FREIGHTED WITH WONDERS

07 November 1998 - 31 January 1999
Wolsey Art Gallery

This exhibition brought together six important craftspeople working in this country along with an array of unfamiliar objects from the collection.

Over a period of three years Louise Baldwin, Philip Eglin, Andy Hazell, Kate Malone, Hazel Jones and Toby Winteringham visited the collections with keepers at Ipswich Museum and Christchurch Mansion to choose objects which inspired and fascinated them.

From their selections a series of exhibitions took place in ‘The Room Upstairs’ at Christchurch Mansion. This series became Selection from the Collection.

The aim of the project was to offer makers the opportunity and time to work with a large mixed collection and become involved with the creative process of curating each of their selected objects for exhibition. The intention was to offer the opportunity and freedom to the makers to refresh the ways in which they look and relate to source material as inspiration and resource for their own work. During the period of selection boundaries were broken down between objects, keepers and makers and a cross fertilisation of ideas and subjects took place. Thoughts were also stimulated as to the debate around the cultural relevance of collections and collecting; objects were naturally taken out of their subject pigeonholes.

Freighted with Wonders was the finale to this series, an exhibition of work by all six makers together inspired by their choices, along side some of the more important of their chosen objects. The work ranged from clay and textiles to metal and wood.

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