The project will make use of bricks left behind from the period when Sacred Earth was Horam Brickworks

Making Ground

Making Ground is an adventurous collaboration between craftspeople and the land. We believe that making is a fundamental human need. We want to take our making back to the source: the earth.

The project is a collaboration between ceramic artist Elaine Bolt and basket maker Annemarie O’Sullivan. Our partners include the University of Brighton and Fabrica. Making Ground will run over the course of a year. We aim to source all of our materials from Sacred Earth. As well as producing collaborative work we’ll be inviting the public, friends, early career makers, craft collectors and artists to join us through walks, picnics, and workshops on the land. We want to share our experience far and wide.

Harvesting willow at Sacred Earth

This project will focus on a sense of place, changing seasons, working together and how being closer to the source of our materials can affect our making. We’ll be investigating how a collaborative journey emerges and we’ll be involving other artists to enrich our collaborative process.

The plan

The project will run over the course of a calendar year and will involve various stages of research, development, collaboration, making, working with others and exhibiting the final outcomes. It will include:

47 days making and researching on site
7 days project management
6 workshops
3 days mentoring
2 days training
1 exhibition

The project will make extensive use of the abundant clay which can be found on the land at Sacred Earth

About the artists

Annemarie O’Sullivan is a basketmaker, working on small-scale domestic objects and large scale architectural installations. Using willow which she grows and harvests, Annemarie uses weaving and binding techniques, which have been used for hundreds of years.

Elaine Bolt is a maker working with ceramics. She completed an MA in Contemporary Craft (Ceramics) at UCA Farnham in 2012. Elaine’s current work includes hand-built ceramics combined with mixed media and found objects. She also makes hand thrown vessels in porcelain and terracotta.

Who else is involved?

We will be working with Rachel Henson – an artist working in the field of film and photography. She will help us capture and interpret our collaborative process and our interaction with the land. She will also be making flick books, which are offered as rewards in our crowdfunding campaign.

Additionally there is a core group of wonderful people already involved in harvesting the willow on the land. This project wouldn’t be happening if it wasn’t for them.

Making Ground Kickstarter campaign

Before Christmas Making Ground successfully raised £2,126 via Kickstarter to add to our successful Arts Council grant of £15,000. Thanks so much to everyone who supported us!

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