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Smardale Gill- Art Installation

STOP PRESS: SMARDALE ARTWORK ON DISPLAY AT KENDAL MUSEUM JAN 2025

Photograph of 8 voiles hanging on frame

Smardale Gill and its railway viaduct in Cumbria are inextricably linked to my family history. It is now impossible to imagine the rumble  of a train through this wild landscape, but my installation explored this history referencing archival text ( 1860-1900) as a narrative. Using photographs taken whilst walking the old rail line across the four seasons, I utilised the sublimation printing process to transfer the images and text to translucent voile sheets. The voile images were then taken back to their home in Smardale Gill and photographed coming alive in the never ending breeze in the valley.

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Merchandise

The work is inspired by my original artwork and all produced in the UK by local suppliers. Please contact me to purchase- jillbrownart@btinternet.com or 077911 75758 or they are available from The Hub in Appleby, Cumbria.

3 t towels in black & white on washing line

New artwork for a tea-towel created on panama cotton designed by me and printed in the UK. £12.50 excl postage

9cm coasters x4 representing Smardale Gill

9cm coasters using my images from walking the railway. Printed in the UK.

 £15 for 4 excl postage.

3 lampshades of Smardale Gill on bobbin bases

30cm drum lampshade incorporating images from the Smardale walk together with  vintage timetable. Printed in the UK on panama cotton and then each shade is handmade by myself. £65 each excl postage . Bobbin base can also be made available to purchase.

china mugs x3 of Smardale Gill images

9oz china mugs following the railway theme. Printed in the UK.

£13 each excl postage

I get so obsessed taking my work back to the environment and seeing what happens. Here are the voiles in the water!

voile extract of railway timetable in water
railway voile floating in water
voile extract in water
voile dancing in water
abstract image of timetable in water
voile 2 moving in water
8 voiles hanging on frame in gallery
Voile display on frames
Hanging voiles lit by natural light in gallery

A series of 8 translucent voile sheets measuring 75 cm x 120 cm drop sublimated with images and archival text, exploring the narrative of this old redundant railway line.

Photograph of voiles blowing in wind thru tunnel
Photograph of voile in calm river

A separate 32 page A5 book has also been published to support the work as well as an A6 folded leaflet. Both are available to purchase, a percentage of the profits are donated to the Northern Viaduct Trust Charity. Extracts below.

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