Recent News
2020
The Disordered Eye
(BBC Four, 9pm Wednesday 4th November 2020)
I was interviewed at my studio by filmmaker Richard Butchins for this BBC4 Television Programme. We talked about my practice, past and present projects and how my creative approach has developed and been influenced by my vision.
“In a thought-provoking contribution to the disability season, Richard Butchins suggests visual impairment need not mean impaired art, in fact, it may be enhanced. Part of his case rests on the late work of Degas and Monet, painted as their worlds became blurred; but these sections get squeezed out as he poses nude for unsighted daubers, fits in a bit of science and considers contemporary artists with restricted vision — Sally Booth, Neil Harbisson, Aaron McPeake, Keith Salmon and the late Sargy Mann — who seem to him to convey a more complex or distinctive experience in their work.”
Critics' Choice - John Dugdale
Sunday Times Culture Section
1st November 2020
This programme was also chosen as Pick of the Day by Radio Times.
The Disordered Eye on BBC4 - Sally Excerpt from digital:works on Vimeo.
The full programme can be seen on the BBC website.
The photographic works in this film can be seen on my website on the following links:
Still Lights
Bluecoat Windows
Artist in Residence with Extant Theatre Company
I have been commissioned to work as an Artist in Residence during the Pathways Masterclass Series being run by Extant. From 20 October I have been creating ink pen drawings of the masterclasses as they happen on Zoom. The finished project will include a selection of my drawings with accompanying audio descriptions.
Seen from above, this landscape format photo shows a piece of paper painted in a watery wash with swirly brush marks of yellow, and orangey reds. On the paper sit pots of Sally's coloured inks, a jar of tiny pen nibs and an ink dipping pen.
A horizontal strip of 3 black ink drawings in a line of Matthew, Masterclass tutor. They are displayed comic strip style, evoking the Zoom aesthetic of tiny faces seen all in a row. From left to right: a portrait with a narrow strip of Zoom figures above his head, a portrait in the centre, looking intensely into the screen, and on the right with his wall of records behind. The drawings were made live during the sessions as they happened.
More of these images and descriptions can be seen on my projects page and my Instagram.
Pictures from this project will be appearing on Extant's Twitter feed and social media in coming weeks.
Extant Twitter
Extant Instagram
I also worked for Extant as an Access adviser for their most recent reinterpretation of Flight Paths.
Extant Flight Paths
Instagram
Follow me on my new Instagram page. Watch my archive as it develops from formative years to the present day.
Open Studios
Unfortunately we have had to cancel our own Open Studio weekends at Cannizaro Park this year. I have however joined the new Wandsworth Art platform.
How I am making new work since Covid
I am very grateful to have received a grant from Art Council England's Emergency Response Fund, set up to provide artists previously in receipt of public funding with some basic financial support during this period - affording us time to stabilise, think, and plan for the future.
Cornwall
While there have been fewer work opportunities in London, I have been down to Cornwall to continue my work with the landscape there. I have also been experimenting with adding audio to some of my concertina sketchbooks. Here is an example of one of my Red Sketchbooks inspired by the harsh treeless landscape of West Penwith. There is an edited scroll version with voiceover (2 mins 38 secs) and a full version with the pages being turned and no commentary (59 secs).
Ink, acrylic and watercolour on paper
20 cm x 4 metres
This series of paintings is made on a concertina sketchbook. It has been filmed from left to right and has an audio commentary by the artist.
The colour of the studies in this sketchbook is predominantly red, painted with acrylic and watercolour. They show the undulating barren red earth along the Cornish coast between Geevor and Botallack. The painting studies show remnants from the Tin Mining industry, including metal stakes in the ground against the blue sky, parts of chimney stacks, grass bending in the wind and ruined buildings.
To see more of my work from Cornwall, go to
Edges and Extremes
And here are some other sketchbooks from previous projects where I have recently added some commentary. The films are also subtitled.
The Scrap Pile at Geevor
Brown ink and orange crayon on paper
20 cm x 4 metres
This drawing is made on a concertina sketchbook. It has been filmed from left to right and has an audio commentary by the artist. The drawing forms a panorama and was made on site outside Geevor Tin Mining Museum in Pendeen, Cornwall. The drawing style is quick and linear. The drawing shows rooftops, outlines of buildings and rusty materials and equipment from the Tin Mining industry. These have been strewn in a disorderly pile and appear as abstract, often unidentifiable, shapes across the page. Each piece has been named using an orange crayon. They have almost poetic, mysterious names including Thickening Cone, Wagon Butts, Flotation Cells and Mucker Bucket.
