litha
ARTIST
LITHA is an invitation to consider, observe and feel the sun. In LITHA, the source of light [the sun] is isolated from that which is lit [the environment]. The light itself becomes the focal point when everything else is removed. The outer skin of LITHA is designed based on the rituals, ceremonies and folklore practiced at midsummer, drawing from research into both ancient and contemporary imagery and interpretations of our relationship with the sun.
blecca-lea
DIRECTOR
BLECCA–LEA was a year long public art commission in The Brunel Centre, Bletchley which took form as an ever evolving exhibition and project space. Inviting communities of Bletchley, Fenny Stratford and beyond to visit, experience, play and reflect on a series of commissions by women artists. Over the course of 2023, we welcomed over 2,500 visitors into the space, employed 13 vulnerable young people, commisioned 10 local/ international artists, and supported 8 group and solo exhibitions.
TRANSTIONAL BELONGING
ARTIST
A project commissioned by MK Gallery, working with care leavers to explore the meaning behind quilts as textile objects which can offer us comfort, a sense of safety and a connection to home when that home does not exist or we have been displaced. An exploration of alternative ways of engagement concluding in a public exhibition.
REDWAYS/COLOURWAYS
LEAD ARTIST
Commissioned by Milton Keynes Council, Redways/Colourways documented the colour palette of natural dyes that can be made from plants growing along the Redways network. Exploring how plant dyes can connect people to places, Redways/Colourways was a series of 12 free public walks and workshops concluding in a public exhibition.
HOW WE LIVE NOW
CONTRIBUTING ARTIST
A free installation on the Barbican’s Level G featuring rare films, drawings, photos and architectural models from the Matrix archive, presenting the co-operative’s use of radical participatory and collaborative methods across a range of projects and programmes alongside more recent examples of feminist design practices. The installation has been designed by feminist collective Edit and built in collaboration with Elouise Farley, founder of the Lady Wood project which describes itself as aiming to “teach and encourage womxn in woodwork”. The wooden structure incorporates a curtain designed by Rachel Jones-Jones and Ciara Callaghan, fabricated by Cawley Studio, which is dyed using a site-specific colour palette based on plants in the Barbican’s gardens
AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY
CURATOR
Against the run of play draws together a series of commissions hosted by Blecca-Lea over 2023 in which women artists created work with a focus on football. The resulting works focused on different elements; the ownership of football grounds, ownership of the game, an exploration into the spoken and unspoken rules and boundaries of football and how the language used around football can evoke a feeling of oneness and unity.
Featuring works by Kirsten Allen, Katherine Green and Elsie Bryant x MK Internazionale.