Art Gallery & Creative Hub

SPUD is an arts and education charity that creates opportunities for artists to engage with the public, architecture, urban design and the environment, producing new work as a catalyst for exploration, debate and public understanding. SPUDWORKS is a creative hub. SPUDWORKS will be closed bank holidays 5th May and 26th May Artful Collective And Hampshire Open Studios 22-31 Aug Opening Event 21st August 6pm - 8pm Free tickets here Supported by Arts Council England What's On Art Clubs A range of art and design workshops for young people aged from 6 -18. Covering a wide spectrum of techniques and materials in a friendly and welcoming space. Read More Dementia Friendly Workshops Creative art workshops run weekly, for health and well-being led by a dementia friendly specialist. Read More Exhibition Programme View our programme for exhibition and events information Read More Architecture Club Weekly architecture and design workshops open to all young people aged 13-18. Read More LGBTQIA Together Group LGBTQIA friendly small group creative workshops for young people aged 13+ in our wonderful Living Room space. Read More Art Angels Workshops Creative classes, private events and team building events located in the Old Stable Block Read More Legacies - Kate Watkins 4 - 17 Sep Opening Event: Friday 4 Sep 5:30pm - 7:30pm Supported by Arts Council England Opportunities Artist Launch Pad Opportunity for creatives or emerging artists to rent a studio space at spudWORKS. Self Funded Residencies Stay on the stunning spudWORKS campus for 1 - 4 weeks and immerse yourself in the beauty of the New Forest. Find out more... Hire a Space and Desk Rentals spudWORKS has a variety of creative workshop spaces that can be hired, including access to TV's and projectors. We also have desks available to rent in a shared office space. Find out more... Experimental Exhibition Proposals Opportunity to submit proposals for short experimental exhibitions at spudWORKS. Applications open annually. Apply online. Volunteer Opportunities If you'd like to support the work we do by volunteering at SPUD contact us on jointheadventure@spud.org.uk spud OPEN Exhibition Our popular annual Open Exhibition. Applications open Spring each year with an exhibition in Dec/Jan. Find out more... Step into the spudWORKS virtual garden! Explore Contact Us Address spudWORKS Station Road, Sway, Hampshire, SO41 6BA, UK Contact 01590 682260 jointheadventure@spud.org.uk Opening Hours Mon - Fri 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Sunday Closed (inc. Bank Holidays)

2026 Fathers and Daughters - Martha Broadbent-Smith and Matt Smith An exhibition exploring and celebrating the relationship of fathers and their daughters. Two Portsmouth based artists Matt Smith, a puppeteer and Martha Broadbent - Smith, fine artist, explore the complex and funny ways that fathers interact with daughters and how in a new space of alternative views of parenthood and identity we can celebrate these relationships. Both artists use collage and bricolage to explore our media saturated and complex world. The new works created for this exhibition involve landscapes that are inhabited by the daughter's interventions and additions. Landscape is not idealised in these works but instead the representations are made from waste and man-made materials. This use of landscape as part of this new set of work is an artistic method alluding to the way that fathers can potentially provide an environment for their daughters to playfully inhabit. There are also puppet figures built from waste that signify these relationships. We have worked together as artists finding ways to collaborate even though we are separated geographically. We both explore collage and explore assemblage as practices. One wall of the exhibition is dedicated to friends and family who have contributed works to this theme to celebrate the diversity of these kinds of kinship and artistic bonds. The collaboration involves including a wide diverse range of voices around our theme including queer fathers and daughters and people from all kinds of heritages. The aim of the projects is to celebrate diverse responses to the subject of communities and not essentialise parenting or other traits. These relationships can be challenging and joyous, but always unique. We hope that ideas of fatherhood and the identity of daughters can be thought beyond patriarchy in a positive way. Bio Martha Broadbent-Smith is a fine art graduate from Goldsmiths and her work interrogates bodies and culture using a punk aesthetic to excite our senses. She creates mixed media art, provoking us to reconsider our positionality. She recently exhibited work at Pallant House. Matt Smith is a puppeteer, scholar and artist who works with waste materials and explores materiality. He has over 30 years experience as an artist working in communities. Porcelain Delaney Beyond Function - I Want To Go There Porcelain is a disabled artist whose work is built around access and inclusion, using her own access needs as a creative advantage. Her disabilities have forced her to work and think in non-linear ways, constantly adapting & adjusting things around her, giving a playground full of creative inspiration to explore. The ideas of access needs 'Beyond Function' comes from thoughts that keep cropping up in explorations of access in the Forest and similar places: “Don’t we deserve more than the basic functionality often offered to disabled people when discussing access?” “Non-disabled people are not expected to wear grey personality-less clothing every day. Why should I be expected to accept using ugly plain mobility aids.” When I started needing to use an accessible toilet I moved from the familiar sociable ladies; with soft lighting and lots of mirrors to drab, over light, soulless and mirrorless bathrooms that I now must use, and “Oops I forgot I’m too disabled to wear lipstick today.” There are lots of examples of little things that are too often overlooked or ignored when it comes to access. "I work positively to find solutions. I can, and do, sulk or rage in my personal time but I don’t ignore or shy away from the frustration felt in an increasingly challenging political landscape. I have used this project to highlight some of these frustrations, and to clearly look at what happens when access needs are centred on the disabled person as a whole being, beyond their diagnosis." Front Door Histories “Recent local history is often taken for granted, but the Front Door project brings it into focus and ensures that recent artifacts are collected and maintained and presented.” - John Astbury, St Barbe volunteer John puts his finger on the joys of this Front Door Histories Project. It is about a community looking at itself and its recent past as it slips slowly into history within our lifetimes. There is something fascinating about collecting the recent past, it is part memory and part record. The front door was chosen as the point of transition between our private and public lives. This was an important demarcation in the past and was a place we documented our day to day far more than we perhaps do now. The front door also gives us something static to observe change from. An archive is not just a collection; it is pointed and questioning and needs you to interpret its ideas. These three archives are an invitation for you to explore the possibilities. The Map The volunteers who support and work at St Barbe Art Gallery and Museum have come together with the SPUD curatorial team to create three archives. They have commissioned two artists, Paul Close and Danilo Zocatelli, to shape personal archives on local communities in Lymington and Pennington. This work forms the exhibition here at spudWORKS Gallery. In their research the volunteers have determinedly scoured, invited and searched for images from post-war Lymington and Pennington to build a digital map that holds, among other discoveries their changing community boundaries, social politics and fashions. Collecting from the community they have been building a picture of personal events from the lives of inhabitants living in a changing landscape. The resulting digital map is a guide, an account, and a record of small events that talk about historical decades of major change. A huge thank you to all the volunteers from St Barbe for your dedication, ideas and heart. Here at SPUD Paul and Danilo have been constructing contemporary archives. There is a very different intent to step out into a community and think on what we could collect now and hold for the future. These will be a snapshot of current time and place with a defined action behind them. The artists are projecting forwards, identifying a moment of change, or understanding of community that is present to the now and sets a new marker to observe change from. Paper Paper brings together members of SPUD Artist Studios with invited creative collaborators to explore the boundaries of Paper. This complex material is welded into the history of art like no other. It is often the first material we are given as children where we learn to use its qualities as a medium, material and conceptual space. In this exhibition you may not see it used as a conventional surface to support a traditional drawing but all the qualities these artists explore are embedded in its creative versatility and history of Paper. “When I see a white piece of paper, I feel I’ve got to draw. And drawing, for me, is