To see more of my work from Cornwall, go to
Edges and Extremes
White Line Men Wimbledon
Pen and acrylic on paper
20 cm x 4 metres
Film of drawings made on a concertina sketchbook. It has been filmed from left to right and has an audio commentary by the artist.
Pen on a green acrylic wash
This book contains a series of tiny sketches made very quickly by the artist as she watched the “White Line Men” painting the white lines on the courts at AELTC, Wimbledon, in preparation for the Championships. The line drawings are fast and scribbly, capturing the stance and gestures of the two men as they worked.
To see more of my work from Wimbledon, go to
Wimbledon
Liverpool Bus - Drawings on a moving bus
Permanent pen on acetate
Acetate sketchbook with approx 25 pen drawings
This slide show shows a selection of transparent pen drawings on acetate with an audio commentary by the artist. The drawings were made on Sally's many bus journeys around Liverpool during her residency at the Bluecoat in 2009. They capture the hustle and bustle of people she saw and were made using black permanent pen in a linear style. The slideshow illustrates how the drawings form transparent layers and built up into a collection over the course of her stay.
To see more of my work from Liverpool, go to
Adam Reynolds
Bluecoat Windows
Closed and Deserted Station Drawings
Ghost Train at Waterloo, Ink and watercolour on paper
Empty Ticket Hall, Leicester Square tube, June 2020
While Coronavirus restrictions have temporarily prevented me from doing my drawings of the crowds on the Underground, I have instead been concentrating on drawing and photographing some of the closed and deserted stations, combining that with my regular walks or essential journeys.
Sally drawing Closed Stations Clapham South
Photos by Jon Olney
Closed barriers, Ink and acrylic on paper
An uninterrupted line of empty barriers is an unusual sight, normally obscured by a rush of people, they looked like a row of angel wings.Two Metres Apart Drawings: Teaching Outdoors
During strict lockdown I started doing 2 metre apart drawings over the garden fence with little neighbour Sophia aged 5. I have been teaching her the basic principles of audio description and she has quickly got the hang of it. She has got to grips with the concept of landscape (sideways) and portrait (upwards) for the paper, and we are now grappling with left and right.
Sally and Sophia 2 metres apart drawing
In the spirit of adaptation, once restrictions to meet other households relaxed a bit, I have been able to resume some one-to-one teaching with George, 15, with all our sessions outdoors and 2m apart. Our new outdoor studio is an old glade of oaks on the Common, using an Ipad to zoom in on drawings 2 metres away. It seems drawing outdoors will be my speciality for the time being.
This has developed into me facilitating drawing sessions outdoors for very small groups on Tooting Bec Common. The sessions are informal and all levels of experience are welcome. These are taking place as weather and restrictions permit. If you are interested in taking part please contact me. One-to-one sessions are also possible.
Pre Covid George painting at the lake 2018
After a fantastic trip working in Chicago at the beginning of March, life has changed as we know it. It now seems like it was another time. See pictures here.
Item on Shape Arts site here
Chicago Skyline
Railway and Red Buildings
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Cultural Exchange
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
In March 2020 I have been invited to take part in a cultural exchange programme with SAIC Chicago and Shape Arts. The visit will include giving a presentation of my work, sharing models of good practice around the social model, and meeting artists and staff at the University
Virtual TourShape Arts
Interview for BBC4 Television Programme
I was interviewed at my studio by filmmaker Richard Butchins for a forthcoming BBC4 Television Programme which will be shown at the end of this year. We talked about my practice, past and present projects and how my creative approach has developed and been influenced by my vision.
The Disordered Eye
“In this fascinating film, disabled artist and filmmaker Richard Butchins challenges the importance of good vision in making great art. He suggests that visual impairments have contributed positively to the creation of art. From the renaissance to the present day, Richard explores how artists have fought a battle with poor vision and how it's gone unnoticed in terms of shaping the work of the great painters of the past. Richard feels these artists inadvertently paved the way for current artists to have the freedom to create regardless of visual challenges.”
The Disordered Eye2019
Audio described tours and workshops
I have been working at a variety of museums and cultural venues. This has included co-facilitating a tour and workshop for RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) for their Bauhaus exhibition at Portland Place, and with Gunnersbury Park Museum for their Treasured Threads exhibition.
