Drawing on the Domestic 2013. Site specific installation in sculpture and print, collaborative project with Amy Sterly. The Sidney Nolan Trust, Presteigne.

Inspired by the ancient magnitude and beauty of the Rodd farm buildings, two parallel house structures were created. Playing with the idea of the house as a place of refuge, we focused on the central role of the table within the domestic space.

Drawing on the Domestic, outside house
Drawing on the Domestic, outside house

An outside house structure was constructed from coppiced timber extracted from the Rodd wood. Working with a green woodworker, the timber was riven, constructed into panels and joined with pegs.

Frances and Amy riving the timber
Frances and Amy riving the timber
Peg detail
Peg detail

Within the house a table was set with small sculptures based on domestic objects made from ceramic and wax.

Drawing on the Domestic, outside table detail
Drawing on the Domestic, outside table detail
 
Objects for the table, ceramic, studio
Objects for the table, ceramic, studio
Stacked Cups, ceramic
Stacked Cups, ceramic
 
 
Saw, ceramic
Saw, ceramic

A parallel interior house was made with temporary alterations to a farm building. This house also contained a table with domestic objects; in this case the table was skeletal and covered with a paper tablecloth of translucent Japanese paper. The only light source was from beneath the table.

 
Drawing on the Domestic, inside house
Drawing on the Domestic, inside house

Printed with delicate linocut motifs the imagery explored the translation of the familiar to the unfamiliar, the real to the unreal.

Tablecloth
Tablecloth
Tablecloth image, Radio
Tablecloth image, Radio
Tablecloth image, Chair
Tablecloth image, Chair
Tablecloth image, Bowl
Tablecloth image, Bowl
Tablecloth image, Fish Servers
Tablecloth image, Fish Servers

In 2014 the coppice wood house was permanently sited in the wilderness garden at Cwm Weeg, Dolfor, Newtown. The tablecloth images were subsequently made into an artists’ book.

Final Site
Final Site
 
Drawing on the Domestic, artists’ book
Drawing on the Domestic, artists’ book

A residency supported by Arts Council England and the Sidney Nolan Trust.