Artist Talk - Sam Aspden

Sam is our Collaborative Arts Practice module leader, who is currently completing their PhD research, which has taken six years at Loughborough University. The research began as a student project for the UNESCO Global Geoparks project. Sam dyed costumes for a geological conference using plant dyes sourced from the local landscape. This started her exploration of using locally sourced materials and designing a project that involved being outside of the landscape as much as possible.

Sam's research involves mapping the landscape's locations, geology, and history through plant dyes. She gathered plants from different locations and used their natural colors to create a map that could be used to tell the story of the area. Sam worked closely with the local community, involving them in every stage of the project, to ensure that the information presented was accurate and meaningful to them.

The project involved walking in different locations, gathering plants, holding workshops, and running community events. After surveying various sites, two locations were chosen - Cockington Court and Tamar Trails, in the Tamar Valley. Sam used Ordinance Survey maps and her own walking maps to forage for plants sustainably, following the countryside code and taking only what was abundant and available in season. Sam mentioned that this was a cyclical process, relying on the seasons and natural abundance of harvest.

The plants were boiled, salt was added, and fabric was dyed. Sam built colour comparisons from samples taken from different sites and linked the landscape directly to its history. The maps created were abstract enough to be interesting and beautiful but accurate enough for the area to be recognisable.

Community participation was fundamental to Sam's PhD study. She involved the community in foraging walks, map planning, dying, weekend stitching map events, and feedback/qualitative data collection. The community also submitted stories, histories, and narratives that Sam used to create QR codes for each part of the map. These codes allowed people to discover more about the history and heritage stories of each location.

Sam worked with stakeholders, councils, landowners, organisers, the Cornish Mining Association, UNESCO, and others to gain insights and permissions for the project. She became a Global Geoparks ambassador artist and offered their methodology for others to use in their work.

As an artist who is fascinated by natural processes and community-involved projects, I found this talk really inspirational. It has opened my eyes to new materials I can use and the meanings and discussions they can open up.