The National Centre Presents
Torn: Grief in the Making
1 Feb - 2 March 2014

Each year The NCCD invites designers and makers, as individuals or groups, based in the East Midlands to apply for The National Centre Presents. If selected for this opportunity the artist or group benefit from a month long exhibition within the NCCD Roof Gallery curated in collaboration with the NCCD Exhibitions Officer. Along with this comes marketing and professional development for the selected applicant.

Torn: Grief in the Making by Paula Briggs explores grief in the modern age and by doing so seeks to celebrate life. Emotion and human reaction fascinate Briggs. She sees mourning and grief as a natural and necessary part of life which we should face rather than hide from.

In a major departure from her more commercial work, Briggs has created brand new work for this show which explores craft and hand-making as a therapeutic part of the grieving process, concentrating on the

Anglo Saxon custom of creating burial pots. Transformed into a dark, atmospheric space, the Roof Gallery will become a place for visitors to contemplate both the artwork and their own emotions.

 

 

COMING NEXT TO THE ROOF GALLERY

Black Sheep: 
The Darker Side of Felt
8 March - 11 May 2014

Felt is the most ancient constructed textile in the world and in its long and fascinating history it has been used for everything from military armour to housing, from cosy winter garments to conceptual art. This exhibition is an exploration of the edgier side of this extraordinary, versatile and often overlooked material, looking at artists who create sometimes disturbing and bizarre oddities and technically brilliant objects.

Exhibition Curator Laura Mabbutt says:
‘This exhibition's aim is to go some way to giving this unique and versatile medium the accolade that it deserves as well as highlighting the many contemporary applications of this ancient material beyond its stereotypical ‘fuzzy felt' reputation.'

Whilst in essence, the act of turning raw fleece into a matted sheet of felt can be simple enough for a small child to learn, this exhibition will present some exciting and sometimes surprising processes used by contemporary masters of the craft in producing innovative, technically brilliant and inspiring work. The exhibition includes a strong element of 3D work, moving away from the idea of textiles as a sheet material and highlighting the seamless construction that is achievable with felt.

Among the fabulous artwork on show will be teddy bear skulls and mutated organic forms by Stephanie Metz, seamless showstopping garments by Horst Couture, zoomorphic headwear by Barbara Keal and textured sculptures by Marjolein Dallinga.