Artists Commissioned by Exeter’s Window Arts Project Brighten the City Centre

The work of two Devon-based artists, Naomi Hart and Positive Light Projects can be found in the rear windows of Debenhams in Exeter’s Princesshay until mid-April 2024.

The project, called Exeter’s Window Arts, was launched in August 2023 and was commissioned as part of Exeter’s Cultural Compact funded by Arts Council England.

Led by the Arts & Events Team at Exeter City Council, working with Liveable Exeter and Exeter Culture, the project has been delivered to amplify Exeter’s status as a Cultural Compact.

Exeter’s Window Arts has unlocked opportunities to those working in the cultural sector and to members of the public from diverse backgrounds. It demonstrates the important role that culture can play to create attractive, prosperous and stronger communities, where people want to live, work, visit and be active.

Pelican Portraits

Positive Light Projects have worked with The Pelican Project to create a series of portraits of the Pelicans, with the Pelicans to celebrate the diversity and personality of the group.

Using their brand new accessible darkroom at Positive Light Projects they have been working with the Pelicans to capture photographic portraits in a custom built 8x10” large format camera, designed to be operated by people with diverse physical and mental abilities with a focus on engagement and inclusion. They have then printed these portraits and using various approaches, including collage, painting and screen printing, and have been working into the prints, bringing them to life with colour, humour, and variety, allowing the group to guide and lead the process. 

The final artworks can be found in the rear window of Debenhams. The aim of the artwork is to challenge the preconceptions of what a photographer and artist is and can be, and to create a series of portraits of people rarely given a platform to be seen from publicly.

About Positive Light Projects
Positive Light Projects is a not-for-profit organisation using the visual arts to engage and inspire a diverse range of audiences and communities as well as developing emerging practitioners and aiding them move their practise forward in exciting and innovative ways. We have a focus on and strong belief in community based, socially engaged creative practise. We enhance people’s wellbeing and skills by offering engaging, collaborative, participatory, immersive and high quality practical creative opportunities, enabling people to take part and have a go at exciting activities. 

About the Pelican Project
The Pelican Project is a group of young people with learning-disablities from across Devon. They are at the centre of a collective that includes community organisations, teachers, creators, students, carers and families. Together they collaborate with partners from across our region. They aim to help each other thrive, to make a positive impact on their communities and to make sure the learning-disabled community belongs.

Seabed

SeaBed is a bedspread about the bed of the sea. It is a collaboration between scientists, refugees and artists and was made in Exeter entirely from salvaged and donated fabric.

This worm-made-of-rags depicts the ragworm, Hediste diversicolor, a common UK species of benthic worm. It lives in the mud under the sea and is an important species in marine ecology.

The border illustrations show many other species of benthic invertebrate, which are being studied by scientists from The University of Exeter as part of the Convex Seascape Survey. Their research is looking at how these benthic invertebrates cycle nutrients and store carbon, and how they may affect climate change. The Convex Seascape Survey is a five-year, pioneering global research project that will generate the critical data and insight on how to manage the ocean sustainably to maximise its carbon storage capabilities and Naomi has been working with them as artist in residence for the last year. 

The embroidered pieces have been created here in Exeter by refugees and asylum-seekers, some of the people who are often most affected by climate change. People of different ages: young boys who had never sewn before, through grandmothers and mothers with their babies. They came from many different countries and spoke many languages, but with the help of images, we discussed these marine invertebrates and they embroidered them onto the fabric during several workshops.

By hand forming the benthic ecosystem in sections, a human community recreates an underwater community, and we can learn more about ‘the world in our hands’. Sustainable methods and materials not only minimise the carbon footprint of the artwork, but demonstrate the possibilities we have of making active choices in our lives to protect and conserve the ocean.

SeaBed was commissioned by Exeter City Council as part of Exeter’s Cultural Compact funded by Arts Council England. Naomi is extremely grateful to Exeter Culture, Refugee Support Devon, Devon Ukrainian Association, Devon Development Education (DDE), Scrapstore, Princesshay, Maketank, St Thomas Freecycle, Exeter Quilters, ExeterMarine, The Convex Seascape Survey, all those who helped and gave advice, and all the participants:

Alla, Amina, Tehmina, Florence, Ramatu, Isatu, Yohebeth, Angel, Rabi, Gony, Hirasami, Ledion, Mudira, Jensy, Nadia, Anila, Mabel, Diana, Olya, Ross, Stiven, Ivana, Raya, Zahra, Arsen, Salgai, Suno, Ansh, Adi, Katherine, Hassim and Daniel.

For more information about the work and the research, see:

https://naomi-hart.com/work/seabed/
https://convexseascapesurvey.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@ConvexSeascapeSurvey_ 

About Naomi Hart
Naomi's work is about time, elements and journeys. Using many different media to investigate the world, her work is informed by direct observation from nature, both on land and underwater.

Naomi is currently artist in residence with the Convex Seascape Survey, working with ExeterMarine looking at benthic ecology and blue carbon.

Naomi was Leverhulme artist in residence, working with glaciologists at the University of Sheffield and the University of Norway in Svalbard. She is a research associate at the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter and a Member of the PLACE Collective; part of the Centre for National Parks & Protected Areas in the UK.

Naomi often collaborates with scientists and researchers, including marine biologists, social scientists, glaciologists and geographers, and has looked at issues around conservation, climate change, ocean plastic pollution, and migration.

She has exhibited and created site-specific work in the UK and abroad, and has produced large-scale, socially engaged commissions for the public and private sectors, including The Crown Estate. 

She has work in the permanent collections of the National Museum of Scotland and Exeter Cathedral, and has exhibited and given talks at the Royal Geographical Society in London.