Bauhaus Tour and Workshop at RIBA
This tour and workshop explored the history of the Bauhaus and its influence on British art, culture and architecture. Alongside RIBA learning team staff Wilson Yau I delivered an audio described tour of the photography and film exhibition of works by László Moholy-Nagy, and we ran a creative workshop exploring developments in technology such as 3D pens and the use of 3D printing. This was a partnership project with VocalEyes.
RIBAVocalEyes
Trying out 3D pens at RIBA workshop - photo by RIBA
In the Moholy-Nagy exhibition at RIBA - photo by RIBA
3D pen workshop at RIBA - photo by RIBA
Treasured Threads exhibition
Gunnersbury Park Museum
Working closely with Public Programmes Officer Lisa D'Agostino we researched and co-developed an audio described tour of the Treasured Threads exhibition which explored the history of quilt making. This was a rare opportunity to work very closely with the unique Acton Top coverlet, which hitherto has never been shown in full, owing to its fragility. This was followed by a participative wall-hanging workshop lead by textile artist Clare Parker.
Gunnersbury Park Museum 
Exploring the Acton Top at Gunnersbury Park Museum - Photo by Sacha Brisdion
Cannizaro Studios Open Weekends
21 and 22 September/ 28 and 29 September 2019, 11-5pm
This year I will be showing works made at Cannizaro Park and more pictures from my London Underground series.
'Change at Bank' Northern Line, Ink and Watercolour on paper
Cannizaro Studios,
The Potting Sheds,
Cannizaro Park,
Wimbledon Common,
London SW19 4UE
Tube: Wimbledon (District Line)
Bus: 93, 200, 493 Go to Wimbledon Village, 10 minute walk
Trains: Direct from Waterloo & Clapham Junction
Freelance Work in the Cultural Sector
Over the last year much of my freelance work has involved working in galleries, museums, heritage sites and nature reserves.
I was pleased to continue my relationship with Tate with an invitation to give a talk on the Bonnard exhibition at Tate Modern with Marcus Dickey Horley. With VocalEyes I was also invited by the British Museum to facilitate an audio described tour and a practical workshop for the recent Munch exhibition.
Picture of Sally facilitating an Audio Described tour of the Munch exhibition at the British Museum
As part of the partnership project between VocalEyes and Art UK I have had the chance to work with a variety of sculpture collections across the country. This has included facilitating audio described tours and sculpture workshops at Leeds City Art Gallery, Reading Museum and Doncaster City Art Gallery.
As part of this project, I have also been featured in a podcast by Art Matters. In this recording Anna Fineman talks about the Sculpture Project with Art UK, and I was asked about my own practice and my teaching with visually impaired adults. There is a link to the whole podcast here and my contribution starts at 7:00 minutes.
Art Matters podcast: how blind and partially sighted people engage with visual art
Posted 26 Mar 2019, by Ferren Gipson
A group explores a Richard Long artwork at Leeds Art Gallery during a VocalEyes Art UK workshop
Woah, we're halfway there: woah-oh – sculpture everywhere!
Posted 15 Feb 2019, by Katey Goodwin
A VocalEyes workshop for blind and partially sighted people at Leeds Art Gallery
Inclusive environment? Supporting access to natural heritage for blind and partially sighted people
Leighton Moss Visitor Experience Manager Jon Carter and VocalEyes Visual Awareness Trainer Sally Booth view the expansive reed beds at Leighton Moss, from the top level platform of the Skytower. Green reeds surround a body of water, and forested hills are visible in the distance.
Nature Narratives Project
Called ‘Nature Narratives: Vocalising Nature Sense’, the new project was prompted by last year’s Nature Sense workshop instigated by Dr Sarah Bell from the University of Exeter. This was a collaboration between Sensing Nature, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Andy Shipley, Heritage Ability and VocalEyes.
I was part of the Nature Sense team with VocalEyes. We worked with Leighton Moss in Cumbria, Durlston in Dorset, Sherwood Forest in Nottingham and Sheffield Park in Sussex. We delivered tailormade staff training for these varied outdoor sites. This included describing wildlife and the environment in bird hides, reed beds, meadows, coastlines and forests.
The overall aim of the project was to build capacity to welcome and support people with sight impairment. The project provided engaging and appropriate experiences and raised awareness of nature settings as places for everyone.
I have also continued to work regularly with VocalEyes at a wide range of venues including the Science Museum, British Museum and Clifton Suspension Bridge among others.