the beginning of everything.” — Ellsworth Kelly Paper originated in ancient China around 105 CE, attributed to Cai Lun who refined a method using mulberry bark, hemp, and rags to create a lightweight, durable writing surface, revolutionizing communication by replacing heavier materials like papyrus and parchment. The technology spread to the Islamic world by the 8th century and reached Europe via Spain and Italy around the 11th century, eventually leading to mechanized production, which enabled mass printing and fuelled the spread of knowledge, literacy and creativity globally. The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper, and re-imagines the world.” — Malcolm Gladwell Stephanie James and Susan Stockwell - Fluids and Paper, Glue, Paper - The works sit on the back wall of the gallery and are made from unbleached toilet paper (Susan’s gift for Stephanie to work with) and sheets of Khardi paper (the revers) Bridget Eastman and Anusha Ramchand - Obstinate Disobedience - Purple paper string in loops and knots Neither One, Nor the Other - a reflective mirrored papier-mâché form of a minaret Isil Campanella and Jill Lee Eat Me - Two sets of three paper montages on the left as you enter and a bowl containing edible paper with an invitation. Tom Hall and Simón Granell Centred – Two monitors leaning against the wall. Vanessa Collingridge and Hester Poole - Ripoff – a series of long, ripped strips of heavy-duty watercolour paper, monotone inks, marking time along the length of the gallery wall. Uninvited Guests’ – botanical text transformed into plants growing through the grouting of the gallery floor. Wings '26 This Piece…. Each year SPUD loves to highlight and celebrate the many locals who have found a home coming to spudWORKS, and true friendship in the fabulous tutors and other workshopers. Whether they come for the love of their art, the challenge of pushing themselves with new skills and concepts or to get out of the house they have all become part of the spudCOMMUNITY. This year we thought we would dig down a little bit into those reasons why the work they do is so meaningful by asking them why This Piece is important to them. Their reasons are widespread and personal as you would imagine. However, there are some strong threads that one feels can be pulled. As curator I would like to share my appreciation of how connected people are to what they are doing. Some through personal struggle with materials or techniques, some through the narratives and stories they are telling through their work. Art exists in these testing places and in the attempt to transfer information, emotion and the unspoken through what we do to others, you the audience. The second part is the mentorship and support of the tutors and each other as you have gone on this journey. Isil, Jane, Steph and Bridget and all those who pass on their knowledge here at SPUD, thank you. 2025 SpudOPEN 2025 - Private Spaces Private Spaces is a collective exhibition that explores, questions and imagines our use, need and search for a private space. This is a selected show, and we hope that the dialogues the artists have initiated resonate with you and you can see some of the possibilities and thoughts they throw up. SPUD would like to thank Arts Council England and Particularly the New Forest National Park Authority for their ongoing support for this exhibition. It gives real opportunity for artists of all levels to be part of a bigger discussion and be seen and show in a strong regional gallery. Moral Screams - The Artist's Husband Moral Screams was based on a residency by The Artists Husband at SPUD earlier this year. A series of narratives and events were sparked by the artists’ research. I’m not just a blow-up doll I’m… “A visit to a well attended Verderer’s Court where public issues and grievances are heard; anything from pigs’ pannage to an ice cream van being moved on like an unwanted traveler. The van was deemed unfair competition for a shop selling ice cream in the nearby village. This dispute was the starting point to our own exploration Moral Screams. There are many Moral Screams to be had. A treat of a double ice cream with the mouthwatering price tag of £7 each. How have we reached a point where simple pleasures have become out of reach for ordinary working people? We visited Waterside and Isle of Wight Food Banks. This was an opportunity to create a Happening, raising money, awareness and to breakdown stigma for ordinary people. ‘Having a job is no longer a defense against hunger.’ Trussell Trust, 2025. The 13th century courtroom is proudly decorated with trophies of shot deer. A potent link to history. We have created a new kind of trophy using butt holes of trees to reflect a different kind of collection, one less violent, a humorous play with what is ok to put in public, killing animals violently or the double entendre of tree butt holes? It also directly challenges what is considered worthy of heritage status, inclusion and romance. A reference to the travelers later being forced to the edges of the forest. The sculpture ‘Cowhorse’ is a humorous take on New Forest life. The words high horse can describe every possible human folly. We are all capable of the guilt of a bad decision, poor treatment or misjudgment of one another. Our aim is to bring you, the audience, close to this place of dismount, test inherited moral boundaries from our own high horses and in turn hope you find an enhanced sympathy and humility. For both yourself and others. Sway meaning to swing couldn’t be more apt in the instance of Lord Montagu, a proud bisexual who spent 12 months in prison for his part in a very British sex scandal following a Cold War crack down on ‘homosexual’ spies in the West. However, this case paved the way for a more tolerant attitude towards LGBTQIA+ people. That said, a recent visit to Beaulieu Motor Museum, we were sad to find no mention of the case or any sign of Lord Montagu’s very open attitude towards bi lifestyle. We remembered images of him in leather wearing a dog collar. We found no sign of it anywhere, leaving us to wonder ‘had it been removed as a cleansing of this very flamboyant character? Or have our memories deceived us?’ Using humour, not to shame or ridicule but to encourage dialogue and understanding. Our work is about accepting difference not allowing one to hold SWAY over others.” Our thanks to Quay Arts and WightLink Ferries Time in Common - Isabella Martin What time is it in the New Forest? How could we tell forest time, and what might we learn from it? In this exhibition, artist Isabella Martin starts with these questions to investigate experiences of time in the New Forest National Park, guided by the local habitats, species and communities. A series of works dissects forest rhythms, playfully proposing ways to tell forest time. What language could we use to describe time, as informed by different forest species and processes? What does it mean for time to be wet, sticky, or full of holes? Dandelion clocks tick to their own rhythms, seed heads for clock hands. A tree is cut down and sits, we’re both decaying and growing. The salt marsh bubbles, the tide sucks in and out, worms wriggle and ponies swat flies away, which buzz over puddles left by passing rain. The project was developed through a residency in May, where immersion in the National Park and collaboration and conversation with New Forest communities opened up ways of thinking about, perceiving and experiencing time here. It builds from previous work and research exploring different rhythms and temporalities, those of our bodies, the city, an ocean. When we leave clock time behind, what new ways of perceiving the passage of time can we imagine? The science of circadian rhythms reveals ways we are intimately entangled with our environment, our experience of time informed by exposure to daylight, our rotation around the sun. Together the exhibitions works collectively ask how we could entangle our rhythms with those of the New Forest, what it would look and feel like to keep time in common with it. Bio Isabella Martin is a visual artist who collaborates with people and places to explore our entanglement with our environment. Working across scientific knowledge and embodied experience her practice imagines ways we might navigate time and space differently and experiments with these possibilities. www.isabellarosemartin.com instagram: isabella.r.martin Converging Boundaries - Laleh Ghavami and Dayanny So How do we question the boundaries of one’s own lived experience through a creative process, and how we choose to share and occlude? Artists in Residence, Dayanny So and Laleh Ghavami have questioned this in their practice and now, as a result of the residency, developed the early stages of a dialog as to where their practices converge and diverge. Both in discussion and in the work itself both artists share the complexities surrounding their boundaries and in part ask us about our willingness to open oneself to the possibility of transformation, connection, and understanding that emerges when we confront and navigate the spaces between our individual experiences and those of others. What Does a Dog Know About Death? - Piers Inkpen Piers Inkpen is an artist who explores mourning through narrative sequences in which solitary figures reflect on and respond to an unspecified loss. His drawings, paintings, and sculptures are intimate in scale and delicate in execution, inviting a quiet, contemplative encounter. His practice is shaped by death mythologies and psychoanalytic theories of mourning. Piers approaches art-making as an act of remembrance - to create is to recreate. What Does a Dog Know About Death? tells the story of a young child and his dog as they confront the death of a bird. 