additional research

ma show proposal opens in new document

extended research/research festival

other research/collaborations

letter to tracey emin

fay ballard and location angst

collaboration with sheila

extended research/research festival proposal

Kimmeridge local history

I have been focusing research on the site of Kimmeridge and I came across a number of social history elements that are interesting and are resonating me in respect to a more emotional and personal interaction with the place. I have been very inspired by audio/sound pieces by Katrina Palmer and Tacita Dean and the narrative in Naiza Khan's film, and wanted to continue to develop my own sound work so am thinking this might be a good direction to go in.

I came across the photograph of Kimmeridge, below left, on a website written by well-known geologist Ian West. The story about red-haired girls in Kimmeridge - and the comment that all non red-heads were 'aliens' intrigued me and I started to research it. The photo comes from a book ‘Unspoiled Dorset’ published in 1940 by S W Colyer and with notes by Horace Annesley Vachell. I did not find out much from searching through local history groups online and looked up people to ask about this. I contacted an historian, Denise Bates who has done work on the history of red-haired women and women pit miners. Unfortunately, she was unable to help. I sent messages to three local museums (details in references) - two of whom have replied not knowing anything about this reference. While I may still hear from the last museum I am intrigued enough with the story/myth to not worry about the details. I think the idea has potential for narrative that I am excited to explore.

Further online research found out that a Dorset MSc Archeologist student had recently done a project on a iron age woman whose skull had been found at Kimmeridge after a cliff fall - she has reconstructed her head from the found skull (see top right pic). This is currently being shown in an exhibition in Wareham Museum (see link in references) and I plan to visit the exhibition on my next field trip. I also found images of old mining engineering falling/emerging from the cliff face and indeed have seen some of this myself on previous visits.

I am interested in this social history angle and particularly the role of women in that location. The connection with the cliffs and archaeology of these elements and the idea of the past being revealed through erosion is an interesting theme. As other elements of my research have led me to work more in sound, in embodied practice and to consider my own figure in the place, I am therefore planning to continue looking into this for the research festival and to perhaps make some sort of sound piece/audio walk. This may include a small print series of some sort. My research into audio walks by Janet Cardiff, Katrina Palmer and others will help to inform this work.

It gives me some focus on my next field trip and I intend to get in touch with and look into the possibility of collaborations with the Msc student, with the geologist Ian West and continue a dialogue with the local museums. I am also researching a number of places with gallery space local to the site of Kimmeridge where I might be able to hold an exhibition of my completed work - possible next year after graduation. I am particularly interested in seeing if I can do something on the beach itself - maybe a performance or collaboration piece.

Artist collective

Another thing that I intend to research during Unit 3 is the idea of forming a collective of artists after I graduate. This might include a group of Camberwell students (print and non-print) and possibly, by invitation, other artists too. I feel like this would be a good way for me to develop my work and continue collaborations and showing work in the future.

References

Denise Bates (author website) https://www.denisebates.co.uk/, accessed 24.04.25

Dorchester Museum (website) https://www.dorsetmuseum.org/, accessed 26.04.25

Dorset Rambler (website) https://thedorsetrambler.com/, accessed 26.04.25

Etches Collection Museum of Jurassic Marine Life (website) https://www.theetchescollection.org/, accessed 26.04.25

Vachell H (1940) Unspoiled Dorset, A book of photographs by S.W. Colyer with foreword and descriptive notes by H A Vachell, London, Ward, Lock & Co Ltd.

Wareham Museum (website) https://www.greenacre.info/WTM/ accessed 25.04.25

Photo credits: (lhs) Ian West website, https://wessexcoastgeology.soton.ac.uk/Kimmeridge-Bay.htm; (top) Wareham Museum 'Iron age woman' exhibit; (bottom) the Dorset Rambler website, https://thedorsetrambler.com/

letter to tracey emin

26.4.25

Dear Tracey

I saw your small bronze ‘The Wedding’ at the London Print Fair this year and I have been thinking about the piece with much affection ever since. I came home, painted it and did some research. I knew that you had married an ancient stone in your home/studio in France in 2015. I know this because I also feel a strong connection to rocks and cliffs and the edges of the land, and I look about for fellow geophiles.

I make pilgrimages from my South London suburban life to coasts near and far to photograph and collect rocks; I crush them so I can paint using their own colours. I think about them, I consider their make-up and their own existence. The life of a rock. Sitting, observing, in human time seeing so much change while they change oh so slowly over big geological time. I consider their solidity, their scale and the certainty that they will continue to be there (in my lifetime).

I wonder do you think of some of these things? Did you sit and look at your rock week after week in changing weathers, in changing moods and find your attachment growing to this geological certainty in your personal space? Did this prompt the idea of marrying the rock?

I’m sorry I didn’t get to see your exhibition ‘Stone Love’ in 2016. I have been listening again to David Bowie since I read that the title of the show was inspired by his song Soul Love – which begins ‘Stone love, she kneels before the grave’.

Jonathan Jones in his piece for the Guardian considered your act of marriage and the idea that love is strange and universal, that it transcends the physical and can be embodied in endless ways. I like this idea of being open to ways that our emotional connections can be realised; physically, spiritually and geologically.

I wonder how your relationship has changed over time, how it might have changed you, to have had that commitment and certainty that you found in your rock?

I continue to make paintings of your intimate bronze ‘The Wedding’ – which I realise for you may not be about your rock at all – and look at your finger-marks that shape and create the sculpture and consider how I may paint or make myself into a rock of my own somehow.

Thank you for the inspiration.