2018
Cannizaro Park Studios
15 and 16 September / 22 and 23 September,
11 - 5pm
Open Studio Weekends
This year I will be showing drawings I have been doing on the London Underground. We are again part of the Merton Arts Festival and Open House Weekend this year.
Cannizaro Studios,
The Potting Sheds,
Cannizaro Park,
Wimbledon Common,
London. SW19 4UE
For Open House visitors, on Sunday 23rd, there will be a guided tour of the gardens, leaving from the studios at 2pm (max 25 people, first come basis)
Man on his Phone District and Circle
pen and acrylic on paper
Shared Vision
Venue: Shop 7, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QLExhibition open every day 28 September to 7 October 2018, 10:00am - 5:00pm.
Late night opening Thursday 4 October.
Visit www.projectlight.world for details of special events and how to get involved.
Twitter: @_ProjectLight
Facebook: ProjectLight.world
Instagram: @projectlight.world
Should we assume that light is required to experience vision? I am one of the artists who has been invited to take part in this exhibition which includes exploring creative description of imaginary art works.
Shared Vision is a new exhibition of commissioned works from sighted, partially-sighted and blind artists. The works include film, sculpture, painting, texts, audio works and photography. They explore how stories of vision, or lack of it, can affect and transform people’s lives. By investigating the ways in which we ‘see’, the works invite us to consider other ways of experiencing our world.
The exhibition is part of Project Light, a global art campaign for the right to sight. projectlight.world
All the artist details on this page of the website).
Working in Japan June 2018
In June I was invited by Shape Arts to go to Japan to co-facilitate training workshops at a number of cultural venues. The programme was hosted by the British Council in Japan.
With trainer Barbara Lisicki, we delivered Disability Equality, Accessible Events and Inclusive Practice training at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Edo Tokyo Museum, British Council Tokyo and Toyohashi Arts Theatre PLAT.
Shape Open 2018 – Collective Influence
Location: The Art Pavilion, Mile End, London. E3 4QY
Dates: Thursday 22 March-Thursday 5 April 2018, 10am to 6pm every day except Mondays and Easter Sunday.
Private View: 6.30 to 8.30pm, Thursday 22 March, open to the public: More information
Northern line - long sighted man
Working in collaboration with other visually impaired artists at Yinka Shonibare's Guest Projects during Oct/Nov 2017 gave me the time to experiment and provided mutual encouragement to begin and display a new body of work.
Installation Shot Guest Projects photo by Alex Marshall
The drawings shown here are examples of sketches that were part of a drawing installation shown at the studio. They form part of a larger series I am currently undertaking on the London Underground.
Fast and furious, these drawings are often made over one or two stops and capture moments of everyday life across each line of the network, a city under ground.
Passengers on another train Piccadilly Line photo by Alex Marshall
Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival – Sage Gateshead: 'Scenes from Sage Gateshead'
Participant drawing the view to the West Tyne Bridge, 11 March
Panorama Looking East from Sage Gateshead - ink on paper
Study of Church from Sage Gateshead - ink on paper
Looking East to Millenium bridge detail, 11 March
Panorama Looking West from Sage Gateshead - ink on paper
Location: Concourse, Sage Gateshead, St Mary's Square, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 2JR
Dates: Saturday 10th-Sunday 11th March 2018
As part of Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival, I will be undertaking a live participatory drawing installation in Foster's exciting and expansive space in Gateshead on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th March. The venue will provide inspiration for drawings which include the activity and architecture of the building, and its spectacular views of the Tyne. The public will be invited to add layers to my drawings, linking in with the main theme of the festival - the relationship between the individual and the crowd.
View of Tyne road bridge from Sage Gateshead - photo by Helen White
BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinking Festival takes place at Sage Gateshead from Friday 9 – Sunday 11 March 2018. This year’s Free Thinking Festival is a chance to examine the fast-changing relationship between the individual and the crowd. The festival brings together leading thinkers for a free weekend of provocative debate, new ideas, music and performance.
Testing Times – Wellcome Collection
Location: Wellcome Reading Room, Wellcome Collection,183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
Date: Friday 2nd February 2018
Working in collaboration with artists Tanya Raabe and Tony Heaton, I was invited to facilitate a participatory arts event. Through drawing and discussion, we used examples from the Wellcome Collection to explore experiences of tests and assessments.