'A grieving child turns to their dog and asks, "Do you know anything about death?" The dog, with its combined innocence and wisdom, answers gently...' Thick Smoke - Barbara J. Graham and Will S. Woods What happens when a visual artist nearly loses their sight? Shock. A shapeless void. Cataracts causing hazy vision, detached retina, black clouds, swirling floaters, flashes like an old movie, all happening suddenly. No warning. Two eyes in one body giving a different view and feeding different information to the brain. The brain attempts to catch up with the changes and make sense of the new way of seeing the world. Hallucinations...when our eyes lie to us. How do we respond when what we believe is fundamental to our identity is under threat? When does a setback become a gift? Setting out to consider these questions, the experience of seeing and not seeing becomes the central story of Thick Smoke. This Spud experimental exhibition has provided an opportunity to share the experience of making work through this significant period. This is the second collaboration by Barbara J Graham and Will S Woods, who began working together in 2024 after meeting at ‘a space’, Arches Studios in Southampton. Barbara has recently received an Arts Council Grant to further develop her practice, and Will is completing an MA in curating. For Thick Smoke, Barbara paints on natural and artificial surfaces to unpack how the world can be simultaneously in and out of focus. In response, Will’s film and soundscape echo the visual and psychological themes of these works. Barbara reflects: 'In February 2024, the retina in my right eye became detached without warning, and my vision was permanently changed. Since then, I've had two surgeries and months of convalescence during which my eye has at times been bionically powerful, totally blind, or more often somewhere in between. Consistency is lost, colours change; different focal ranges in each eye create a vision that is simultaneously sharp and blurred. I have flashes and floaters, ocular migraines, blind spots, double vision, and hallucinations: a constant mix of what I see in the world and what I see within my eye. My painting practice must now adapt daily to my ever-changing eyesight. Yesterday's work looks different today; seeing close-up or from a distance only provides a partial picture. To deal with this, I've created a studio space crammed with canvases on every surface, which I work on simultaneously, so there's always something I can see that feels okay. Nothing is stable; nothing is finished. My eye will require more surgery soon, and the paintings, like my eyesight, will continue to change.' Coming Home: A Sacred Journey through Queerness - Mister Samo This exhibition explores the deeply personal and universal experience of coming home to ourselves, and the sacred journey that this represents for queer people. How do we nurture a sense of safety and growth on this path? How does that experience shift depending on where we come from? These powerful questions have emerged through meaningful connections with young people from the New Forest. In conversations about identity and queerness, one recurring theme stood out to me, the profound importance of safety, and how deeply this sense of safety is shaped by our environments: our families, our communities, our cultures, and our landscapes. These insights sparked several threads of inquiry, all which weave through this body of work. This collection is both a reflection and a response to those questions. It is rooted in the understanding that we are all connected, and that we are all part of nature. As queer people, we often carry an entire world within us, a world built from both resilience and beauty. We carry our soul home wherever we go. The symbol of the shell (our shelter, our home) became central to this work. It speaks to choice, identity, and belonging. The snail, a sacred and often overlooked creature, reminds us of these truths. Its spiral shell, constantly unfolding, symbolizes the eternal journey of self-discovery and growth. As a hermaphrodite, the snail also offers a powerful reminder that queerness exists in nature — it is natural, beautiful, and it is ever-present. The golden shells created for this exhibition are a celebration of identity, transformation, and the personal sanctuary we build within ourselves. They represent our uniqueness, our worth, and the sacredness of our stories. We are all gold. We are all worthy. And we all deserve to feel at home. Bio Mister Samo is an artist, transgender educator, and street art pioneer from Southsea. Over six years ago, Samo began his transition and has since channelled his personal journey into powerful, emotive artwork. His pieces serve as a form of non-verbal communication—raw visual diaries that explore the evolving relationship between body and mind. As a queer artist, Samo’s work focuses on interpreting the human condition and sharing lived perspectives. His message is clear and consistent: ‘embrace your true self, raise awareness, and nurture a cycle of gratitude and giving back to strengthen the fabric of community.’ A prominent figure in the street art and paint jam scene, Samo was honoured as a sponsored artist at World Pride in New York. His first book, I EXIST, is a celebration of transgender bodies through art—a joyful and defiant affirmation of identity. He continues to paint large-scale murals that bring visibility, pride, and acceptance to the trans community. In the past year, Samo was the headline artist at Upfest, Europe’s largest street art festival, and has since received numerous commissions aligned with the powerful message he carries forward. https://www.instagram.com/mister.samo/ New Forest Collage Radio - NFNPA Artists in Residence Em Burrows and Jeremy Segal Community radio represents place, diversity, inclusivity, independence, and a grass roots/DIY ethos. Among other things, it can connect people, disseminate information, champion local arts, and be a platform for underrepresented or alternative voices. But what is the function and format of community radio in view of the ever-increasing globalisation and digitalisation of the media? How can we play with the plasticity of the radio format to explore the social, symbolic and material spaces of broadcast? In what ways can an historical place like the New Forest be broadcast? These questions are explored by West Australian artists Em Burrows and Jeremy Segal in their work New Forest Collage Radio; a spatial radio station broadcasting sounds recorded in and around the New Forest in October 2025. Visitors are invited to pick up a hand-held radio and explore the field. Em Burrows and Jeremy Segal are West Australian artists who work predominantly with music, sound, and radio. They are currently based in Berlin. New Forest Collage Radio is a spatial radio station broadcasting sounds recorded in and around the New Forest in October 2025. Pick up a hand-held radio and explore the field. With thanks to Bridget Eastman, Gabriela Cohen, Angus Harley, Steve Adams & Sarah Fargher, Catie Lake, Chris Hopgood & Folk Orc, Mark Drury, Lisa Gardner, Estelle Phillips, Robbie Steen, Hannah Mae Buckingham, Joe Muggs, Roanna Schneider and Jim Mitchell. Reflections from the Land - The 'Five Collective' A thought-provoking exhibition, challenging their own perceptions of their practice, through people, place and time. The narrative is captured through physical approaches to making, materials qualities and curation. Concepts, process, and inspirations echo one another through scale, sensitivity to materials, a muted palette and questioning the limitations of their respective mediums. Through quiet contemplation, walking, foraging, and making, five invite the Sway community to collaborate in this curatorial exhibition responding to its landscape. Through this work they aim to challenge, question, and provoke a response in the viewer through the physical act of making. “Paths are the habits of a landscape. They are acts of consensual making. It's hard to create a footpath on your own...Paths connect.” -Robert Macfarlane, The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot. Bio: The Five Collective Five is a female collective based in Hampshire connected through collaborative and individual research, drawing upon the notions of people, place and time. Exemplifying exceptional skills in their specialism, demonstrating a wealth of professional experience within the creative art fields; they aim to challenge not only their respective mediums but question the perception of textiles as a craft through contemporary reflective practice. The Nightjar Project - African Activities The Nightjar Project draws inspiration from this elusive nocturnal bird and its migration to investigate ideas of movement and homeland, between West Africa, Ghana and the UK. The project takes the rich narrative of migration, folklore, and the particularity of the Nightjar to consider life living under two skies. It will examine cultural and historically views and share stories of land management. It brings together a group of creative, educational and environmental organisations to explore these questions. African Activities and SPUD, supported by the New Forest National Park Authority and New Forest District Council, set out to define the possibilities of creative conversations between these communities. Their aim is to invite us all to think of belonging to places and groups. How we work and live alongside each other and to share our stories of belonging. This is planned as a two-year project, and to set the agenda for further discussions we are starting with an exhibition by Kwame Bakoji-Hume with multiple workshops in storytelling and environmental creativity. This will include a series of ‘Sound Scrapes’ from Ghana and a commissioning of a film by the artist James Elliot looking at land management.   