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Kristina Veasey

Visual Artist

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kristinaveaseyartist

Multi-layered artist. Sculpture, installation, crafts, digital art/sound/film. Identity, routines, connection, provocation, commonalities & difference

Immersive installation this weekend at Seven Siste Immersive installation this weekend at Seven Sisters Country Park - link to details in linktree

A culmination of my arts residency with @southdownsnp and a sharing of elements from my Capturing the Forest installation.

Sat 17th 10-5pm
Sun 18th 10-3pm
Seven Sisters Visitor Centre

With thanks to @oh_bedtime and @macohibs for for an amazing install today :) 

#forest #immersiveart #sculpture #ceramics #disability

Reel shows kinetic sculpture, Precarity - a rotating ebonised branch atop a sandstone rock, encircled by rings of leaves and ceramic sculptures.
Capturing the Forest - an immersive installation e Capturing the Forest - an immersive installation exploring forest connection

Artist, Kristina Veasey shares artworks drawn from her experience of being bed-bound after an accident and longing to visit the forest. Already a wheelchair user, these further restrictions encouraged her to find different ways to connect with the things she loved about forests and try to gain some of the well-being benefits the forest is well-known for.

Through foraged clay, natural paints, bodily performance, kinetic sculpture, printed fabrics and creation of Forest Connection Kits, Kristina found alternative ways to access wild landscapes and share her forest experience. 

Capturing the Forest began as an Unlimited International Partner Commission with @alejandroahmed made possible with support from Arts Council England and the British Council. It is produced by In Between Time.

This exhibition is a culmination of Kristina's artist residency with South Downs National Park Authority. Come and see some of the work co-created with local participants in her summer workshops. 
Link to exhibition details in linktree in bio.

#forest #art #exhibition #immersiveart #nature

Reel shows close-up shots of a woman covered in a skin of crusty clay and natural paints slowly moving her body.

@weareunltd @inbetweentime @brit_visualarts @southdownsnp
Close your eyes and relax. Let me take you on a jo Close your eyes and relax. Let me take you on a journey into a forest of your own making...

What is a forest? Use your imagination to grow one. What will you put in yours..?

Developed for Capturing the Forest, this remote forest bathing exercise guides you through activities and observations to consider what is a forest? πŸ€·πŸ€”πŸͺΎ πŸ¦‹ πŸ—πŸ’πŸ¦‰πŸŒΏπŸ„ 

Join me on Sat 17th & Sun 18th at the Seven Sisters Centre to try it yourself!
(Link in bio for details)

#forestbathing #accessability #artinstallation #southdownsnationalpark @weareunltd 

Reel shows photos of workshop participants in a barn, reclining in a guided forest bathing session.

This artist residency with @southdownsnp as built on Kristina's work on Capturing the Forest. 
Capturing the Forest is a collaborative work by Kristina Veasey and Alejandro Ahmed which began as an Unlimited International Partner Award 2023 commission, made possible with support from Arts Council England and the British Council. It is produced by @inbetweentime
I've been exploring ways to develop the Forest Con I've been exploring ways to develop the Forest Connection Kits with some lovely local people over the summer. (These are ways for people to connect with the forest when they can't get there in person.) 

Such creativity and imagination and some very insightful thinking!

We'll be sharing some of this work alongside elements of my Capturing the Forest exhibition and artwork created by participants exploring synaesthetic responses to forest.

Pump Barn, Seven Sisters Centre, 17th and 18th October.
Do come along!
Everyone is welcome :)

Enjoy ceramics, sculpture, natural paint, film, immersive elements. Join in with virtual forest bathing and Dorodango polishing. 

Exhibition is free and link to details is in linktree on my bio.

Access: BSL, audio descriptions, captions, wheelchair access, Changing Rooms and accessible toilets. Parking (charges apply) 

#forest #access #art #southdownsnationalpark #capturingtheforest

Reel shows series of photos of young people engaging in creative activities.
Visual artist Kristina Veasey will be sharing sele Visual artist Kristina Veasey will be sharing selected elements from her immersive installation, Capturing the Forest, alongside work created by local participants in her creative workshops. 

Through sculpture, ceramics, movement and film, Capturing the Forest explores new ways to access wild spaces and connect with nature. 

Kristina's artist's residency with South Downs National Park has seen her exploring her local landscapes of Friston Forest and the Seven Sisters Country Park. Through a series of creative forest workshops, she has been engaging with local people; exploring synaesthetic responses to sounds, smells and textures. Activities included remote forest bathing, polishing wild clay dorodangos, creating natural paints and brushes, and the development of a Forest Connection Kit for those who are unable to visit the forest in person. 

To discover more about Capturing the Forest follow the link in the bio
or come and chat with Kristina at the exhibition. 

#art #exhibition #immersive #forest #sevensisters

Image: exhibition poster sharing dates and times for Kristina Veasey's exhibition with South Downs National Park Authority. Days read Sat 17th Oct 10-5pm, Sun 18th Oct 10-3pm at Seven Sisters Visitor Centre BN25 4AD
Forest inspired ceramics, available on Etsy at Off Forest inspired ceramics, available on Etsy at Off-Kilter Works. Link in bio - every sale helps to pay for studio time, so I can continue to make. πŸ™ 

Field notes - 🌿 
In the forest understory nascent shoots raise their heads pushing aside the damp earth. Reaching towards the light, ferns unfurl from their tight curls. Fantastical fungi bloom, whilst insects make their homes amongst fallen leaves and branches. I sit motionless, amongst this activity, just absorbing the moment. And then I start to make. Led by my senses, I let my hands work in harmony with the clay, with no agenda.

