Pru is the first to contribute as guest blogger on Wiltshire Council's Arts website http://theartsinwiltshire.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/guest-blog-prudence-maltby-introduces-us-to-cicatrix-scar-of-a-healed-wound/
Cicatrix is the name of the arts collaboration project that I’m currently curating. Our title means ‘scar of a healed wound’ and is a mouthful of a word – saying a whole lot about the work we’re preparing for the exhibition tour. I’m producing a series of drawings which will be presented like whispered conversations; Henny Burnett will show sculptural installations with ethereal qualities reminiscent of old monuments; and Susan Francis a characteristically enigmatic film capturing hidden parts of Salisbury Plain, and conveying the mood of this terrain with all its marks.We decided to get together in early 2013; three artists living on the fringes of the Plain.
I’d had the pleasure of commissioning work produced by Henny & Susan before, and really looked forward to developing a visual language to mark the WW1 centenary, as supported by the IWM. Being an admirer of their installation and film making I was keen to get started. My exploratory drawing, which I began taking seriously following my involvement with soldiers on another project called Other Worlds, I refer to as my ‘scar drawings’. I use graphite and raw pigment (like the chalk on the Wiltshire landscape) and focus on marks; not only the physical, but those of the invisible mantle laid heavily on the human psyche. My work compliments Henny’s and Susan’s fascination with mapping, the creation of memorials and the secrets of the land captured timelessly on video. The culmination of these three elements is what makes Cicatrix, our exhibition.
The three of us are really concerned with the levels of scarring and the relevance of what is obvious and what is not. As with an archaeological process we’re chipping away, searching beyond the fall out of conflict and seeing the marks left behind – on a landscape – on humanity. (Two of us have directly experienced living with war …) We were granted an award by ACE in late summer and have been working towards the show ever since, honing our skills with different interpretations of the same subject matter. The nature of our interests has made us all gatherers of memorabilia. Our search for related objects and material has more often than not led to unexpected and interesting sources: so much so that a cabinet of curiosities will provide an element of the work itself. (During my own research I came across memorials to WW1 soldiers made by my letter cutter grandfather, Joseph Cribb with Eric Gill).
Our explorations and voyages of discovery have taken us to different corners of the Plain, a lecture to hear Kate Adie, MOD establishments, museum archives, meetings with war veterans et al. As three women on a mission we’ve learned a lot, and filled out many forms, and dealt with the inevitable frustrations regarding the limitations of public access to land controlled by the Armed Forces. Such restrictions have necessitated in us thinking ‘out of the box’ and we’ve had to come up with ways to remain expressive yet respectful of the giant job that is achieved by the Army. Last weekend I accompanied Susan to the Plain. I recorded her taking film and stills of isolated buildings, iconic red flags and uninhabited training camps; (well the perimeters, anyway). When the sun faded in the wintry afternoon we felt vulnerable to the wind and rain on such a vast inhospitable landscape. A humbling and exhilarating experience.The previous week Henny and I went to Swindon to the home of BBC Wiltshire. We became sandwiched between a talented cook and a musical band and spoke to broadcaster Sue Davies about Cicatrix and our commitment to the project. Recently I’ve begun ‘stalking’ the BBC History correspondent, Dan Snow…it’s a long shot!
We’re all managing a lot besides producing our own work; Henny teaches in London and operates a Salisbury gallery; Susan runs a large family and holds school workshops and I’m juggling too…working in my studio planning another exciting curatorial position in the pipeline. Henny, Susan and I are all undertaking the management of the various social media sites required to increase our Cicatrix profile within the county and beyond: a challenging task…trying to maintain a rhythm for the actual work, and sustain a constant level of interest to take the project forward.For me, this collaboration has offered a variety of avenues to review my own work and practice. In working so closely with the two artists I’ve admired from a distance in the past; I’m privileged to work with these inspiring women, at such an interesting time, exploring our interests through the visual arts to mark the WW1 centenary. Prudence Maltby March 2014