The Nightjar Project: Tell Us a Story About Belonging Ghanaian artist, musician and community leader, Kwame Bakoji-Hume, is creating an exhibition of works that shares his story. From his early childhood in Ghana, though building his ‘family’ in a children’s home, migration and how he fits into the bigger picture of dual homelands and being part of an African diaspora in the New Forest, living under two skies. The exhibition is full of symbolic language, embedded storytelling and interpretation within his painting and sculptural works. It’s the excitement of storytelling as a living craft of oral cultures that can tell the story of historic and contemporary ideas of belonging. Within the exhibition we want to invite people to tell their story of belonging, as we build a body of individual stories. From the questions that arise from Kwame’s work and audience responses further work and discussions will be sparked. Kwame Bakoji-Hume’s practice moves fluidly between painting, sculpture, music, community-based arts, and cultural storytelling, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the interplay between gain and loss. His early life shaped an intimate understanding of impermanence, having left his family at the age of nine to live at the SOS Children’s Village, only to later risk everything as a teenager to reunite with his mother. These formative experiences inform his art, which celebrates resilience, collective joy, and the beauty of shared creativity. Relocating to the UK in 2000, Kwame founded African Activities CIC, a platform for using art to uplift communities and disrupt stereotypes about African cultures. His practice remains deeply rooted in community engagement, collaborating with craftsmen, children, and marginalized groups alike to democratize creativity and celebrate cultural heritage. Clay - spudARTISTS invite The Arches Studios Clay is a joint curatorial project between the Arches Studios in Southampton and SPUD Artists Studios. The choice of a simple base material with a huge creative and utilitarian history was to give scope to a wide-ranging group of artists who work in many different mediums; something to coalesce around, discuss, respond to and discover anew. We hope that for the viewer who comes to see this show it is a stimulating introduction to all the artists who are taking part. By exploring the singularity of clay, we hope to accentuate and articulate the individuality of an artist’s creative response, to see their reactions to the material question through the links they build. There is a secondary part to this exhibition. As each work is brought into the space it is allotted a place on the back wall to be stored, or at least exhibited as a stored thing for the public to explore. As you can see there are countless possibilities when looking at work ready for showing. There are many links to make. Some are formal, some are political, some are about process or social use. What groups might you put together in your head? What works ‘talk’ to each other, what conversations do you want to follow? For the duration of this show we have invited all the artists represented here to find their connections within the stored work. They will, over the month of Clay, be curating different shows in the rest of the gallery space, returning work to the shelves they don’t need and reworking conversations they see within the stored responses. Bringing fresh work out and reinterpreting what they understand. This is an exhibition that you need to keep coming back to, seeing the possibilities that might otherwise be left unseen. Curated by Tom Hall The Caterpillar's World - Olana Light Title - The Caterpillar's World Medium: Installation, Sound, Film Materials: Reindeer Moss, The husks of the Corylus Colurna, and mixed media I envision transforming the gallery into an immersive, fantastical realm inspired by the enchanting world of caterpillars. These often-overlooked creatures inhabit a hidden, mysterious underworld just beneath our feet — a space rich with texture, movement, and quiet magic seldom seen up close. By inviting visitors into this microcosm, I aim to create a transformative experience that shifts their perspective, immersing them in a miniature world where unfamiliar landscapes take on larger-than-life dimensions. Caterpillars are rich in symbolism, representing transformation, growth, patience, and potential. Their journey embodies the process of change and becoming, as they undergo a remarkable metamorphosis from humble larvae to beautiful butterflies or moths. To bring this vision to life, I will create a large-scale caterpillar sculpture from natural materials that capture the earthy textures and colours of a caterpillar’s habitat. This sculpture will be set within a lush, organic environment, allowing visitors to explore a realm that feels both surreal and deeply rooted in nature. The space will be further enlivened with immersive soundscapes bringing the gallery to life and inviting guests to experience the caterpillar’s journey in a world that celebrates growth, transformation, and the beauty of life on a smaller scale. Through this installation, I hope to foster playful interaction and introspection, encouraging visitors to reflect on their journeys of growth and change while deepening their connection to the natural world. Artist Statement: Light’s practice moves between sculpture, performance, and moving images, focusing on the intricate relationship between humans and the natural world. Her ongoing exploration of belonging and discovering her place in the world leads her to recognize that we are an integral part of nature. Through her work, she explores how human existence is deeply intertwined with nature, examining how we both shape and are shaped by our environment. This idea of unity with the natural world is central to her work. Audiences are invited to witness the human seamlessly merging with the natural world, creating a collective 'we-world' that transcends societal divisions and offers an inclusive space where everyone feels a sense of belonging. By freeing herself from societal norms, Light delves into the essence of humanity and our place in the universe. Nature serves as an abundant source of inspiration for Light, driving her to envision a future where we harmonize with the natural world. She aims to inspire others to coexist with nature and work towards a brighter future. Through her art, Light sparks conversations about our relationship with nature, the essence of identity, and the accessibility of art to all. Light's live performances in public places aim to integrate art into everyday life, providing access for ordinary people and passersby who may otherwise be unable to experience the arts due to financial or other barriers that prevent them from visiting galleries Bio: Olana Light is a multidisciplinary artist based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK. She has an MA from Goldsmiths (2020) and a BA from Southampton Solent University (2017). Recent awards include the ArtCabbage Prize(2024), Bute Festival Thameslink Award (2024), Every Breath We Take Award (2024), Arts Council England DYCP (2024), CAS Emerging Sculptors Award (2023), Southampton City Gallery Billboard Commission (2023); Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant (2022 and 2021); Blue Sky Ideas Art&Heritage Award (2022); StreetLife&Aesthetica Changing Rooms Commission Prize (2022); SpudOPEN Judge’s and Public Choice Award (2022); The Spring Open Competition Award (2022); the Little Forest Open Competition (2022); ‘a space’ arts Lucky Dip Bursary (2021); Zealous Stories Sculpture (2021); Sunny Art Prize Award (2020); and the Goldsmiths International Response Scholarship Award (2017). Olana has completed residencies at the Hugo Burge Foundation in Scotland (2024), La Vista in Tenerife (2023), EcoSuites in Greece (2022); School of Design and Fashion in Southampton (2019); Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth (2017 and 2018); Sticks Gallery in Fareham (2017). Recent publications include Permaculture, Ludvig Rage, Inside Artist, and Trebuchet.

Contact Email Name Subject Message Thanks! Message sent. Send Opening Times Mon: 10-4 Tues: 10-4 Wed: 10-4 Thur: 10-4 Fri: 10-4 Sat: 10-2 Sun: Closed spudWORKS, Station Road Sway Hampshire SO41 6BA Call: 01590 682260 General enquiries: jointheadventure@spud.org.uk Find us on What3Words: ///restores.suits.baguette Location Map. Parking at spudWORKS The blue diagram shows the location of the spudWORKS Car Park. Please do not park anywhere else along the gravel driveway as this is not SPUD property. The map below shows alternative parking locations as well as free parking available throughout most of the village.

