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Tags: Archeology, Conservation, Books, Cornwall, Archives, History, Collections
Faye Dobinson is our new Artist in Residence
We are delighted to announce that Faye Dobinson is our new Artist in Residence. Her residency at Morrab Library is titled ‘Community Power Structure’, a phrase she borrowed from a book cover she spotted while visiting the library recently.
She says: “I was drawn to the cover of a book for its formal qualities – the colour, the typography, and the illustration. The 1953 cover will be the visual starting point for my residency.”
She adds, “I realised the title of ‘Community Power Structure’ contains three threads of interest that run through my art practice. These will act as both the activation point and the scaffold for the artwork that I make in my time at the library.”
Faye is a South East London born and West Cornwall based multi-disciplinary artist, activist and educator. She is an artist, curator, a Celebrant and also leads ‘Defining Practice,’ a yearlong practical based art mentoring course at The Newlyn Art School. She is passionate about art and creativity’s role in creating conversation, community, and heart led change. The relational aspect within her work has resulted in her exhibiting and teaching in Mongolia, exhibiting and working with artists in Tibet, helping open Europe’s first Contemporary Tibetan Art Gallery in East London, ‘The Sweet Tea House’ and saw her implementing ‘The Jupiter Project’, a space of possibility for artists and creative that was based at Jupiter Gallery in Newlyn and finished in April 2023.
She lives in Penzance, UK, with her daughter. We asked her when she first remembers coming to the Morrab Library and what her memories are of the library from that time.
“I first visited Morrab Library late 2019 when I moved into town after living in Phillack (Hayle) then Perranuthnoe for 12 years. I was astonished at the tangible peace, the active and alive stillness of the place. It vibrated with all the words and thoughts contained within it. I felt that Lisa and her staff had made a special place even more potent.”
Faye works in a range of disciplines including painting, drawing, printing, site-specific work and assemblage, and has travelled widely to meet other creative communities and look at the role of art in their lives. This socially engaged practice has run through her 25-year career, finding form in leading a wide range of creative projects in London with disaffected young people, working with children with emotional and behavioural problems, within her teaching and also in her own artistic output that asks questions of culture, power and love.
Faye says: “I will be using different artistic processes to let the space of the library unpack around me: the architectural space, the library as a container of meaning, as a space for the community and as a loved space, special to me and many others”.
We asked her why she wanted to be Artist in Residence at Morrab Library.
“I wanted to bring the different approaches of my artistic process to this wonderful building – to celebrate it through the act of tenderly paying attention.”
Faye has already begun creating artwork inspired by the library which you can have a look at on @communitypowerstructure. The first few pieces draw attention to some of the lesser spotted details of the rooms, such as the locks and escutcheons.
“Artist in Residencies create an opportunity for a place to influence and inspire an artist and for that artist to represent the place back to the community. It is a beautiful feedback loop!
I appreciate the very special space that it offers, the sense of community that it forges. My work is an active memorialising of this special community space: not in a solemn, static sense but, I hope, in a celebratory ‘alive’ sense.
I hope to bring a loving quality of attention to the details of the library – the idiosyncrasies and particulars that, for me, create a portrait of the place. I will be noticing what I notice and chronicling that. To me a place can be explored through myriad artistic processes and through that, different facets of the space can be revealed as it begins to unpack through the details of the sounds, smells and sights. I hope to help the often quiet and unseen be noticed and appreciated.”
We’re thrilled to be hosting Faye until November 2023 and you may spot her around the library over the course of the next few months, gathering inspiration and creating pieces. She will be exhibiting the work created during her residency in the library in January 2024.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CAR PARKING AT THE LIBRARY.
We need to share some important news about car parking over the next few weeks. The Honorary Health and Safety Officer, on behalf of the Trustees, has arranged for the external building to be painted and redecorated over the summer. This means that scaffolding will be erected around the entire building for the duration of the works.
As typical of works involving scaffolding, we do not have an exact date for the work commencing, but we have been informed that the scaffolding could be put up as early as the 23rd of June, but more likely the week beginning the 26th of June. Until it is up, we won’t know how much of an impact it will have on access to all of our parking spaces. Some may be restricted for the entirety of the project, but we do not know as yet.
We do know for now that the painters have recommended that while they are refurbishing each side of building’s front that parking be avoided for that period, to reduce the risk of your car getting a new coat of paint! We know the work to paint commences from 3rd July, but we do not have any indication of how long it will take to finish each of these sections. We will provide updates as we find out more.
