ADVENTurous is an open submission exhibition exploring the christmas narrative, which we're staging in 3 UK venues during advent this year : at Engedi in Colwyn Bay, Leftbank in Leeds and the Union Chapel in Islington, London.

The work exhibited at Union Chapel will also be part of the one-day ‘ADVENTurous' conference, hosted by Greenbelt Festival and partners.

On this blog we'll be posting regular updates about how plans for the Leftbank Leeds show are progressing, with information about the contributing artists, and possibly some previews of the work being created for the exhibition...


Sunday, December 16, 2012

'Favour and Failure' by Lou Davis





Lou Davis lives in Edinburgh where she plays with bits of fabric and thread, making practical
items for the wardrobe and home as well as exploring the themes of life and divine presence,
inviting others to join creative journeys that expose the soul and form communities of
transformation.

The piece I've created for ADVENTurous is based on the story of Elizabeth.
When I read the brief it was her story I connected to immediately, and as I read the details
from Luke's account in the bible, I felt that connection even more strongly. Especially as I thought
of Elizabeth and Mary spending time together, their faithfulness and acceptance in contrast to
their men, and the pain which they had both been through and would know again in the future.
So many thoughts and feelings flowed from reading that account as they do for so many other
women, all with very different experiences. I wanted to collect some of those feelings, the joy
and the pain and bring them together in a comforting and supportive way. I wanted to reflect
the relationships women can have with one another and how they can share and support one
another. God was birthed in the heart of one of these supportive friendships, and I wanted to
explore whether God could be present when women share their experiences of sex, infertility
and pregnancy with one another.

I've collected together the experiences of dozens of women, either of infertility or pregnancy
and made a patchwork quilt of the results. I've included some snippets of Elizabeth's story too.
The result is deliberately a little bit messy because piecing together so many differing accounts
will never be neat and tidy but the stories become part of a whole and each individual is
supported and highlighted by the others.

Textiles
£350




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