What is spudYOUTH Architecture and how does it work? spudYOUTH is an award winning workshop programme being run for young people aged 13 and upwards who are interested in architecture, urban design and public art. It is a weekly free programme run at spudWORKS in term-time. spudYOUTH follows a simple process that takes young people through investigation, analysis and ideas development prior to formulating practical proposals. It’s a skill set that can be applied to many other things and provides all the spud projects with a clear and easy to understand structure. Why take part in spudYOUTH? Meet and work with professional architects, designers and student architects in the spudWORKS studio Weekly programme ran from 5pm until 7pm every Wednesday during term time at spudWORKS in Sway Learn what makes a quality place to live Make a difference in your community Work in a real studio environment with professional designers Improve your design skills, communication, confidence, presentation, organisation and team work Enhance your portfolio and CV for college interviews and to stand out for university applications Speak to key decision makers in your community GIVES YOU A VOICE amongst other local decision makers Present ideas, opinions and design proposals to councillors, local authority officers and other professionals Use spudYOUTH as part of Arts Award Meet new people and have fun! If your child is in receipt of Pupil Premium or free school meals you may be able to register free of charge. To enquire about this please contact us at register@spud.org.uk Data Protection: spud take your privacy very seriously. Please click here to view our full GDPR Data Protection Statement SIGN UP HERE spudYOUTH Summer Exhibition 2022 @ spudWORKS spudYOUTH’s new cultural exchange programme The award-winning spudYOUTH programme is teaming up with Daikanyama Teens in Tokyo to deliver an exciting architecture and design project. spudYOUTH participants will be able to develop new design skills, try out architectural model-making and learn more about Japanese culture. Some of the participants will also get the opportunity to go to Tokyo next during 2022. Workshops are running from late May 2021 until February 2022 and will include some Saturday morning Zoom calls with the team in Tokyo. Sway meets Tokyo! What's been happening... Over the last few months students in Sway and in Tokyo have been redesigning their own arts centres. they've been given complete freedom to come up with new ideas, decoration, facilities for a wide range of users. Their designs are for Daikanyama Teens building in Tokyo and for the spudWORKS building in Sway, New Forest. In order to do this they have created plans, mood boards and scale models. From their final ideas they have then written 'love letters' to their counterparts in UK and Japan to explain their ideas and share their plans. Now the students have received each others plans they have to build scale models of each others centres. The students are chatting to each other to explain their ideas and get to know each other using the Slack messaging platform. Students will complete scale models of each others buildings and the UK students will be sending their models and designs out to Tokyo for an exhibition in March 2022. Students from the UK will also be travelling out to meet with their Japanese counterparts and the staff team at Daikanyama Teens later this year. This will be an incredible opportunity to experience Japanese culture and spend time with the young people in Japan. This project has been made possible with the kind support of the Daiwa Foundation and the GB Sasakawa Foundation. Exhibition Photos 1/2 Future High Street: Lymington As the country re-opens from lockdown our high streets, shops and businesses have all been affected. Lymington High Street has been impacted too. But what do young people think? How will town look post-Covid? What opportunities do these changes present? Now is the time for young people to have their voices heard. spudYOUTH ran an exciting summer workshop to allow young people to share their ideas, and learn new skills. The results of the week long workshop can be seen below. The young people had some very thoughtful and articulate ideas, which they explored through drawings and model-making. The over-riding theme that came through very strongly was to have a 'green' High Street - literally greening the street up with planting and trees, but also a more sustainable and eco friendly High Street. The other main focus was managing traffic in the town. Ideas were developed to reduce parking, slow traffic and improve public transport. Young people felt that cars dominated the High Street currently and this was to its detriment. Finally, there was a strong feeling that the Town needed public art, colour and 'something special' to mark it out as unique to visitors and not like every other High Street - to create a reason to stay, explore and revisit. The full report can be viewed by downloading the PDF here . Images and film courtesy of Kieran Short Media The Future High Street Project has been made possible through the kind support of HIWCF We've created this virtual gallery so that you can enjoy the exhibition which is currently on at spudWORKS, but due to Coronavirus we have not been able to open to the public. Danebury Iron Age Hill Fort: Visitor Centre Concepts Young people taking part in spudYOUTH workshops have been developing concept designs for a small visitor centre to be located at the car-park at the foot of the historic Danebury Iron Age Hill Fort near Stockbridge in Hampshire. The site, managed by Hampshire Countryside Services, is a very significant Iron Age Hill Fort in a spectacular location. not has undergone a series of archaeological excavations which have revealed much about the construction of the site and life at the Hill Fort. Handlebar Cafe The Handlebar Cafe is an ongoing project organised by young students from various schools and colleges in Winchester and the New Forest who have particpated in the spudYOUTH workshops. The original concept design (above) was developed by Alex Grice, a young spudYOUTH participant. Having presented the idea to Winchester City Council and to the Town Forum, spud and the student participants were invited to develop the designs further and explore whether this was a feasible design. An intensive series of workshops held in April 2015, supported by Winchester City Council, University of Portsmouth, ArchitecturePLB and other commercial organisations developed the plans, designs and business case more fully. The cafe is to be located near a popular cycle path in Winchester and a short distance from St Catherines Hill. The idea is that friends and families will be able to purchase delicious food and drinks at a unique cafe after their cycle ride or walk, with gorgeous views back across the meadows to St Cross. You don't have to be a cyclist, anyone can visit and enjoy the delicious meals and drinks the cafe offers. People can arrive and hire a bike or if your bike is damaged you can get basic repairs and purchase bicycle parts and accessories. It is intended that the Cycle Cafe will be open year round, serving the many people who enjoy this fantastic location. In addition to the cafe operating at a commercial level, spudYOUTH are exploring the potential to develop the business as a form of social enterprise. The cafe could provide valuable opportunities for work experience for college students, apprenticeships and work placements for long-term unemployed. Identifying potential partnerships with a local college and a commercial cafe operator will form a strategic part of the development. Buckland Rings In 2017 spudYOUTH developed ideas and designs for new gateways, seating and most importantly interpretation to bring Buckland Rings to life. Previously there was only a basic sign announcing the site and people knew very little about it. This project was a great opportunity for the young people involved to learn more about this important site, work with a range of professionals including historians, landscape professionals, ecologists and artists. The young people led on the ideas and worked closely with a range of people to develop them. Funds granted by the Heritage Lottery allowed the young people to realise their ideas and install them on site. Interpretation Artwork Who said that interpretation panels had to be dull? spudYOUTH commissioned artist Harrison Alcock to implement his unique and original artistic drawings into the new interpretation that will be set in Buckland Rings. The drawings offer a tasteful and clear interpretation of the Iron Age era and draw visitors into indulging in the history of the hillfort Guardians of the Gate Behold the Guardians of the Gate, a dramatic and enticing proposal by Katie Surridge blending traditional ideas with contemporary and artistic design; the three structures consist of a durable Corten Steel body with plasma cut leaves. In each figure there is a copper heart with fine detailing, using classic techniques such as repoussé, in order to add an interesting tactile interaction to each figure Iron Age inspired seating Artist Nicola Henshaw has proposed a unique and intriguing seating design inspired by the tools used in the Iron Age lifestyle for example spear-heads and cutting tools. The seating will consist of naturally curved wood giving an organic aesthetic therefore allowing the seating to not be too intrusive to the scenery but rather be an elegant compliment to the natural fields of Buckland Rings St Thomas' Church In 2016 spudYOUTH students were given the task of regenerating St Thomas' churchyard in Lymington. After exploring multiple options two projects were decided upon. The first was a new cycle shed to replace the worn out existing hut that was insecure and falling apart. The second piece was a new bench with new paving beneath. These designs were built in 2017 thanks to a grant from Tesco Bags of Help. SPUD and spudYOUTH have being appointed to look again at the public space/courtyard area at the front of St Thomas Church and to work with local young people to create a new and welcoming landscaped area. This work will commence in Oct 2019 and involve a Design Festival and workshops with local schools.

