A new art installation exploring the precarious state of the planet is on display at RSPB Geltsdale. The collaboration by sisters Carolyn and Frances Marr plays with ideas of the positions of objects showing the fragility of the natural world, humans and our futures. Called Precarious, it is the Marr sisters’ second exhibition at the reserve, following Linescapes in 2017, and will be on show until May 31st.
Carolyn, who lived in Hallbankgate for 10 years before moving to Brampton in 2013, explained the thinking behind the show, which was designed specially for RSPB Geltsdale. She said: “Is a pot placed dangerously near the edge of its plinth a metaphor for the precarious state of the planet? Can it capture the fragility of our ageing bodies, the deeply uncertain futures for coming generations? Or is it simply a precarious object sitting on the edge?”
The sisters live at opposite ends of the country, Carolyn in Brampton and Frances in Salisbury, Wiltshire, so their gathering of work always brings surprises, negotiation and last-minute experimentation. They use a range of materials and techniques, and have previously exhibited work together at Salisbury Art Centre in 2021 and Florence Arts Centre in 2020 to 2021. They also show their work individually, with Carolyn taking part in local events including Craftsmen at the Priory at Lanercost Priory and Potfest in the Pens at Skirsgill Auction Mart, Penrith, and showing pieces in Gallery Northwest in Brampton and the Makers Mill in Keswick, and Frances having displayed at the New Art Centre in Wiltshire and Hilliers in Hampshire.
Carolyn said: "We love exhibiting here at Geltsdale - the gallery is a beautiful, light space, and the landscape is one we both know so well. It's great to be making something specifically for a place we've been walking in for over 20 years now, with me living nearby and Frances visiting as often as she can."
Visit RSPB Geltsdale’s visitor centre and gallery from 9am to 5pm until May 31st to see Precarious. For more information on the sisters’ work, visit www.carolynmarr.co.uk or www.francesmarr.co.uk or follow them on Instagram: @carolyn.marr.ceramics and @francesmarr.