Above : Below

Sarah Waters

SARAH WATERS – ABOVE: BELOW

14 September – 6 November 2022

” I have been observing what is above and below the ground…the layers of particles and objects under our feet. Influenced by Joseph Beuys and Magdalena Abakanowicz I am experimenting with, and developing 2 and 3D installations with threads, fibres and wool. As a feltmaker I am passionate about using British Wool and am passionate about supporting local farmers and knowing the provenance of my materials. Each and every breed have different textures and characteristics. The wool trade is an important part of our history and I want to showcase how everyone can easily embrace the use of such a versatile, sustainable and renewable material. Fibres and wool have long been a part of my life, first as a child learning to spin, weave and dye fleeces and then as a sheep farmer.
Feltmaking is a physical and emotional process as such work evolves over time with the alchemy of not quite knowing where or how it will turn out…a ‘Slow Art’ process. My pieces are stories in themselves, showing the beauty of the landscape in each and every fibre. Working with the raw fleece I never tire of the nuance of colour which produces a calming effect not only while I work but as final art piece. The exhibition ABOVE:BELOW at Farfield Mill aims to be reconnect the visitor with nature and show the emotion of the land through my artworks. “

Inside Outside I – Sarah Waters

Inside Outside – Sarah Waters

Inside Outside II – Sarah Waters

SARAH WATERS – Stone, Monoliths l-lV

Sarah takes her many of her inspirations from the world around her.

The ‘STONE’ installation embodies the textures and feelings of stone – from simple pure round shapes to the more complex stratification that is the very essence of the ground underneath us. The monoliths (standing stones or orthostats) are part of our UK heritage, covering the countryside from Cornwall to Stonehenge and up through the country to Ireland and the Orkneys. The legends and superstitions with Hagstones are still an important part of many lives, warding off bad spirits and keeping people safe.The idea for the ‘Stone’ exhibition started at the 2017 Knitting and Stitching shows, UK. It came about after Sarah had made some work for the beautiful Norman Romsey Abbey, in Hampshire, in response to the stone font. Visitors were fascinated and amazed that the finished pieces were felt and not stone. Sarah loved the way she was able to take soft wool and make it appear strong and solid like stone. Embracing British wool at its core Sarah pushes the boundaries with her work taking feltmaking in to the twenty first century.

Monolith I – Sarah Waters

Monolith II – Sarah Waters

Monolith III – Sarah Waters

Monolith IV – Sarah Waters

SARAH WATERS – Cross Section of a Woollen Fibre l-Vl

Wool

Wool and sheep have had a unique role in the history of civilisation and societies. Since sheep were domesticated in the Middle East approximately 9000 BC, man has relied on its unique properties. There is no other material like wool. Sarah Waters has gone back to the very essence of what we as a human race have relied on for centuries. Wool has been the common thread binding cultures. It was England’s first great industry and the nation’s largest source of income.

Sarah’s work focuses on the very structure of the make-up of a single woollen fibre –six cross-sections felted from a single Jacob fleece. Her love of sheep began as a schoolchild over thirty years ago with her own Jacob sheep. It is then no surprise that her wool fibre installation reflects her desire to connect back to nature and the importance of sustainability by using local fleece. The natural undyed colours incorporate knitting and woven wool, felted to link the three types of fabrics that exist.

These works are to be touched and walked on, just as people have done for thousands of years.

Cross Section of a Woollen Fibre l-Vl

Cross Section of a Woollen Fibre l-Vl

Cross Section of a Woollen Fibre l-Vl

Cross Section of a Woollen Fibre l-Vl

SARAH WATERS – Layers, 2022

The process

For the past several years Sarah Waters has been observing, researching the history and drawing the landscape and using her modern feltmaking techniques to embrace the textures of our landscape, both above and below the earth.
Texture and relief are important to Sarah and her recent work looks at the earth and strata of the land. She has created a wall piece that represents the vast space and layers of the earth below our feet, each compressed over time to produce a dynamic linear form; the very essence of the undiscovered from years of decay and decomposition. The lines and natural colours that naturally occur underground are unique and absorbing both to the mind and the eye.
Working with local British farmers Sarah sources fleeces to showcase the beauty and variety of woollen fibres within UK breeds of sheep.
Sarah washes all the fleeces by hand; cards the wool into many layers before adding hot water and soap to the fibres. Soap and water help open up the scales on the woollen fibres, allowing the process of agitation to produce a dense and firm felt. Sliced at angles these ‘layers’ are then reconstructed to show not only the beauty of the land but also the fibres.

Layers – Sarah Waters

Layers – Sarah Waters

Layers – Sarah Waters

SARAH WATERS – about

Sarah Waters is a contemporary feltmaker using ancient techniques to showcase the beauty and diversity of our British wool.  Working with local and sustainable fleeces where possible, she creates large scale wallhangings, installations and artworks, together with small items for the home. Felt is an ancient art for modern day living.

Sarah’s work is not only functional but has colour, texture and tactile qualities.  Using both traditional and innovative practices she aims to show the diversity and qualities feltmaking can be taken to and pushes the boundaries within her work.  Sarah is a very ‘hands on’ person and loves the tactile feel of felting. Each piece she produces is unique and Sarah loves that fact it can never be replicated. Sheep, wool and farming are in her blood and her current practice of felt artwork reflects her desire to connect with the land.

Sarah is excited to be exhibiting at Farfield Mill with her solo show entitled Above: Below. Her work is also touring across the UK with the group ArtTextiles:MadeinBritain and being shown currently Yunnan Minzu University, Beijing as part of the 12th From Lausanne to Beijing International FIBERART exhibition.  Sarah has also exhibited at the World Festival of Threads in 2018 with her large felt Stone solo gallery which was previously shown in London, Dublin and Harrogate as part of the Knitting and Stitching shows in 2017.

www.sarahwatersartist.com

Lithic Vessels – Sarah Waters

Substrata III – Sarah Waters

Felt Tiles – Sarah Waters

Felt Pods – Sarah Waters