Everywhere In Folkestone Is Uphill

St Mary & St Eanswythe’s Church

29th August - 28th August

 

Everywhere In Folkestone Is Uphill is the culmination of a project that began in 2024, which has been a fascinating journey of saints, relics, miracles, ancient geology and hidden energies.

 

Inspired by Folkestone’s patron saint, her church and her waters, the works in this exhibition are tributes to the story of St Eanswythe, a 7th Century Anglo-Saxon princess.

 

The title of the show is a recognition of the miracle that St Eanswythe performed by causing water to spring from the ground, which she then led uphill across the landscape to provide a clean water supply for her priory. The priory was the first all female, Christian place of worship in England at the time, and was built for the princess after she refused to marry the prince chosen for her. 

 

It’s also a nod to the landscape of the town itself where, no matter which direction you are heading, eventually you will find yourself heading uphill. Which is not a problem if you’re travelling in a vehicle, but can be a bit of a bind if you’re a middle aged pedestrian with respiratory issues!!

 

Elemental Vessels (2024-2025)

 

Elemental Vessels is a collection of ceramics made with foraged Gault clay, which formed around 100 million years ago and is only present around the south east, UK. Looking at the concept of timelessness, this work links nature, history and geology, and places sustainable materiality and functional storytelling at its core.

 

The clay was gathered from two spiritually important sites in Folkestone - the holy well at the base of the North Downs and the Sunny Sands beach, close to where St Eanswythe’s Water emerges into the harbour. Once the clay had been processed it was formed into small, hand sized vessels as part of a meditative process. The title of this work reflects the elements invoked whilst making it, Earth, Air, Fire & Water. 

 

The Maye Queene (2024)

 

The Maye Queene is a large cyanotype on fabric and was made using flora gathered from St Eanswythe’s church yard and along the banks of St Eanswythe’s Water as it runs above ground at Lower Radnor Park. 

 

Shift (2025)

 

Shift is an abstract landscape made using salvaged textiles. Designed to show places of importance to the story of St Eanswythe’s and the people of Folkestone, this piece serves as a map of changing geological features over the course of a thousand years.