Latest Funded Residencies: There are currently no new funded residency opportunities available at SPUD. Self-funded residencies can be found at: CLICK HERE LGBTQ

The New Forest National Park Artist in Residence Click on the button below to go to New Forest National Park Residencies homepage: New Forest National Park Residencies Homepage Em Burrows and Jeremy Segal- Residency and Exhibition Introducing the New Forest Artists in Residence for October 2024, Em Burrows and Jeremy Segal. Community radio represents place, diversity, inclusivity, independence, and a grass roots/DIY ethos. Among other things, it can connect people, disseminate information, champion local arts, and be a platform for underrepresented or alternative voices. But what is the function and format of community radio in view of the ever-increasing globalisation and digitalisation of the media? How can we play with the plasticity of the radio format to explore the social, symbolic and material spaces of broadcast? In what ways can an historical place like the New Forest be broadcast? These questions are explored by West Australian artists Em Burrows and Jeremy Segal in their work New Forest Collage Radio; a spatial radio station broadcasting sounds recorded in and around the New Forest in October 2024. Visitors are invited to pick up a hand-held radio and explore the field. Jeremy Segal is a sound artist, musician and audio engineer. His work ranges from multi-channel sound installations and generative media to indie rock and electronic music. He is currently undertaking a Master of Sound Studies and Sonic Arts at Berlin University of the Arts. Em Burrows makes contemporary new wave/electronic music under the name Web Rumors. Her recent album Travelling Circuits draws on traditional British folk song material. She has been a radio broadcaster and arts organiser for over ten years. The exhibition New Forest Collage Radio here at spudWORKS is a spatial audio experience where the audience is part of the collage. A radio station broadcasts sounds recorded in and around the New Forest in October 2025. Pick up a hand-held radio and explore the field. With thanks to Bridget Eastman, Gabriela Cohen, Angus Harley, Steve Adams & Sarah Fargher, Catie Lake, Chris Hopgood & Folk Orc, Mark Drury, Lisa Gardner, Estelle Phillips, Robbie Steen, Hannah Mae Buckingham, Joe Muggs, Roanna Schneider and Jim Mitchell. Read full interview from the NFNPA here One of the final outcomes of Em and Jeremy’s residency were three full episodes of Collage Radio, made in collaboration with The Tower (https://thetower.radio) , that you can connect to here as they are broadcast. It is also available to listen to via our Mixcloud-based listen again and from our website - thetower.radio - and features interviews, music and poetry from around the New Forest area. Episode 1 of New Forest Collage Radio's radio series, produced exclusively for The Tower, airs this evening at 7pm. A Taste of What Was Discovered During their stay at SPUD Jeremy and Em explored content in may way including field recordings, slow nature video, interviews, walking, poster making, physical collage, along side discovering and recording creative voices from the New Forest that made up the broadcasts. Here is a small selection of what was captured. Interviews Robbie Steen - A Field Walk Catie Lake - In My Past Angus Harley - The Bomb Poems and Music Estelle Phillips Poem Steve Sarah James Song Lisa Gardner Poem Hannah Buckingham Poem Robbie Steen Poem 1 Robbie Steen Poem 2 Pick Up a Radio Limited edition risograph prints (1/10) A3 by Em Burows available for purchase from SPUD. Email tomh@spud.org.uk Slow Nature Videos

Applications now closed for 2027 Exhibition Proposals Deadline for all applications - 10th April 2026. No applications will be considered after this date. Offers and notification will take some time to process after deadline has passed, we will keep everyone informed of progress. All offers will be subject of SPUD receiving ACE funding for the 2027 programme. Please use the upload form below to send us your expressions of interest “The creative process forms a platform for us to connect with individuals and communities, foregrounding the artists voice to engage in public conversation around meaningful and relevant questions. Even small creative acts can resonate and make a difference. SPUD acts as a platform to represent different voices and recognise the significance of artists and crafts people in shifting perspectives and promoting meaningful engagement. All are welcome here”. An ‘Experimental Exhibition’ is a public exhibition or project that takes some risk or breaks new artistic ground, or new collaborations - we want to encourage new possibilities and new audience in our gallery. The gallery at spudWORKS is looking for exciting exhibition proposals that will engage the public in relevant discussions and offer some high-quality social engagement with our local communities in The Forest. The proposed exhibitions are classed as ‘Experimental’ and are there to give opportunity for artists to take risks within their practice, testing the unknown and untried. SPUD funds 80% plus of the Gallery costs that would be normally asked to show at spudWORKS. In return we invite the exhibiting artist/s to run a workshop day at the gallery, to engage our audience and enrich your exhibition. Up to four two-week exhibitions are funded each year depending on space in the programme. Work cannot be for sale during Experimental Exhibitions. SPUD’s current priorities for outreach work include (but are not limited to): Queer and neurodiverse ways to experience the world People and their families/carers living with dementia Young People Older People and loneliness Applications may be held for future funded opportunities. Download gallery dimensions here. The Offer From SPUD A two-week slot in spudWORKS programme Advertising the exhibition through their annual programme, website and other digital media Organisational support to bring the exhibition, gallery text and workshop to completion Host an opening event From The Artist This is a subsidised show with a £200 artist contribution to gallery costs in advance. Artists will take responsibilities for install and deinstall. Artists provide one day of workshops or public engagement Artists who want to provide drinks for an opening meet these costs Please use the form below to submit your contact details, up to 3 pictures of your work and/or link to a video and a link to your website (if you have one). Proposals will be reviewed by an exhibition panel as soon after the closing deadline, but it does take time before information is released and notification given. Please use the form below to submit your contact details, up to 3 pictures of your work and/or link to a video and a link to your website (if you have one). Proposals will be reviewed by an exhibition panel as soon after the closing deadline, but it does take time before information is released and notification given.

