It’s the Sample things…

Last weekend I attended a workshop at Tate Britain. It was one of a series of workshops run in conjunction with their latest exhibition – British Folk Art.

This is the first major exhibition of British folk art. What is British folk art? I’m not sure I’m any clearer after visiting the exhibition, but I would still recommend it to anyone with an interest in British history!

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The exhibition guide states that:

Folk art has often been neglected in the story of British art: by uncovering this treasure trove of folk art objects, this exhibition asks why.

Steeped in tradition and often created by self-taught artists and artisans, the often humble but always remarkable objects in the exhibition include everything from ships’ figureheads to quirky shop signs, Toby jugs to elaborately crafted quilts.

You will find an intricate sculpture of a cockerel, made out of mutton bones by French POWs during the Napoleonic wars. There is a larger-than-life-size figure of King Alfred made out of thatch. There are examples of the mysterious ‘god in a bottle’ – votive offerings suspended in bottles of clear liquid – as well as naive paintings, tin trays covered with ornate fragments of crockery and much more besides. The show exemplifies the energy, variety and idiosyncrasy of British Folk Art.

I really enjoyed it. There was a huge variety of objects, paintings, textiles to see. I particularly enjoyed seeing the needle paintings of Mary Linwood, the collages of George Smart, the unusual trade signs and huge carved figures from ships. I spent most of my time in the textiles room as there were some beautiful quilts, finished and unfinished. It’s a really unusual exhibition but I loved the fact there was no right or wrong object on display, just a selection of amazing objects made by normal people.

Alongside the exhibition I chose to attend a Collage workshop led by Ling Chiu. It was a really interesting workshop, the idea was to create a contemporary sampler using industrial and found materials from the home. From chicken wire to industrial tape, plastic shopping bags and wooden slats, the workshop aimed to find beauty in the discarded, and to transform the forgotten and mundane into a timeless classic.

I’m not sure I made a timeless classic but it was fun working with such unusual materials. All that weaving actually took me nearly 2 hours! I finished off my work with a makeshift frame and threaded some gold embroidery thread around the frame. My piece is currently in my kitchen window and adds some beautiful colour, especially when the sun is shining through the different colours.

I also managed to see the installation by Phyllida Barlow who makes large scale sculptural installations using inexpensive, everyday materials such as cardboard, fabric, timber, polystyrene, plaster, scrim and cement. I thought this went really well alongside the British folk art exhibition. I can’t pretend to know anything about contemporary art but it’s an interesting installation.