As one of the artists involved in the Arteology Residency at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre I will be helping run workshops on:

Saturday 28 October, 10am - 4pm.

I look forward to seeing you there!

“An accurate survey of the mannor of Fisherton Delameer in the County of Wilts belonging to his Grace Charles Duke of Bolton by Will Godson 1742”

A 20’ x 7’ map, with ledger documenting tenants and land usage. 628/7/MS

My work is based on experience of place so having studied the map at the archive and built up an image of the manor and what the lives of the tenants might have been like, I then decided to pay a visit. I thought of this as ‘A day out with Mr Ingrams’, one of the tenant farmers who had quite a number of properties and acreage scattered across the estate.

I prepared for the day by getting a modern OS map with Fisherton de la Mere at its centre. It shows the area is now dissected by the A36 but there is still much open down and farm land with drainage ditches in the valley floor connecting to the river.   There are 15 ancient sites marked on the map within a 2½ mile radius of Fisherton church.

On my first visit the River Wylye had burst its banks. The second time it was hot and dry. I collected material both physical and visual – a lump of chalk, trash from the roadside, photographs, notes, and rubbings from the church at Stockton. I have then worked in my studio, incorporating these, sometimes directly, on a series of drawings relating to my experience of the maps and my visits to the estate.

Art from the Archives

Exploring Ephermera- Sketched out

Young Gallery Salisbury

11 October – 1 November

‘Art from the Archives’ exhibition at Gallery One, Young Gallery, Salisbury Library, 11 October to 1 November 2014. This is an exhibition that has emerged through artists engaging with a collection of documents selected by staff at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.  From the 8 miles of shelves the 16 chosen objects showed the diversity of the knowledge and contents of the Centre. 

The artists have fully engaged with the object, showing real commitment and a highly personal response. Their exploration looks at the tension between history and the present; between the origin of meaning within the intention of the author and the power of the reader to unmake, redefine and interpret shapes and scratches of the past into something new that speaks to the living world.

The initial parameters for the project were a 2B pencil and a piece of paper no bigger than A5; no other material was to be used.  The submissions have been brought together as ‘The Semantic Archive’ artists’ book.  This is to be launched at the exhibition, and it can also be viewed digitally via issuu.com/juliesmithissuu.com/docs/semantic_archive.

The exhibition is an extension of the 2B pencil gatherings into pieces of work that reflect the artists’ discoveries via material that has been chosen to connect with each person’s chosen field.

The exhibition will be selected and curated by Peter Riley, Curator, Young Gallery, Peter Tyas, Manager, Arts and Archives, Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre and Julie Smith, Visual Lead, Artist, Art Lecturer at School of Art, Swindon College. This exhibition will enliven interest in the task of preserving historical records and their place/relevance in our world.  Not to be missed…

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Private view 2pm, Saturday 11 October.

Julie Smith

JulieSmith@swindon.ac.uk

flowilde@hotmail.com