SPUD DATA PROTECTION & PRIVACY POLICY (Version approved: September 2025) 1. Introduction & Scope SPUD is committed to full compliance with UK GDPR (Data Protection Act 2018) and best practices in data protection, even as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) exempt from ICO registration. This policy applies to all employees, trustees, volunteers, contractors, and third parties processing personal data on SPUD’s behalf. 2. Policy Statement This policy applies to the processing of personal data in manual and electronic records kept by SPUD. SPUD makes a commitment to ensuring that personal data, including special categories of personal data and criminal offence data (where appropriate) is processed in line with GDPR and domestic laws and all its employees conduct themselves in line with this, and other related, policies. Where third parties process data on behalf of SPUD, the organisation will ensure that the third party takes such measures in order to maintain SPUD’s commitment to protecting data. In line with current data protection legislation, SPUD understands that it will be accountable for the processing, management and regulation, and storage and retention of all personal data held in the form of manual records and on computers. All personal data obtained and held by SPUD will: be processed fairly, lawfully and in a transparent manner be collected for specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes be adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for the purposes of processing be kept accurate and up to date. Every reasonable effort will be made to ensure that inaccurate data is rectified or erased without delay not be kept for longer than is necessary for its given purpose be processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of personal data including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage by using appropriate technical or organisational measures comply with the relevant data protection procedures for international transferring of personal data. In addition, personal data will be processed in recognition of an individuals’ data protection rights, as follows: the right to be informed the right of access the right for any inaccuracies to be corrected (rectification) the right to have information deleted (erasure) the right to restrict the processing of the data the right to portability the right to object to the inclusion of any information the right to regulate any automated decision-making and profiling of personal data. 3. Data Controller & Responsibilities SPUD is the data controller for all personal data collected via: Website (cookies, forms, analytics). Service delivery (e.g., beneficiary records, volunteer details). Partnerships (e.g., subcontractors, funders). Designated Roles: Data Protection Officer (DPO): Tom Sofikitis– tom@spud.org.uk 4. Data Collected & Lawful Bases Category Examples Lawful Basis Service Users Names, contact details, case notes Contract, Legitimate Interest Volunteers/employees DBS checks, payroll data Legal Obligation, Contract Website Visitors Cookie data, IP addresses Consent (non-essential cookies) Sensitive Data Health, ethnicity (if collected) Explicit Consent or Safeguarding Safeguarding Note: Special category data (e.g., mental health records) requires additional protections and is only processed where strictly necessary (e.g., safeguarding referrals). 5. Data Use & Sharing Permitted Uses: Service delivery and impact reporting. Legal compliance (e.g., HMRC, safeguarding authorities). Marketing: Only with prior opt-in consent (easy opt-out required). Third-Party Processors: Contracts must include GDPR-compliant clauses (e.g., data minimization, encryption). Regular security audits of cloud providers (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace). 6. Security Measures Encryption: All portable devices (USB sticks, laptops) and sensitive emails. Access Controls: Role-based permissions; 2FA for systems holding personal data. Breach Response: Contain: Isolate affected systems. Assess: Risk to individuals (72-hour ICO reporting if high risk). Notify: ICO and affected parties where required. Review: Update policies to prevent recurrence. 7. Individual Rights Users may request: Access (Subject Access Requests – responded to within 30 days). Rectification of inaccurate data. Erasure (where no legal basis for retention). Data Portability (for automated processing). Request Process: Email [DPO Email] with proof of identity. 8. Training & Compliance Annual GDPR training for all employees /volunteers. Privacy by Design: Mandatory for new projects/services. DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment): Required for high-risk processing (e.g., biometric data). 9. Policy Review Next Review: (Every 3 years or after legal changes).

Crossroads and Other Junctions spudOPEN 2026: CROSSROADS AND OTHER JUNCTIONS At every moment, we find ourselves at a crossroads — between choices, identities, places, and possibilities. Crossroads and Other Junctions invites artists to explore these charged points of meeting and transition: where paths intersect, diverge, collide, or quietly overlap. This theme is an open field. It might emerge through stories of migration, personal turning points, cultural exchange, or the layered histories embedded in a single place. It could be found in physical junctions — roads, borders, networks — or in the more intangible spaces between ideas, disciplines, or states of being. We’re looking for work that lingers in these in-between moments, that questions direction, or embraces uncertainty. Whether your practice maps a clear route or resists resolution altogether, this is a space to reflect on what it means to stand at a point of connection — and to decide, or not decide, what comes next. There are two prizes – £500 for the Open Winner and £200 for the Public Choice. Sponsored again by the New Forest National Park Authority. Submitted work can be in any medium (Painting, Textiles, Photography, Print, Text based work, Jewellery, Video, Sculpture, Ceramics, Mixed Media, Poems, illustrations, sound etc.) There is a size limit for each work - maximum scale 100cm x 100cm x 100cm. Work exceeding this will be sadly rejected. Applications are to be made online and the panel will be making its selection digitally. Successful applications will be included in a group show to be held in our celebrated gallery over December/January 2026/27, with a gala public opening and the opportunity to win ‘Best in Show’. The very popular ‘Public Choice award’ will be voted on throughout the show and announced at the end of the exhibition in January. This is all made possible by our sponsor again this year, The New Forest National Parks Authority. You can make up to three applications through our online portal @spud.org.uk. Deadline for us to receive your applications is September 25th at Midnight. A successful application will be notified via email by Friday 30th Oct. If you have not heard by this date, then you can assume that you have not been successful on this occasion. Successful applicants will need to drop off or send work to arrive at SPUD between 23rd or 25th November 2026 (10am-4pm) and collect it between 13th - 15th January 2027 (10am-4pm). Rejections No one is rejected from our Open, we just can’t select everyone. Even if you do not make it into the final exhibition, you have been an important part of defining the discussions and emerging themes of the show, and your work has been seen by an important art panel. We do want you to feel that all can enter and be part of the SPUD family. To enter please complete the simple form below: Complete title of work, size of work and primary materials e.g. acrylic on canvas Fill out the description of your work, you have 30-words to tell us what the work conveys us or demonstrates. If the work is for sale, please include a suggested price including commission (SPUD commission is 20%). Leave blank if not. Upload up to 2 images of the work using the entry form only - a png or jpg will work (max 10mb) If you are submitting a film or similar other, you can use the URL box on the entry form to submit a link to a video file, including YouTube, Vimeo etc. You will be requested to pay the fee of £10 per entry. Entry charge is per piece of work - maximum 3 pieces of work. Any entries not paid for will not be accepted. Please submit separate forms for each submitted piece of work. You may submit 3 times in total.

