'Narrative Remains' - a word about the craft

Exhibition dates: Saturday 18 January - Sunday 23 March
Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey, TQ13 9AF

New Year often combines a sense of reflection with bold new beginnings. This is the idea behind ‘Narrative Remains’, the first show of the year at the Devon Guild’s Jubilee gallery in Bovey Tracey. Ten UK based artist-artist-makers have created striking, contemporary craft work imprinted with things left behind. Using stories from the past, snatches of words or scattered letters, the objects on show prompt visitors to read the ‘remains’ of ideas and thoughts emerging out of the clay, print and textiles.
You will find small scale - an alphabet soup of negative and positive lettering appears on 3-D printed paper bowls by Clare Goddard. Also outsize - the gallery hosts a walk-through, towering maze of over 2,000 books, where objects ‘destined to be destroyed are given a new life’. (Tina Hill, ‘Excavating Babel’.)
The idea of weaving words and threading thoughts is emphasized through textiles - Effie Jessop hand-embroiders portraits with tiny words, telling the story behind each face. Donna Rumble-Smith’s ‘Effluence’ pours hand-stitched text-messages out of glowing tubes.It shows how ‘Texts and emails are sent and received like water’ says Donna, ‘they ebb and flow’.
When the maker is a wordsmith too, we find playful work which challenges traditional ideas of craft. Singer-songwriter and artist Alex Valentine uses ‘Boggle’ wordplay to inspire his photographic poems (see right). With a mixture of thoughtfulness and fresh approaches to materials, visitors to this show will see how words can add meaning, decoration and fun – to making. (Free entry, open daily.)

Exhibitors: Sonja Andrew, Sue Brown, Clare Goddard, Tina Hill, Effie Jessop, Iris Milward, Jitka Palmer, Donna Rumble-Smith, Trudie Timlin-Brown, Alex Valentine and Aine Venables

Contact: Simon Williams simon.williams@crafts.org.uk / 01626 832223

Events: Launch, 17 January, 6-8pm. Wine, nibbles, dining. Opened by Kay Dunbar (Director, Ways With Words Festival) Book for evening dining: 01626 831959

Calligraphy workshop with Celia Lister, Saturday 8 March 10am - 4pm, Phoenix Hall, Bovey Tracey
Introduction to the tools and equipment used in lettering art. £50 (£45) including basic materials. Advance book 01626 832223

Shadow puppet making with The Clockwork Moth, Saturday 22 March 1- 4pm
Free drop-in workshop, make a puppet in the shape of a letter which will feature in a short film. No need to book.

Image Excavating Babel, Tina Hill

For more information visit http://www.crafts.org.uk/home.aspx