The experimental film, ‘Wellow’ (2020) dwells upon place, ancestry, mortality and religion, triggered by the redevelopment of the artist’s late Grandfather’s Baptist chapel in the rural village on the Isle of Wight.

Drawing upon T.S Eliot’s poem, ‘Four Quartets’ (1935-1942), correlations are made between the temporality of human life, the changing seasons and her ancestor’s connection to the local landscape. This autobiographical work considers the role of faith within her mother’s family and the generational differences in their religious practices and attitudes.

A sense of loss – of the building, of traditions, of heritage and of community is inherent, as the artist gathers and reflects upon the memories and artefacts that are left behind. The self-reflexive exchanges between the artist and her mother, recorded during the coronavirus outbreak, not only allows the recollection of past experience, as well as the forgotten aspects to emerge, but also reveals the construction of the filmmaking process itself.

Clayden Gallery - Monday – Sunday, 9am – 4pm