The New Forest National Park Artist in Residence Click on the button below to go to New Forest National Park Residencies homepage: New Forest National Park Residencies Homepage Alex Julyan - Residency and Exhibition About the artist My work is sometimes difficult to categorise. It isn’t made from one material and doesn’t conform to traditional artistic categories. Put simply, I don’t have one way of going about things. My own curiosity and history, the environments I work in, and the people and materials I encounter determine what each work will be. Playfulness and absurdity lie just beneath the surface of my work, by highlighting the ridiculous I simply illuminate what’s already all around us. I invite people to pause and reflect on their relationship to the world they inhabit and shape opportunities for them to realise their own creative impulses. I see art as part of society and life not separate from it. Creating moments of surprise and intrigue in the New Forest will be my focus for this residency. I’ll be guided by experts in finding locations for the project, which will be shaped by the knowledge and skills of those I meet along the way. During your visit to the forest you might encounter a structure, a performance, an activity or a character. Or maybe something neither of us have yet envisaged. How will our interactions with nature be in this moment and what kinds of new connections will be made? Alex will be working with and supporting artist Ben Adamson in a mentoring role during her residency. To find out more about Ben go to: Ben Adamson Alex Julyan Blog October 2023 My work isn’t made with signature materials, or by a particular method. Instead, each project is directed by an intention to draw on diverse ideas, histories and experiences, and to pull these threads towards a central point. Playfulness, absurdity and chance hold a significant place in the process, as do the skills and knowledge of the people I encounter. Art isn’t exact science, its edges are permeable and shifting, and it’s always contingent on the circumstances in which it's made. In Preparation It’s customary to make lists when moving from one place to another. List-making serves a practical purpose as well as a ritualistic one. In addition to items of practicality and comfort, the packing list is an inventory of imagining and hope. I leave the city in which I am one of 9 million inhabitants and in just over 2 hours the imagined forest becomes a reality. There’s no seismic shift or atmospheric adjustment on touchdown, perhaps because the list was thoroughly made and this time long anticipated. I’ve arrived without a plan – or more precisely - with a deliberate non-agenda. My intention is to attune myself to forest life, let the days unfold and see what emerges from a month of immersion. Resident artists are invited in their capacity as outsiders to look in on the forest: it’s history, ecologies, people and governance, and to find creative paths through it. My time here is part of a creative continuum, one in which the before-and-after is as important as the time spent here. If my no-plan goes to plan I’ll navigate blind alleys, stumble and trip, and re-arrange some creative habits and thoughts. Creative work can be a solitary pursuit, though sometimes it’s a collaboration between experts and strangers. This looks to me like a rubik’s cube of people, places and conversations. Peregrinations As a committed non-driver getting around is my first creative challenge, but legs are wonderful things and I have a pair, so walking and cycling is the name of the game. I think of Wordsworth and his alleged 175,000 miles of walking. As he so eloquently demonstrated, getting about by leg and foot sets a particular pace and perspective, a way of engaging at close quarters with texture, colour, sound, atmosphere, weather, ecologies, histories, people and scales. Getting lost is an essential skill. The American pioneer and folk hero Daniel Boone famously once said: "I can't say I was ever lost, but I was once bewildered for about 3 days”. In these times of Google Maps and Earth we are encouraged to imagine that being lost is a form of stupidity or close to a catastrophe. I’m a stranger in the forest and a paper map and compass are serving me well. I’m lost just enough and not too much. I meet people who are as lost as I am and an array of helpful folk who give directions that span a wide spectrum of accuracies. Once lost, I toggle between imagining I’m a boy scout who deftly reads the signs (moss on the north side of the tree, low sun in the west, ant nests in the south) and allowing myself to disengage from the need to know where I’m going. This approach is only possible when you know that a road / train station / cappuccino is only a few miles away and the Rocky Mountains much further. Nevertheless, it’s a liberation which forces me to concentrate on where I am and not where I’m going. Stopping to look around, to stare at the sky, the ground and the map, and connecting it all together before deciding that I’m still lost is surely a wonderful state of being. Majesty In this year of the Coronation the term Majesty will elicit a wide range of opinions, but who could disagree that the Scots Pines towering skywards up to 30 metres and with such a regal posture are the essence of majesty. These hardy, straight-standing trees may not have the reputation of the ancient oaks or beech, but for me there is a compelling sense of drama and beauty about them. On days when the sun and rain alternate and the trees glisten with raindrops, the pines take on a theatrical presence. Their sweeping branches filter shafts of ethereal sunlight onto the needled forest floor and the overall effect mimics a painted backdrop in front of which wolves might lope, or fairies cavort. I’ve tried so many times to comprehend their scale, I want to hold the image of them, or rather the image of me in relation to them in my mind’s eye and take it back to the city. They are the closest thing I can find to a tall building in the forest. Outside in The layers and layers and lifetimes of knowledge that reside here constantly underline the parallels as well as the differences between the city and forest. There’s so much complexity that my outsider status becomes more, not less apparent with each passing day. The more I discover the less I know. Visiting the New Forest Archive in Lyndhurst is another way to experience the slippery nature of this place and how it’s shaped by people as much as nature. An accommodating archivist pulls the lid from a box where a ventriloquist’s dummy cheekily reclines on a bed of wadding, his mouth is agape, but he has little to say for himself as to why he is here. I leaf through a collection of scrapbooks dated 1966-88. Their pulpy, coloured pages disclose a wealth of newspaper cuttings, carefully collated and pasted-in by Councillor Deardon - an upstanding, but seemingly agitated man (judging by his choice of snippets). Headlines such as ‘Forest a vast Butlins’, ‘Confidence breach rouses anger’, ‘Thin end of the wedge’ and ‘We will be a laughing stock’ hint at the local (and journalistic) concerns that the forest was going to hell in a handcart. These articles plot dissent and disgust on a range of forest issues, some of which continue to occupy the pages of the local papers. But what these articles really chart is the eternal conflict between man and nature, conservation and change. Grand Designs Article 25 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognises the right to adequate housing, but we all know that for many this does not manifest as a reality. In these tumultuous times I’ve been thinking about the nature of shelter, of fixed abodes and territorial claims. Once, gypsy Benders formed part of the forest landscape. These temporary shelters made from hazel branches and cloth were the ultimate modular home: a vernacular kind of architecture that could be erected, dismantled and re-erected according to circumstance. Now the forest is peppered with uninhabited makeshift dens constructed not from a primal need for shelter, but a desire to play and create. As I walk or cycle I catch these structures in my peripheral vision, I’m surprised by their number and intrigued by the range of typologies and construction methods. Some are barely finished, assembled in haste using the ‘leaning’ method. Others, constructed over months or even years demonstrate an ambitious balancing and weaving of logs, branches and sticks. They remind me of the cardinals’ hats that hang in different states of decay in Toledo’s great cathedral, each one symbolising a person and set of intentions which nature ultimately reclaims. My accommodation boasts a fair-sized TV. On my second night of channel surfing I alight on Grand Designs with its jaunty architect-presenter: Kevin McLoud. He extolls the virtues of vision, teamwork and sustainability. Isn’t this the very essence of den building? Good effort A pile of borrowed wood sits on the pavement outside the New Forest Heritage Centre. With the permission of their director, I’ve decided to invite some spontaneous construction around 2 metal bollards. The results have the intentionality of a den, without ever becoming one. Veteran den builders, enthusiasts, reluctant-retired boy scouts, a nuclear power coordinator, a physiotherapist, dog club members, dolls house collectors and a chemistry professor construct and dismantle a variety of thickety structures over 4 days. A passing employee for Ordinance Survey observes that this disruptive building approach is much needed in the corporate world she inhabits. Children are the dominant and intuitive builders, often instructing, negotiating and narrating as they progress. Each contributor works to a vision or memory that resides in their mind’s eye and those are ultimately the dens that they make. Beasts My father-in-law apparently once owned a pig called Homer and taught him tricks. I’m not sure that the New Forest porkers are so compliant, this is Pannage season and they have an abundance of acorns on their minds. Sadly, my only encounter with these contented swine is a glimpse from the top deck of the number 6 bus as it hurtles along the Lyndhurst Road. It’s impossible if you come from the city, not to be seduced by the pigs, ponies and donkeys, especially when you find them loping along village streets and setting the rush-hour pace. Someone tells me a horse entered the Tesco in Brockenhurst as its automatic doors opened to signal bargains within. Of course, anywhere where animals have adapted to human environments and habits is a cause for concern, and as the clocks go back the discord between our world and theirs is amplified, the next few months will be a perilous time for the ponies. Into the woods As a novice den-builder and city-dweller I’ve neither the experience or technique that many of you honed in your woodland youths. Luckily, I’m an artist whose stock-in-trade is the manipulation of found and familiar materials and in that respect I’m in my element. A well-chosen site, a plentiful stock of wood, focus and application are the essential elements of den building. I discover that a happy accident is as valuable as a considered move. The material play of the wood for example - the pliability of holly and hazel, the snapping beech and rotted pine all come into play, as does the discrepancy between vision and reality. I’m drawn to the idea of the den as construction within my reach. It’s the most basic form of architecture, an emergency shelter or playful hideout. The hours I spend obsessively gathering and making in sun, wind and rain result in a woven structure in a forest glade. It’s nowhere near reached my ambitions for it, but by the den rule-book it’s a good first attempt that I gift to passers-by and nature to progress its course. ©AlexJulyan2023

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