Donna Vale and Joy Merron formed the collaborative ‘Sense of Place’ in 2015 as part of Somerset Art Weeks at Brean Down Fort. Creating a site-specific exhibition with participating artists and environmentalist Melinda Watson, founder of RAW Foundation. They responded to the memories of the people who lived and worked there, with a consideration for the environment. Both have been instated as Artists in Residence and suppliers for the National Trust to continue this project through 2016.
Donna: After graduating in 2012 with a First Class degree in Art and Textiles, Donna formed the company For Every Cloud in 2013; a centre for creativity based in the Somerset Levels, with a gallery and a variety of workshops. Alongside this she continues practicing as a conceptual artist, capturing overlooked situations and collecting lost objects. Donna looks at social networks that make us who we are, archiving other people’s belongings. Her work utilises place and identity and the notion of home.
Joy: Following a long career in the fashion industry and education Joy has since completed a MA in Design: Fashion and Textiles, building a strong portfolio of exhibition work. With sensitivity to the environment and a mission statement to use discarded and every day items, Joy is competent in many aspects of design. Now working on large-scale pieces, bridging textiles and construction with materials and approach.
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