Jane Haselden

My work is a response to the environment around me. Living and working in an old farmhouse in the Orkney Islands, I am constantly exposed to both the natural world and the small island mentality of making use of the resources that are to hand. Many of the features of our home, were made from old fishing crates or timbers collected from the shoreline and when I moved to the Orkney Islands from Cornwall in 2019, I found that this need for resourcefulness gave me freedom, freedom to explore the world around me and to rely on my creative thinking. I spend time each day walking along different areas of coastline, absorbing the sights, smells and sounds of this wild and beautiful place, taking the time to notice what is below my feet, as well as the landscapes. There is a restorative, mindfulness to walking and gathering, that I hope to pass on through my work. I also work to preserve that initial wonder of a found object, when you glimpse something and pick it up - investigating its texture in your hand as well as its form and colour. An empty shell, a fragment of sea-worn pottery or a piece of bark washed up by the tide, can all be treasures and a link to the simplicity and delight of childhood discoveries. Sustainability is an important focus for my practice and I work predominantly with Phormium Tenax, which is grown widely across the islands here as a wind break. I help out other islanders when their plants start to get too big and strip the fibres from the excess leaves. It is a time consuming process, where I separate the fibres using a comb, dry them and then later soak and clean them. I use a wrap stitch, coil basketry technique to closely follow the form of the object and only put the object into place before working the last few rounds, to completely secure it.