Spurn Cloth 2 (extended)

Textures of Spurn opened last Friday at The Bowery, Leeds.  This exhibition sees Spurn Cloth #2 hung in a new way.  Rather than hanging the 10 metre long cloth vertically as before, it has been hung horizontally round the gallery to form a band of texture or a horizon that surrounds the viewer.  The installation has then been completed by continuing that band of texture and marks round the room to form a circle, only interrupted by doorway and window.

The new section has been made from rusted paper and print using the same beach-combed items from Spurn as were used on the fabric.  I've collaged the layers of paper straight onto the gallery wall - something that was scary but satisfying to do!  

More detail can be found here.  The exhibition is on until 5th July.

wrapped up

Having undone the bundle I had left on one of the groyne bolts on my last visit I prepared to leave some more to mature for next time.  I'm trying to take marks from Spurn itself, using things that are part of the place.  Because Spurn is a Nature Reserve my work has to have no impact at all on the place.  This means that I can't pick leaves from the sea buckthorn to dye with or anything else along those lines.

The rusty metal that I am finding both on the groynes and lying around on the beach is part of the make-up of the place.  Man-made structures are very much part of Spurn's history and the things that are washed up on the beach are as much part of what Spurn is today as the sand, pebbles, seaweed and plants (whether we like it or not!).  If it wasn't for these additions then the spit probably wouldn't be in the form it is now. 

If I can use these things to make meaningful marks on paper and cloth, with little use of other materials then I feel I am really taking something from the place, making something of the place without any negative impact.  

I'm using the sea water as an agent to help me too.  I do find that the addition of tea really helps transfer marks from the rusty metal onto paper and cloth (see here for an explanation) so I am using that to help, even though that isn't something that occurs here - I have found a few old tea bags in amongst the other flotsam and jetsam, so maybe that justifies that one!  A mixture of sea water and tea from my flask to wet the fabric before wrapping it will hopefully help get things off to a good start and then they will be submerged twice a day by the North sea.

 

unwrapping

On my way to Spurn today I went to Bridlington (it's kind of on the way) to visit the lovely Gallery 49 in the old town.  They are going to show my Spurn work next year and I went to have a chat about that.  The drive through East Yorkshire to Bridlington was wet and horrid and the rain continued on between there and Spurn.  When I got to Spurn the rain had just about stopped.  Finding that the road was closed due to a wash over I walked on the beach near Warren Cottage for a couple of hours and the sun even came out briefly!  The tide was right down and there was mud exposed that forms amazing peaks and troughs, very like the formations of the salt marsh over on the estuary side.

The digger cleared the road after a while so I was able to drive down to the lighthouse.  I couldn't wait to inspect my bundle on the groyne.  It was still there!  Unwrapped and rinsed in the sea I found some interesting marks on the fabric; nothing ground breaking, but a starting point.

The bundle left inside has obviously taken colour from the rusty metal but I decided this could do with another soak in sea water.  I'll leave this one longer before unwrapping.

The wind is really roaring up at the top of the lighthouse but the weather isn't as bad as I expected.  The showers are coming and going and in between there are some beautiful clear but moody views.

anticipation

I'm looking forward to returning to Spurn tomorrow, although the weather is horrid and looks like it is continuing like this for a few days.  I'm particlularly looking forward to getting to know the groynes a bit better!  These wooden structures for slowing the action of long-shore drift are quite dramatic and seem to feature in just about every photo of Spurn you find on Flickr.

I'm interested in the rusty metal that is often attached to these in various states of decay.  Much of my work in recent months has featured rust prints as a basis upon which I've layered other print techniques, as well as stitch.  I want to see what kind of marks I can take from the rusty objects at Spurn.  On my last visit I left a couple of experiments on site.  These have hopefully been developing and maturing and I'm looking forward to seeing what results there are.

I wrapped some metal objects I found on the beach, having first wet my fabric in sea water (the nearest sea fisherman along the beach must have thought I was bonkers; dancing around the edge of the water as the tide was coming in and trying to dodge the waves whilst dipping fabric into them).  These I left in the lighthouse.

I also wrapped one of the rusty bolts still attached to a groyne but loose.  This should be submerged in sea water every time the tide comes up.  Even after one night and one high tide it had obviously started to take on some of the rusty colour: 

 
My worry is that these have either worked loose and been washed away or removed by curious visitors.  Although this shouldn't be too unusual a thing to come across given that many of the groynes already have many bits of rope and broken net wound round them by the action of the waves.  As long as they remain in place and depending on the resulting marks, I plan to set up some more this weekend. 

multiple horizons

I've been developing some of the experiments I did in a small sketch book when I was last at Spurn.  I'm working on a larger scale and using a variety of different media to explore some of the horizontal views.

 

collecting textures

Another grey day and lots of layers are needed to keep out the relentless wind.  But at least it's dry. 

The space I set up yesterday on the second floor of the lighthouse (in front of the big window in the middle) has been really useful as a place to spread things out and do some experiments in wet media.  The room is painted black, as is the room below.  I'm not sure what the significance of the darkness is.  It has a large window which gives enough light to work by.

I decided on Friday's drive over here that this trip must be about collecting textures.  So that is what I've tried to concentrate on.  I've drawn a lot, using pens and charcoal when I'm outside and started to play with making marks from some rusty metal found on the beach.  I tried working on a larger scale yesterday but nothing seemed to work so I've gone back to working on small sketchbook pages, removed carefully from the book to work on so that I can put them back together once things have dried.