Hands at Work, Workshop at the Wellcome Collection 2nd February 2018 - Photo by Tanya Raabe-Webber
Tony, Tanya and Participants, Wellcome Collection Event, 2nd February 2018 - Photo by Tanya Raabe-Webber
2017
Guest Projects – Same Same but Different
Private View:
6 – 8.30pm Tuesday 14th November 2017
I've been asked to take part in a collaborative residency at Yinka Shonibare's Hackney studio. Alongside artists Aaron McPeake and Hugh Huddy, I will be making a site specific drawing installation in this ground floor studio space during October/November 2017.
My drawing installation is inspired by journeys on the London Underground. From High Barnet to Morden, from Ealing to Upminster, I have been making drawings across the London tube network. Fast and furious, these line drawings are often made over just one or two stops, and reflect movement and snatches of life on the Underground.
Hugh has created a sound sculpture and Aaron will be displaying a series of pairs of bell-bronzes.
The works are being displayed from Tuesday 14 November to Sunday 19 November. We are taking it in turns to invigilate the exhibition, so please call me in advance if you would like to visit when I will be there. Times: Noon – 6pm Daily
Location:
Guest Projects, Sunbury House, 1 Andrews Road, London E8 4QL
More info at Tube Lines
More info on the SHAPE Arts Blog
More info on the Facebook page
Supported by Tube Lines and SHAPE Arts
Some of my pictures at Open Studio Sept 2017
Sheep sketchbook and some of my pictures at Open Studio, Sept 2017
Cannizaro Park Studios
16 and 17 September / 23 and 24 September, 11 - 5pm
Open Studio Weekends
My studio's just been redecorated, and this year I will be showing a selection of work from past projects. We are also part of the Merton Arts Festival and Open House Weekend this year.
Cannizaro Studios,
The Potting Sheds,
Cannizaro Park,
Wimbledon Common,
London SW19 4UE
Open House
Merton Arts Festival Overview
Sally Booth Listing
Other Artists
Invite and Map
This summer I will be facilitating workshops and events at various venues including Tate Modern, Royal Academy Summer Show, the Now You See Me exhibition in Milton Keynes and The History of Place project in Canterbury. See some details below.
Royal Academy:
Monday 7 August, 9am-12pm
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
I have been invited by the Royal Academy to facilitate a touch tour and workshop based on selected works in the Summer Exhibition.
Royal Academy,
Burlington House,
Piccadilly,
London W1J 0BD
"Join London based artist Sally Booth for an audio described touch tour through the Royal Academy’s annual Summer Exhibition. Now in its 249th year, this far-ranging exhibition provides a unique platform to explore new and recent art created by everyone from emerging artists to the biggest names in contemporary art and architecture.
As a visually impaired artist, Sally’s work is influenced by her own perspective of how she experiences the world. After leading a tour of the galleries, Sally will direct an art-making workshop, encouraging attendees to create work based on their personal reflections on their tour of this year’s show."
Spaces are limited. To find out more and to book a space
Click Here
Tate Modern:
Wednesday 26 July 2017, 4 – 5.30pm
Artist Led Audio Description Tour
I am one of 4 artists who have been invited to facilitate a new programme of workshops at Tate Modern which are taking place over the coming year.
Tate Modern,
Bankside,
London SE1
"Work made in the studio can be intimate or monumental. In this audio described tour artist Sally Booth selects a variety of portraits, paintings and sculptures from the Tate collection which explore themes of intimacy and intensity."
No booking required. This tour takes place seated in the gallery. Sighted companions and guide dogs are welcome.
Please meet in the Community Room (in the Blavatnik building, next to Terrace Café) for tea and coffee from 3.30pm before the tour.
To discuss any access requirements please contact Anna Murray, Assistant Curator at Tate Modern.
Join this audio description tour and investigate the processes artists use to make artworks.
Click here for more info
St Mildred's Church, Canterbury:
Saturday 8 July, 10am-5pm
Accentuate History of Place Project
History of Place is a national project being run by Accentuate, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which aims to animate the stories of deaf and disabled people associated with eight locations across the country.
St Mildred's Church,
Church Lane,
Canterbury CT1 2PP
As part of this project I will be facilitating a family workshop, inspired by the stained glass windows of St Mildred's Church near Canterbury. This forms part of the Canterbury Medieval Pageant taking place on 8 July. The drop-in workshop is open for people to come by any time between 10am and 5pm.
