Janet Edmonds

Beyond Surface

An exhibition of new work will be shown  at Birdwood House, 44 High Street, Totnes from Monday 11th April 2011. The exhibition will include new work by Pat Clayton and myself, together with some collaborative pieces. the work explores the effects of nature’s rhythms on memory and surface.

My work is developing from the investigation into ideas about worn and weathered surfaces and the effects of time on memory. In particular I am considering how the information that we receive every day relates to time and the way in which we store, use, and reshape information and knowledge regardless of subject matter. I am using geology as a means of illustrating these ideas. The coastline of Britain provides a wealth of inspiration, especially those stretches where rocks and cliffs show the passage of time in the stratum and where stretches of sand display intricate patterns formed by the action of the sea. The very makeup of the rocks and the remains of sea creatures in the form of shells are so varied in their structure that there is a limitless supply of information to fuel my ideas.

Pat’s work is based on the detailed textures that result from the ebb and flow of the tide. Her work focuses on the disintegration, faded colour and eroded surfaces that imply longevity but are constantly changing with the movement of water over sand. New work reflects these qualities, creating book forms and wrapping cloths inspired by the interaction of the tide with the shoreline.

We are making some collaborative work as our inspiration is drawn from very similar sources although focus and content vary. We have both individually begun to make changes to the surface of cloth and at regular intervals have swopped the cloth to continue to work and add to each others pieces. For the first round we added onto the cloth and in the second we began with a metre of cloth and changed it by stitching, cutting and re-piecing but not taking away or adding more cloth. Finally, we used the resulting cloth to make a piece of work to reflect our own style of work. The third method was to swop a sketchbook backwards and forwards. As tides ebb and flow, so the collaborative work has ebbed and flowed between us and our individual work has been thus enriched.

Exhibitions