thrown stoneware

Left to right: Large Plate

Espresso Cup & Saucer (No. 2)

david Cass

I started these seascapes in the summer of 2022, after having spent the three previous years working almost exclusively on a small scale. Here, I’ve gradually applied expressive layers of oil in abstract shapes onto vintage industrial canvases and large format nautical maps pasted to board. Like the telling and re-telling of a story, I’ve traced and re-traced loops and curves, following familiar channels to build thick swells of paint. These paintings see my mark-making style inverted, with more emphasis placed on the negative space.

Overleaf left: Resolve Overleaf right: Identify

mixed media on vintage bus-blinds 35.5 x 35cm | 120 x 80cm

Suggestive of sustainable practices, the titles of these paintings possess a meditative quality, much like the layering process of their creation.

Overleaf: Survey Left: Trace Right: Recount mixed media on vintage bus-blinds & nautical map

roland Fraser

The wood I use is at least second hand, if not third or fourth. Its journey from tree to door, window, chest or frame mapped out on the surface. The accumulation of markings –scratches, layers of paint, missing locks or hinges – together with the bleaching of sunlight and mellowing of oxidisation, all bear witness to this. Behind this evidence of human traffic is the familiar contours of the timber itself, historically our primary building and construction material.

I rake about in skips, fly tipping sites, old farm buildings and abandoned sheds to find what I am looking for. Sometimes I reluctantly buy wood in the form of old furniture. Generally, the more discarded and humble the better.

Selected timber is spliced to a quarter of an inch and applied to a composite backing. The finished piece is an edited composition of these disparate fragments. Sometimes they are from the same source and sometimes they are only related formally.

Looking back over the 30 years-or-so, it’s clear that a subconscious environmental concern has been a major element behind my artwork.

Opposite: The Drum reclaimed wooden panel, 118.5 x 98.5 x 4.5cm

Overleaf: Peter Scott’s Mill II

Opposite: The Duke’s II

reclaimed wooden panels

124 x 107cm | 125 x 131cm

vivian Ross-Smith

image: May Graham

My artwork explores notions of place – be that bodily, digital or geographical. These works use local materials linked to Shetland, predominantly natural fibres such as linen, jute and wool.

Opposite: detail from Hantilagets burlap, Shetland wool & wooden frame, 18.5 x 10.5cm

Opposite top: Form

Opposite bottom: Stitch

Overleaf: Knit

burlap, Shetland wool & wooden frame

22 x 21cm | 22 x 21cm

acrylic on board

20 x 20cm

The landscape is marked by processes, materials and energies we often do not recognise but which take millennia to form and have within them a timeless quality.

My approach is poetic in nature, searching out fragile marks and patterns. What is largely ignored or overlooked becomes fertile ground for the imagination and for thinking about our impact upon nature. Collecting materials and ephemera from sites and trying new ways to process them has led to different ways of engaging.

Peat (see next page, right) sourced from a cottage dig can be used to show the changing values we place on boglands due to climate change or it can be used to contrast with other materials such as salt or ash to highlight climatic changes now happening in certain landscapes.

Next page left: Ocean Drift | Next page right: detail of Peat Drawing ink & pastel on Japanese paper, 25 x 32cm | peat on Japanese paper, variable dimensions

“The sky strikes a tone, a chord, of perfect blue; a harmonic vibration so pure that the sea reverberates like a bell, its echo shimmering, like a forgiveness.”

— Excerpt from Jean Gillespie’s poem Epistle, Late Afternoon, Winter 2004