To find out more about the History of Place project see:
http://historyof.place/
Milton Keynes:
Friday 7 July, 1-3pm
NOW YOU SEE ME EXHIBITION
Using the Now You See Me exhibition and space as inspiration, I am running an informal workshop for people to come and try out their drawing and description skills.
Door 15,
Silbury Blvd,
centre.mk,
Milton Keynes MK9 1JL
Now You See Me is an exhibition of works that showcase the talent of Disabled artists from Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas. The exhibition aims to raise awareness, challenge perceptions and reduce stigma surrounding both physical disability and mental health, whilst also addressing accessibility within the visual arts through a programme of events.
Curated by Arts for Health Milton Keynes in partnership with MKDAD and centre.mk, the exhibition showcases 50 works, to coincide with the MK50 celebrations.
The exhibition runs from Wednesday 21st June until Saturday 15th July 2017. This event is part of the Disability Awareness Day programme for Arts for Health Milton Keynes.
More details
https://www.facebook.com/events/310247669387368
Draw the Line: Contemporary Drawing Exhibition
I am one of the artists selected for this exhibition, and will be showing my concertina sketchbook inspired by The Scrap Pile at Geevor Tin Mine.
The Scrap Pile at Geevor Tin Mine, brown ink and orange crayon on paper
8th April – 22nd April 2017
Surface Gallery
16 Southwell Road
Nottingham
NG1 1DL
Telephone: +44 (0) 115 947 0793
Usual Opening Times
Tuesday to Friday 1200 - 1800
Saturday 1100 – 1700
http://www.surfacegallery.org/current/
This April at Surface Gallery, Draw the Line will ask the question, what is drawing today?
Chosen from 300 submissions, the exhibition will showcase a selection of contemporary art from across the world. Draw the Line features over 60 works that expand the definition of drawing. A variety of approaches, from experimenting with different mediums to utilising diverse presentation methods, including moving image, offer an unusual perspective on what constitutes contemporary drawing. One of the building blocks of art, drawing is at the core of artistic practice. Often overlooked as a means to an end, drawing has been enjoying a resurgence in recent years, emerging as a vibrant area of research in contemporary art.
Paul Klee famously described drawing as ‘taking a line for a walk’. Draw the Line looks at the many different paths these lines explore.
The Scrap Pile at Geevor Tin Mine
For this piece of work, I made pen drawings in and around the site of Geevor Tin Mine Museum in Cornwall. On the cliffs outside there was a pile of old machinery and rusty metal in a large semi-circle.
Thickening cone, Wagon butt and Steel ropes
I spent three days outside working on this drawing, using brown ink in a linear form, gradually building up the abstract shapes in front of me to form a panorama. The process of making the drawing took about three days. I built up the piece from left to right, doing a small section at a time, and rushing indoors at various intervals to avoid the rain or wait for bits to dry.
Winding engine and Waterpipes
The colour of the ink reflects the rusty metal. Apart from obviously recognisable items such as cement mixers and reels of steel rope, most of the machinery to me presented as a series of mysterious abstract shapes all in a line. It was not until one of the staff at the mining museum came up to see what I was up to, and we got into conversation, that I started to find out from him the wonderful names of all these pieces of machinery , such as 'muckerbucket', 'thickening cones' and 'floatation cells', and what they did. He was able to help me label each part, and it is this that completed the drawing for me.
Ways of Seeing Art
In February 2017 I will be taking part in some exciting workshops and a symposium exploring the links between art and audio description at the new Switch House building at Tate Modern, as part of Tate Exchange.
This 4 day event is programmed by Shape Arts, a Tate Exchange Associate. Follow this link for more information.
As part of this programme, I will be facilitating a drawing and description workshop in the dramatic setting of the the Switch House on Saturday 25 February and acting as a facilitator at the symposium on Friday 24 February.
The Switch House at Tate Modern - Photo by Sally Booth
Follow this link to find out more about the full programme of events.
Other participating artists include Rachel Gadsden and Aaron McPeake.
At my workshop you can make experimental drawings of the views from the Switch House and try out your descriptive skills.
Time: 25 February, 4-6pm.
Venue: Tate Exchange, Switch House, Level 5, Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG
2016
Here are some highlights from projects undertaken in 2016.
This year I have exhibited my work at the Shetland Museum, the OXO Tower, the Guardian Newspaper headquarters in Kings Cross and the SHAPE Open. Other activities have included working on an oral history project celebrating Tooting Markets and working on an intergenerational project with Extant Theatre Company.