Jackie

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Stone Love

(for Tracey Emin)

I married a tall, dark, handsome stone
in its lichen suit; secret, sacred, the ceremony
above the sea; where the stone had stood
for a million years, stoic, bridegroom,
till I came at last to the wedding-day.

Gulls laughed in a blue marquee of air.

Shroud for a dress, barefoot, me, my vows
my business and the stone’s; but should you ever
press your face to a stone’s cold, old, still, breast,
you’ll find the words which wed me there
to the silence of stone, till death . . . slow art
of stone, staunchness of stone . . . do us part.

My hand on what I take from time and this world
and the stone’s shadow there on the grass with mine.

Carol Ann Duffy (Poet Laureate 1 May 2009 – 10 May 2019)

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I loved this poem and found it very interesting to see another artist inspired by Emin's marriage to a stone. I think the words seem very fitting and the last line particularly poignant. I am thinking I might use some of these words in my audio/sound piece for research festival.

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References

Emin T. The Wedding (2019) Bronze sculpture, size 12 x 10 x 5 cm. (4.7 x 3.9 x 2 in.) https://www.whitecube.com/prints-multiples/the-wedding accessed 26/04/25

Bowie, D (1972) Soul love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAoSRZsRwKg

“Somewhere on a hill facing the sea, there is a very beautiful ancient stone, and it’s not going anywhere,” she has said. “It will be there, waiting for me.” In another interview she has called it “‘an anchor, something I can identify with”.

Quote from:

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2016/mar/22/tracey-emin-married-rock-love-intimacy accessed 26/04/25

Stone love (exhibition) Tracey Emin, Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York, W 22nd Street, May 5 – June 18, 2016. https://www.lehmannmaupin.com/exhibitions/tracey-emin7/press-release accessed 26/04/25

Carol Ann Duffy (poet) Stone Love (for Tracey Emin), 2016, https://voetica.com/poem/8907

fay ballard and location angst

Talk from Fay Ballard was really interesting and connected I guess a lot with where I am in my grief. Her drawings of her parents and committed discipline of drawing in general were very inspiring (especially as I feel stuck in drawing!). Lots of references for tools that seemed helpful to follow up - Townsend, Kentridge, Keats, Jung, memory and follow your obsessions!

In my 121 chat Fay was impressed with Dad wall piece – talked though how don’t feel connected to the Kimmeridge Bay work and that I want to find a personal connection that is not coming. I discussed whether I need to find a place that's mine if this place not working?

She suggested I look at psycho geography maybe – Laura Grace Ford etc.

Also suggested I use the story of pilgrimage if I am connecting with that approach to coastal visits, and take the methods I am already doing and apply them to wherever makes more locational sense to you. Take comfort that my methodology is there in my processes of working with the place. What I do in each place may be different depending on it – my state – my response.

On location....

I had a day trip to seaside holiday place from when I was young Rustington-Littlehampton-Climping. Was there something there about that location that might speak to me. Would I feel a different connection to place where there was some personal history? I went.
It was a brilliant sunny day, I swam, I went for a walk to these three places along the coast, I made a film of me in the sea, I ate chips. It was a lovely day out. But I did not feel inspired to make art about the place – there is definitely something about the rocks and the confrontation with geological time, about the more remote location – the emptiness of a place, emptiness of society even, that gives me space to consider making work. This is all still unfolding and I’m trying not to obsess about it too much!

In my discussion with Fay there was an amazing moment of relief with the thought that I could stop doing the Kimmeridge Bay work, the freedom I felt for couple of days was amazing. But it didn't last. Maybe now I might come back to doing the work at Kimmeridge from a different angle - one that makes more sense to me and is more personal?

Photos on location; Littlehampton beach and leaving Littlehampton

reflection on collaboration

Body casting with Sheila

Sheila decided she wanted to make a body cast using her own recipe of paper mâché that she had used for her masks. This would result in a full body cast to be used in her July show. I was very happy to help. I realised that this would be quite an intimate and challenging exercise and for our first attempt we decided to do in the evening when the studio was quiet.

Our plan was to create a rough form of Sheila in kitchen foil - easy and quick to mould so that we could support the finished cast on as it hardened off. We then used the paper mâché on two layers of scrim to coat her body. I dried it off with a hairdryer. Unfortunately it was just too wet and we did not have enough time before being thrown out by security. Also the kitchen foil form did not work very well as a robust form to hold the cast - maybe as it was quite heavy?

Our second attempt was made after Sheila had researched timing on one layer of muslin and she decided to use a chicken wire frame to hold the cast as it would be firmer/more robust. We had a whole day to do this and this time the extra research and experience meant we were successful with the casting.

It has been a very interesting experience - I have got to know Sheila well and this helped my being able to do this collaboration as it is an intimate thing to do. However, I was surprised how quickly once I'd started to coat her in the muslin paper mâché I became quite removed from the fact that Sheila was in there. I felt like I was working with an art 'object' and was very focused on shaping the cloth around her, making sure it sat well and trying to make decisions about shaping. At one point Sheila said something and it made me jump like I'd almost forgotten she was in there. At the same time it felt like a big responsibility. Sheila could do nothing but lie there and I had to make decisions about process that would affect how the end result would look. In the end I was very relieved that Shelia was very happy with the casting. Working on this process together and discussing why and what Sheila was aiming for in the piece also gave me more of an insight into her work and areas where our 'embodied' approach overlap which has been very interesting and a great connection to have made.

First body casting, making foil frame; Sheila in casting; cast collapse

Second body casting, making wire frame; making casting; cast works!