For six months they feverishly researched Japanese folk traditions, focusing on the world of Yokai (ghost, spirits and demons), at the end of which Jo had painted several canvases featuring various Japanese mythical characters, Emma had made a variety of souvenirs, and Isobel had made Gyotaku prints of never seen before, mythical, spirit animals. From 26 November - 17 December 2022, they exhibited and sold the work made during their imaginary residency.
In 2023, the creative trio repeated this exercise but decided to focus their creative efforts closer to home. They invented an imaginary village
called Slynde and hosted a show entitled:
“Slynde: Tall tales from a Sussex Village.” The show included works of art developed during their “imaged residency in the lost village of Slynde.” See below for an excerpt from their press release:
In the 1970s a new reservoir was created in Sussex where an isolated village had existed since 60 AD. The village centered around a small abbey and had no gas, electricity or forms of communication and could be reached only by downland tracks. The last remaining inhabitants were persuaded to live elsewhere, and the area was flooded to make way for the
reservoir.
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