The work is estimated to take up to two months in total before the scaffolding is subsequently removed.
Ideally, it would be very helpful if you could avoid parking at the library entirely during this period if possible, so we can ensure those who need it the most can be guaranteed access.
But at the least, may we recommend throughout this period that you phone ahead if you need a car park to access the library and we can inform you of the state of play on the day you require it.
We’re sorry we can’t be more definitive at this stage, and we hope to have more of a steer as the work commences, but we wanted you to know in advance of potential limitations and inconvenience the works may cause.
So please get in touch with any queries, and we will do our best to accommodate and support your visit. At the end of this, the library will be looking beautiful and refreshed! Thank you for your support, as always.
Best wishes from the library team and Trustees.
Help Us Create Our Penwith Futures Book
Over the past year you may have seen our Penwith Futures Book postcards and posters in the library and while you’re out and about. We really hope you’ve pinned them to your noticeboard, popped them on the fridge or tucked them inside your bedtime reading as bookmarks, but most of all we hope that you have been mulling over your ideas to contribute to the ‘Penwith Futures Book’.
We’ve received some brilliant submissions so far and lots of interest from members – thank you all – but if you haven’t sent anything in yet we would like to encourage you to put pen to paper and send us your ideas.
As a quick reminder, or a brief introduction for our new members, here is a bit of information about the book and answers to some of the questions you may have…
What is the Penwith Futures Book?
The Penwith Futures Book will be a compendium of your brightest ideas for the future of our local area. We would like you to imagine and then write down what a more environmentally friendly and socially just future could look like locally. We’ll put it all together into one big beautiful book for all to read.
What should I write?
There is no right answer. The entries we have received from people so far have been a personal representation of what really matters to them – reflecting on what they love about living in Penwith, the things they cherish about the landscape, our community and the history of this special corner of West Cornwall – as well as looking hard at some of the problems we’re facing due to the climate crisis.
They have shared their hope and visions for the future – including greater access to nature for all, Cornish lessons for school children, and plastic-free beaches – and given ideas to help steer us there too.
Do you have any examples of other people’s entries to help inspire us?
Here are a couple of excerpts from entries to give you some ideas:
“The rivers and ocean are sewage free thanks to strong government intervention and composting toilets are being installed in all new homes. Now wildlife and people can swim in peace. Several Tidal Power hubs float gently in the distance of Mount’s Bay generating enough clean electricity to power over 10,000 homes without pollution or waste. Windmills proudly stand in the Bay contributing to the
sustainable electricity supply.”
Rich Stever, Founder and Chair of the registered start-up charity, Earth’s Green Guardians (EGG) based in Cornwall, UK.
“How great would it be if Penwith could lead the way in teaching Cornish to an entire generation? To reclaim our forefathers’ language and give its gift to the youngest in our community for them, in turn, to pass on to subsequent generations. To watch the Cornish language flourish beyond the coasts and moors of Penwith.”
Kensa Broadhurst, PhD student.
How can I send in my ideas?
Your entry can be typed or hand written in any style. It could be in bullet points or rhyming couplets, in comic book frames or scribbled jottings, a typed paragraph or spider diagram. We want it to be representative of the people of Penwith, expressed naturally, so please be as creative as you like, adding illustrations, doodles, artwork, maps or photographs to help communicate your ideas.
We only ask that you keep your entries to under 400 words (or up to A4 size if submitting any artwork) and that you submit them by the end of April 2023 either by dropping them in to the library, posting them (Morrab Library, Morrab Gardens, Penzance, Cornwall TR18 4DA) or emailing them to harriet@morrablibrary.org.uk. Please include your name and contact information with your entry so we can chat to you about it.
What if I know some people who are not Morrab Library members but who might like to give their ideas for the book, can I share this with them?
Absolutely, yes!
Perhaps you’re a member of a local history society, or you’re part of a home-schooling group, a bunch of ramblers, a litter-picking tribe, a crocheting club or a choir. We’d love to hear from organisations too.
If you are part of a group that you think would like to share their ideas for the book, please encourage them to get in touch with Harriet (harriet@morrablibrary.org.uk) for more info.
You can also download our poster if you’d like to share it with friends and organisations locally or on social media to help us spread the word.