Maker of the Week - Arabella Marshall

Our SCS Maker this week, Arabella Marshall, the glass artist behind "A Wing and a Prayer" at Minsmere, has some exciting news. She writes.... "I am letting you know about a fun AWAP event coming up very soon….BBC Radio 4 “Ramblings” with Clare Balding. A programme about walking and people. For those who don’t know it - Clare Balding goes for a walk with someone in a place of interest and they chat. The person usually has an interesting story to tell. This is recorded and broadcast on radio a week or so later. Simple format. I have listened for many years and always find it compelling. She is brilliant at describing the landscape (usually rural but not always) and facilitates good conversation effortlessly. Well this month her companion is me! I will be doing a 5 mile circular walk with Clare all around the vicinity of Minsmere and of course visiting the chapel! 

 

We do the walk this week on Wednesday (17th March) and the programme is broadcast on THURSDAY 25TH MARCH at 3.00PM UK time (repeated at 6.07 am Saturday 27th). It is the last in the current series. 

 

For those of you who like to see on a map or know something of the terrain we will begin our walk at Dunwich Heath - making our way via heaths, woods and pastures in a south westerly direction to Eastbridge village then turn eastwards towards the coast until we reach the chapel meadow. I imagine we will have our picnic here and then continue on to the mighty sluice gate that lets water in and out of the wetlands. The last mile takes us northwards along the dunes following the shoreline with shimmering reed beds to our left and the North sea to our right. 

 

In case you are wondering - this is all strictly socially distanced. We each have our own microphones and transmitters as we will be walking 2 metres apart and Karen the producer walks behind with her recording equipment. 

 

If you live outside the UK you CAN listen to BBC radio in most places. The on-line app is BBC Sounds. You can google “how do I listen to BBC radio outside the UK” and it will take you to the right page. You may have to register so allow plenty of time." 

 

 

“A Wing And A Prayer” is the name of a large contemporary glass artwork that has recently been installed into the ancient ruined chapel at RSPB Minsmere. It was made by Arabella Marshall in her studio in Brandeston and takes the form of a kind of window - luminous colour soaring into the sky from a building which has no roof and whose walls have eroded into irregular shapes of flint and brick. 

 

As you probably know Minsmere is a fabulous wildlife location on the Suffolk coast comprising woods, heathland, wetlands, grasslands and shingle beach - all within view of the potentially expanding nuclear power station at Sizewell! The chapel sits on a grassy mound which was the original site of Leiston Abbey. 

 

The placing of the artwork in this location is intended to be a catalyst for other artists from different discplines to come forward with ideas for future, related activites. A programme of events encouraging people to enjoy the landscape and to consider the impact the we as human beings have upon it is already underway although being redesigned in the light of the pandemeic. We are in duscussion with two Suffolk artists, a composer, a dancer, two local schools, Britten Pears Arts and Rural Coffee Caravan. We hope that the events will include: drawing in the wild, walks and talks with the artist, children’s creative workshops, wellbeing activites and the filming of a dance piece on location. We welcome new ideas! Please do get in touch. info@arabellamarshall.com 

Find out more about Arabella here >>