Succour

Abstract

Succour was a solo touring exhibition commissioned by Ruthin Craft Centre in North Wales. The work produced for the show continued my interest in the figure as an embodiment of emotional tension or uncertainty, with reference to Christian themes and imagery. It was also the result of a period of experimentation with different production methods, in particular, the application to the human figure of decorative motifs and forms. My interest here was in how the application of decorative motifs to the figure created a metaphorical relation between the two, promoting the cross-fertilization of associations between them. For example, with 'Falling Slowly', the mood of the figure is affected by the fact that the traditional blue and white ceramic decal flower print runs across the torso, the arms and the plinth, creating a feeling of movement away from the body. A sense of loss results: a loss of the body to the plinth, the submission of form to surface, with the sense of movement reinforced by the surrendering form of the hand.

An accompanying catalogue was produced by Ruthin Craft Centre, containing essays by Amanda Fielding, curator of the Crafts Council Collection, and by the writer and curator Timothy Wilcox. It was on the strength of this exhibition that Alex McErlain, at Manchester Metropolitan University, approached me to make a documentary on my work. The resulting DVD was short-listed for the 5th International Film Festival on Clay and Glass, France 2006 (www.fifav.fr).

After the Ruthin Craft Centre, the exhibition moved on to Leicester City Gallery, the Mission Gallery Swansea, and the Harley Gallery, Welbeck, Nottinghamshire.