Arts & Place Dartington

Last week I attended the PV of the MA Arts & Place degree show at Dartington, primarily to see Rosie Baxter who had been to my studio a few times last year to experiment with porcelain and found objects.

I found it fascinating to hear her talk about the Templars Way which winds its way from Hay Tor on Dartmoor to Teignmouth enabling the quarries to get stone down to harbour and how it's still evident today. She found a 25kg rock in the old quarry, wove a bag from climbing ropes and took it to Teignmouth aided in part by the coracle she constructed which evidently was watertight and alarmingly speedy in the river current! A wonderful project combing art, craft and landscape.

I also wanted to see how Heather Matthew had spent her time at Dartington and how the many residencies she's been on had influenced her project which was made in her homeland of Australia at Pottsville. Her results were recorded as a book and video. The paintings behind are by Gavin Blench.