Ruins in Contemporary Landscape
February - July 2024 // Titchfield Abbey
Ruins in Contemporary Landscape is a collaborative art and heritage project centred around the English Heritage site Titchfield Abbey. The project culminated in a visual arts exhibition by members of Boiling Point Artist Collective and a series of public events and community engagement that occurred both prior to the exhibition and during. We worked closely with Titchfield Primary School to organise and facilitate a bespoke workshop with Year 4 pupils, to provide a creative element to their history projects on Titchfield Abbey.
This project was co-curated by myself and Signe Eliza Pook. Funded by Arts Council England, Arts Society Solent, and Cultural Associates Oxford, and supported by English Heritage.
The pupils spent the first part of the day at Titchfield Abbey, using drawing to respond directly to the striking forms and textures of the ruin. Following this, we tapped into our experiences of the abbey and used our drawings as references to engrave imagery into recyclable Tetra Pak plates. The pupils then learnt how to ink up their plates and use a traditional printing press to transfer their images onto paper.
The aim of this workshop was to encourage experimentation with a sustainable application of a printmaking technique that spans over 400 years. The workshop focused on how art can offer alternative ways to observe and engage with Titchfield Abbey, its current state as a ruin, its history, and its potential futures.
The outcomes of the workshop with Titchfield Primary School were displayed at Titchfield Abbey as part of the Ruins in Contemporary Landscape exhibition, which also featured new work from Boiling Point Artists.
