Anchorhold
A two person exhibition by Rachael Coward and Melanie Stidolph
Anchorhold brings together existing works and new pieces by Cornwall based artists Rachael Coward and Melanie Stidolph at ALMA Artspace, Newquay’s community arts organisation.
Inspired by the idea of the Anchorhold - a small, enclosed cell or dwelling, usually attached to a church, used by medieval Christian anchorites, or recluses, to live in isolation - together, they create an installation for ALMA that embodies the sanctity of the studio, aligning it with the religious space of the Anchorhold.
These spaces of voluntary enclosure sat adjunct to places of worship, inhabited by an Anchorite or Anchoress with limited sightlines to the outside world.
Coward’s fragile works reference the practical hardware of the shoreline, shifting between utilitarian and symbolic offerings. These delicate ceramic pieces sit alongside the slippery draping of Stidolph’s printed fabrics, depicting
characters in communion with the rocky edges of Cornwall’s coast.
The exhibition is accompanied by a Stone Walk printmaking workshop with Rachael Coward (Saturday 6 June, 11am - 1pm, £15) and an artist talk and Q&A led by curator and author Hettie Judah (Tuesday 16 June, 6pm - 8pm, £5).