Reel: A series of images showing a small ceramic sculpture evocative of plant life, glazed in greens and iron oxides.

#ceramicsculpture #ceramics #forest #sensory #EnvironmentalArt
Enjoying my artists residency at @southdownsnp and Enjoying my artists residency at @southdownsnp and exploring Seven Sisters Country Park. I actually live just up the road so it is somewhere I'm quite familiar with. What has brought new excitement to it, is being able to explore it alone. I am fortunate to have my own mobility scooter, but I also rely on someone else to unload it from the car and assemble it for me. It isn't super reliable either, so generally I need someone with me when I take it out.

Being able to just book a scooter from the Visitor Centre and go out independently feels incredibly liberating. Being able to stop as often as I like and examine things I've seen, pick random things up, rummage about in undergrowth or collect seed pods are activities I love. If I'm sat in the dirt watching beetles for twenty minutes, I want to do it without someone behind me with ants in their pants, itching to get walking again. (I do say this with love in my heart though, my partner and I just have different ways of enjoying our time in nature). So to be able to just sit and watch, and enjoy the landscape, and do a bit of painting, has been a novel experience, and one I loved. And its one I'm going to be doing again πŸ™‚

#access #artist #sevensisters #disabled #wildspaces

Reel shows artist riding a mobility scooter through natural landscapes and painting.
Living with chronic illness and/or disability can Living with chronic illness and/or disability can make spending time in nature more complicated. Accessing wild landscapes with its uneven terrain, stiles, kissing gates and nowhere to rest, presents barriers often unappreciated by those with the privilege of good health. 'The great outdoors' can often become 'the great unknown'. The barriers aren't always marked on maps and websites and asking passing ramblers about access reaps highly unreliable results.

This summer I wanted to access a little chalk stream I'd heard had parking near by and was shallow enough for a paddle. The wooded path from the carpark was about 400m to the stream so I needed to use my mobility scooter. As we assembled it no fewer than seven people walked up the path from the stream. Each one reassured me that the access was good and I'd have no problem getting there. Only one of them actually mentioned the gate and the little bridge I'd need to cross. When I inquired if it was a kissing gate as my scooter can't get through those, he admitted he wasn't sure, but he was certain the bridge on the other side of it would be fine. There was a slope but no steps. Even he was surprised that he couldn't accurately recall the dynamics of a gate he'd passed through less than ten minutes previously. 

And this is what I mean by 'health privilege'. When your health is not an overriding factor in how you navigate the world, these things don't even register. Why should they? It's how it should be, of course, but for those of us whose every move or decision or plan has to involve scanning the ground, advance research and weighing up bodily cost, it's a whole different ball game. As it turns out, it was a kissing gate. And the bridge was far too narrow and had steps up to it. Which goes to show that accurate information is key and we can't rely on passers-by, we need good solid accurate information

Social media groups for disabled ramblers offer platforms for shared user-experience, which is an absolute gold mine. It's been heartening to see increasing numbers of organisations providing more detailed info. Some even have Trampers available for hire 

(No beds yet, though!)

#access #southdownsnp #disabled
How do you connect with and benefit from wild spac How do you connect with and benefit from wild spaces when you can not access them in person?

There are many reasons why a simple walk in the countryside might not be possible: inaccessible terrain, sickness, work schedules, mental health issues, caring responsibilities, lack of transport...

In this residency with South Downs National Park @southdownsnp I have been engaging local people with different ways to build a forest connection, even when they are unable to visit in person.

We have been immersing ourselves in the natural world through remote forest bathing, exploring synaesthesia, examining our connection to nature through art, and expressing our sensory responses to forest stimuli through movement. Together we made brushes from forest materials and used paints made from clay, charcoal, chalk, ivy and apple trees. We polished balls of clay until they shone like jewels, and we shared our processing and insights with one another.

I feel very privileged to share this space and to hear from other people's perspectives. What is shared can sometimes be precious or deeply personal, or an activity might take them outside of their comfort zone. I can prep as much as I like for a workshop, shaping it and giving it body, but ultimately it's the participants who give it heart. I feel immensly grateful for everyone's input and generosity of spirit. A massive thankyou to all who came. 

All of our shared learning and exploration is feeding in to additional co-creation sessions with individuals and small groups. In these we are developing the Forest Connection Kits we've been trialling with care home residents living with dementia, chronically ill people, disabled people, people who are housebound, and people experiencing end of life care. 

All the workshop artworks will be exhibited alongside elements of my Capturing the Forest installation, at the Seven Sisters Centre in October. A separate post about that is coming soon!

#forest #art #health #capturingtheforest #southdownsnationalpark

Reel shows a creative workshop in progress with people gathered in a room exploring forest materials and painting
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Interested in holding a workshop?

Find out more about Walk the Line and other workshops Kristina has facilitated here.
Beyond the Torch Run workshop by Kristina Veasey

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Email Kristina here.

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