Towards the end of my year as Fenland Poet Laureate, I was delighted to participate in an exhibition at Cambridge Contemporary Art. The exhibition ran from 5-25 March and featured a selection of my poetry alongside prints by celebrated fine-art printmaker, Iona Howard. This was the culmination of a process of collaborating with Iona, over the course of the year.
It had been a thrilling an invigorating process to work with Iona, whose work focuses on some of the Fenland landscape I draw on in my writing. Over the course of the year we discussed our processes of creating; our inspiration; we experimented with different forms; we attended a workshop at Aldeburgh; and we walked miles through the Fens, with Iona’s lovely dog Meg! We saw the same landscape through each season.
It was very exciting for me to hang an exhibition! I found it very satisfying to have the conversation between Iona and I captured in an event, and in a physical space.
The gallery hosted an evening of poetry readings and music, composed and performed by the extremely talented Dom Howard, on 15th March.
I should say that two other artists exhibited at the same time and I really enjoyed seeing their wonderful work.
None of this would have been possible without the opportunity provided by the Fenland Poet Laureate scheme, and I am enormously grateful to Cambridge Contemporary Art f