LOCAL artist Sally Light, also known as Bodkin Beak, is hosting an exhibition in Wellington as part of the Somerset Arts Weeks Festival.
Sally will be opening her exhibition entitled ‘Hedgeweft’ this Saturday, September 21, at Eliza House on Fore Street.
The exhibition, which combines spoken word, field recordings and digital textiles, shares Sally’s personal experiences of what it’s like to work as a mender at Fox’s Brothers Mill in Wellington.
As well as being a mender, the artist has worked as a hand embroiderer, an embroidery restorer and a seamstress, experiences which have also contributed to her exhibition.
Sally said: “Mending cloth can feel forensic – like detective work. The mender examines the fibres, sometimes collecting them as evidence. This investigative approach is found in the details of the artwork as a whole.”
The artist expressed that she has chosen to combine a variety of media to portray the feelings she experiences as she works.
She said: “Collectively, words, images and recordings capture the stillness of the mending room, the noisy productiveness of the looms, and the sensory experiences offered by Fox’s Field nearby.”
“‘There is always something to appreciate if we are still...if we listen...and if we wait.’”
‘Hedgeweft’ will be exhibited in Venue 19 at Eliza House, Wellington, and will run from September 21 until October 6 from 10am until 5pm.
The exhibition, which is free to enter, will however be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.