Tooting Covered Markets Art Project
Photographs of stalls and stallholders at Tooting Markets
Tooting Stall Stories is an art, film and history project in which Year 6 children from Furzedown Primary School have been exploring the the two covered markets in Tooting. The children met with and filmed interviews with stall holders and shoppers and these formed the basis of a new documentary film, More Stalls This Way.
They also worked with me to make artwork inspired by the colourful shops on the market and, working with their teachers at school, they produced pieces of creative writing.
Photographs of pupils drawing the fabric stalls on site at Tooting Market
The project celebrated both the children’s work and the people in these wonderful markets, their back stories and hidden histories.
Commencing with an artist talk at the school and a workshop showing the children how to make their own concertina sketchbooks, the project continued art workshops which I facilitated on site visits to Tooting Markets. The pupils made their own drawings of stalls and stallholders including at the fishmongers, the petshop, the butchers, fabric stalls and the juice bar. The work formed a pop-up exhibition which took place at a unit in Broadway Market from 8th to 10th December.
Photographs of pupils making their own banners for the exhibition, pupils and visitors at the pop-up gallery at Broadway Market
This project was supported by Heritage Lottery Fund and the Wandsworth Grant Fund. K&K Stationers also kindly printed publicity materials.
You can find out more, watch the film and see the artwork and writing on the project website.
www.tootingstallstories.org.uk
Shetland Museum – final exhibition of Edges and Extremes
Four installation shots of the exhibition at Da Gadderie, Shetland Museum
This collaborative exhibition with poet Evlynn Sharp took place in the beautiful gallery at Shetland Museums and Archives from 20th August to 2nd October. The show brought together not just work from Shetland but our time in Cornwall too, and was a fitting location to complete our collaboration. As well as working with local schoolchildren and meeting old friends, there was even a chance to get out into the countryside and to learn how to fish.
Examples from my Shetland Sketchbook.
Two Little Pollock - ink and watercolour on paper.
Joy The Sheep - pen on paper.
Paul Bloomer writing for The Shetland Times (26 Aug 2016) said “The artwork is documentary in nature, but not in a photographic way. This is the human hand and heart at work and the art captures speed, movement and gesture...The work is a fluid dialogue between word, image, place, time and people, a meeting of mind, heart, memory and emotion.”
To see more images and poetry from the Edges and Extremes project in Shetland and Cornwall, click here
Supported by Loganair and Shetland Museums and Archives.
Merton Arts Festival 2016
It is time for my annual open studio. This year I have some
concertina sketchbook pictures from my recent trip to Shetland
August to September 2016.
CANNIZARO STUDIOS OPEN WEEKENDS
17-18 & 24-25 September 2016
11.00am – 5.00pm
Come and see the work of painters, printmakers, ceramicists and sculptors. Based in the heart of Cannizaro Park.
RESIDENT ARTISTS:
Barbara Aldridge, Sally Booth, Susan Berry, Ben Gibbon, Moira Jarvis,
Tim Norris, Julian Rena
ADDRESS
The Potting Sheds
Cannizaro Park
Wimbledon Common
London SW19 4UE
LOCATION OF CANNIZARO STUDIOS
The studios are located by the pond next to the Italian Walled Garden in
the middle of Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon Village. Cannizaro Park is
behind Cannizaro House Hotel and is signposted from the main park
entrance on the West side of Wimbledon Common. It is approximately a 25
min walk from Wimbledon town centre.
HOW TO GET TO US
Tube: Wimbledon on District Line and 25 minutes walk or bus
Bus: The 93, 200, and 493 go to Wimbledon Village. 10 mins walk
Trains: Direct from Waterloo & Clapham Junction
Tramlink: From Croydon
Car: Parking is usually available nearby. For disabled access by car,
please come to the studio via Camp Road.
Download the details and map here.
Exhibition at Shetland Museum
20th August 2016 – 2nd October 2016
Hays Dock, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0WP
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 10am – 5pm
Sundays 12-5pm
Evlynn Sharp & Sally Booth: Edges and Extremes - Shetland: People, Place, Industry
A collaborative arts project linking visual arts and poetry. Local people shared aspects and personal experiences of their daily lives with the artists. The exhibition reflects the people they met and the sights and sounds of Shetland.
“Box of Haddock” by Sally Booth.
Ink, acrylic and watercolour on paper, 2012.
