Felicity Bristow was delighted to be awarded a Making History Residency which took place in June 2024, funded by Historic Environment Scotland and Craft Scotland, and based at Arbroath Abbey and Hospitalfield in Arbroath, Angus. This exhibition brings together work developed during an intensive period of research and making, following a week-long residency between the historic grounds of Hospitalfield and the Scriptorium studio within the Arbroath Abbey site.<\/p>\n
The work on display has grown out of a layered process of material exploration, site-responsive research, and collaborative exchange. Drawing from time spent working in and around the Abbey and Hospitalfield and influenced by a series of six community workshops with Home-Start Angus\u2014a local group offering support to parents-to-be and those caring for pre-school children\u2014the process was as much about listening and observing as it was about making. Archival threads, shared stories, and hand-led experimentation all contribute to the textures and structures of the final pieces.<\/p>\n
These works explore the interweaving of place, care, and memory including a personal exploration of new grief \u2013 as at that point Felicity had lost her Mother 6 months previously in tragic circumstances. Felicity was gathering personal found \u2018fragments\u2019 from the past and present, mainly through collecting plant materials, exploring their journeys and physically folding them into contemporary book forms that speak of nurturing, resilience, and connection. This residency continues to influence the direction of her practice, rooted in the lived experiences of the Arbroath community.<\/p>\n