A Blossoming of Ideas
By Clare Taylor
Whilst St Mary Magdalene undergoes extensive revitalisation works inside and out, various craftspeople, artists and storytellers are taking their time to add to this beautiful church’s ‘Reawakening’. I am one of those people. My name is Clare Taylor and I am a multi disciplinary artist. My brief is to create artwork inspired by St Mary Magdalene that is suitable for use by community groups within the church community.
To date, I have worked with diverse local groups and schools engaging them in art work inspired by and for St Mary Magdalene. We have focused upon the abundance of flora and fauna within the church itself and produced a range of handmade botanical paper, mixed media studies of flowers and a flock of birds.
Left to right: Handmade botanical paper made with the local GRT group; Dazzling floral designs created by pupils at Hope House School; Fabulous flock of birds made by St Mary Magdalene’s Youth Group
The work I am creating is textiles based and will result in a bespoke ‘Wendy house’ or fabric shelter adorned with vibrant and uplifting designs inspired by the church’s dazzling interior created with groups in the local community. In addition, there will be a series of sumptuous cushions, comforting blankets and a vibrant rug, once again decorated with designs based upon the stunning church of St Mary Magdalene.
Collaged botanical designs on hand made paper (left) inspired by the incredible stained glass windows of St Mary Magdalene (right)
The idea for the fabric shelter came from looking at shapes on the exterior of the building and the desire to create a playful yet calming, peaceful and comforting space for younger members of the community. The image below showing the south prospect of the church is a wonderful etching of the building from 1676. If you examine it, you will see where I have taken the idea for a simple and recognisable shelter shape from. In terms of research and development, the structure of the shelter is now completed after many trials with 3D printing connectors (huge thanks to the ingenuity of a dear friend) and is awaiting the construction of its first cover which will allow me to then work out where to place images developed from community participants.
I am now excited to start working on the fabric designs that will bring the shelter to life and will update you all again soon!
To find out more about Clare’s work, visit her website: https://busandbird.co.uk/
Left to right: Detail of an etching dated 1676 of the south prospect of St Mary Magdalene; Shelter structure awaiting its fabric cover