Davie at Hunters Fish (extract)
Evlynn Sharp
This morning, you’re filleting
Haddock – each fish done in
Less than a minute, you’re fast…
A stainless steel table for haddock,
A sharp knife, you’re steady, no fable,
And we watch, the rhythm of you…
Dialogue Beyond Sight Exhibition | Dialogue
Venue: gallery@oxo, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse Street, South Bank, London SE1 9PH
Exhibition: Wednesday 13 – Sunday 17 July 2016
Open Daily 11am – 6pm
Admission free
Sally's walking boots, Ink, iron oxide and mine slime on handmade paper made from local vegetation, North Cornwall, 2015
Dialogue Beyond Sight Exhibition is a cross-disciplinary collaboration featuring the works of visually impaired artists and performers.
This exhibition brings together emerging and mainstream artists and performers in response to the theme “dialogue”. Collaborators examine the links between artist and audience, and practitioner and practice, presenting an eclectic range of artworks across art forms.
I have got two pieces of work showing at this exhibition.
For those visitors requiring a quiet tour of the exhibition, please contact us for an individual tour designed for your needs. Booking is essential as places are limited. Email info@mamomiinitiative.com
#dialoguebeyondsight
Curated by Andrew Mashigo and Rachel Gadsden
www.mamomiinitiative.com and www.dialoguebeyondsight.com
Dialogue Beyond Sight is a MaMoMi project supported using public funding by Arts Council England. gallery@oxo is owned and managed by Coin Street Community Builders: www.coinstreet.org
REFRAMING THE MYTH
1-26 February 2016
The Guardian
Kings Place, 90 York Way
London N1 9GU
An exhibition by the Central Illustration Agency (CIA) and Graeae Theatre Company
celebrating 35 years of placing Deaf and disabled artists centre stage.
In February 2016, CIA and Graeae launched Reframing the Myth at The Guardian’s exhibition space in King’s Cross. CIA has partnered 40 of its illustrators with 40 of Graeae Theatre Company’s artists to explore their mutual creativity and produce artwork inspired by the experiences of the company’s actors, dancers, writers and directors.
Sally and Mel at the opening of Reframing the Myth exhibition at the Guardian, Kings Place, February 2016. Photo by Peter Dauncey
I was invited to take part in this collaborative project by Graeae. I was paired up with Mel Stevens whose art forms are circus, physical and street theatre. Mel was practising at Circomedia in Kingswood, Bristol. So we arranged for me to go down and just draw her during the day and whatever came out of that day would be our piece of work. Our warm up was to draw her at her juggling session in the morning and then I watched and drew her all afternoon flying high and making stunning and colourful shapes in her aerial silk work.
I worked in pen to make quick, immediate drawings to capture her movement and filled a 4 metre concertina sketchbook. Later I painted the rich orange silks in coloured inks with Mel in purples, pinks and reds. A selection of my drawings were scanned and are on display in the exhibition.
Pages from the sketchbook
Sally talking about her collaboration with Mel Stevens at Circomedia, Bristol, December 2015. Recorded by Graeae, January 2016.
Running time approx 7 mins 58 secs.
To see whole skecthbook click here
http://www.graeae.org/news/#Latest-News
http://www.centralillustration.com/blog/
My Life
Shape Open Competition 2016
5 -21 February 2016
Guest Projects
1 Andrews Road
London E8 4QL
Open Thursday-Sunday
12pm-5pm (or by appointment)
This year, the ground-breaking annual Shape Open exhibition will be at Guest Projects space, hosted by Shape Open Patron Yinka Shonibare MBE.
The Shape Open 2016 theme ‘My Life’ encouraged both disabled and non-disabled artists to creatively express life through the lens of disability.
The responses are serious-minded, satirical, and often ambiguous, requiring the viewer to consider the different aspects of disability and to challenge the way disability is perceived.
The final artworks were carefully selected for the exhibition by a panel of judges including Yinka Shonibare MBE, Carly Jayne – Shape Open Prize Winner 2014, and from Shape Arts, Tony Heaton OBE and Ben Fredericks (video/audio only).
"The Invisible Woman", 2015
I'm one of 40 artists selected for this exhibition, and am showing “The Invisible Woman”, which is my disabled person's Freedom Pass. It goes everywhere with me and is my lifeline. It's been lost in the back of someone's van, nearly been in the washing machine several times, and has faded almost to nothing.
https://www.shapearts.org.uk/Event/my-life-shape-open-2016
