…That it all begins with wood is a resonant idea, given our deep affection for ancient trees.  If we love what grows silently in our midst, how could we not love what is made from it?

Professor Tom Shakespeare

I love the fact that trees are the origin of stringed instruments; that wood can resonate in a deeply individual way so that the player becomes one with the instrument, and a personal relationship grows between them. In composing for a musician, their particular sound is at the centre of the imagination. In this way, the luthier and the composer come together to draw notes out of silence.

Sally Beamish

We take care of forests knowing that they will exist long after we are gone, and we restore and maintain instruments that are hundreds of years old, in order to pass them on to the next generation. The tree becomes something else that is also timeless, and lives on as the object, the music, the experience of sound in the listener… Nothing is ever predictable when you use organic materials. Wood behaves unexpectedly; it requires the maker to listen to it and stop and change the way they are working in reaction to its character. You can measure its density, weight, the speed of sound through it, its vibration frequencies...but you can never fully predict the sound that the finished instrument will produce.

Stephanie Irvine

This is a wonderful exhibition, do go if you can. It opens up your imagination and evokes thoughts and ideas that last a lot longer than the visit to this beautiful and historic building.

Sophie Wallace

The Dovetailing exhibition was a very special experience. We were gently navigated on a journey from the beginnings in nature, through the trees and into the workshop where human movement and creative forces were interspersed with the images of the end products. I loved the layering of sounds (nature, wood carving, music) in combination with layering of images (film, filmed shadows, shadows from the sculptures). I had a strong sense of the beauty in natural origins, and how the creative process begins with peaceful meditation on what things are and what might become.

Karen Vaughan

It is rare to be in a space so complete. The installation was all encompassing: it was an experience that seemed to make visible what is invisible between the natural and the human.

Geraldine Woodhouse

I loved the way you could just sit and watch it or be more actively involved by wandering through the mobiles and experiencing it from different angles. The intimacy of the space helped with this. The whole thing felt very personal. It's very unusual to be able to experience a work of art in this way, seeing it with just a few members of my family. It felt like a privilege.

I liked the interaction of the mobiles, the film and the music and the way the film told some of the story of the installation, but not in a direct way. There were many layers - you could watch the mobiles, their shadows on the screen and sometimes see the same mobiles in the film itself.

Les Goldman

The Dovetail multi sensory experience is so generously giving. It immerses us in a gentle powerful celebration of nature.

Jackie Waring

I was struck by the sheer amount of work that had gone into creating such beauty, and the effect of the three artists coming together, moving alongside each other, connecting, feeding each other and growing together and interweaving their gifts in this unique tapestry of light and sound.  The mobiles and the ancient building create a depth of experience, as we look through the moving shapes, see them transforming on the screen, and see each ones individual, hand crafted beauty and character. Each element is beautiful – but it is the bringing together, the integration of all the elements that makes this installation so special.  It is way more than the sum of its parts, and at the same time has a lightness of energy that will allow it to appear in other places and respond in a different way in each location that it visits. Thank you all for creating this.

Kate Graham

Here I feel ‘in nature’, in a precious stillness, both of the inside and of that which is outside.

I am watching the natural world, hearing the noise of the wild, seeing the luthier’s offcuts spinning like seeds from the ash tree, sitting in the stillness of the outside while inside.

I will take this stillness with me.

 Anon

There are moments when one finds a deeper harmony with life and our universe, this exhibition is one of them.

Ian Smith

The film in all its quietness albeit with explicit attention to detail, showed the craft and love that goes into making…

 …In direct juxtaposition, but also in harmony, a series of the mobile hangings were hung around the space. Some located directly in front of the film, creating a shadow or even a mirrored narrative reflection of the tale unfolding…

…The soundtrack of birds singing and stringed instrumental pieces drew the viewer in whilst the mobiles, almost like musical notes, or stringed instrument parts, or leaves falling, moved and danced gently in response.

Louise Hepworth-Wood

The exhibition was lovely. I felt that Farfield was the perfect location, walking into a cool, semi darkened space was so reminiscent of entering woodland on a bright sunny day. The ‘ancientness’ of the building itself, with the sense of the outside being brought inside - the trees, birdsong, river - really emphasised the contemplative nature of the whole installation. The mobiles that so gently moved and made shadows- again, like being in a sunny woodland. I really liked the peacefulness of the whole experience, and for me the sounds of the making of the violin and mobiles- the scraping on wood- had such a measured sense of purpose. Loved it.

Lorna Jewitt

I was completely enthralled by the exhibition, immersed by the sight, the sound, the setting.  The interaction of light and wood, of objects created and shaped seen against apparently natural woodland but that has also been created and shaped by people, of old wood and new wood, old sounds and new sounds: all this took me to a place of reflection and wonder.  As an analyst I view connections as the places that life and change occur, so the interconnectedness of all the elements I experienced was stimulating and inspiring. 

Chris Powell

The Dovetailing exhibition, or rather experience, left me with a profound feeling of calm and wellbeing.  I hadn't been sure what to expect, but was immediately put at ease as I was immersed in the dusky light of Ilkley moor.  The soundscape was mesmerising with 'expected' sounds, such as bird song, having equal status with the 'unexpected' sounds of scissors snipping and surfaces sanded.  The intermingling of the 3-D mobiles and the 2-D film made for a mesmerising display.  Reflections of light, shadow, pattern and movement were captivating.  Nothing was overdone or over-stimulating, just quietly and calmly enchanting.  The musical element fitted seamlessly into the visual field and sparked an extra dimension of contemplation. It felt like returning to the peace I associated with lockdown.  We were lucky enough to visit the Dovetailing exhibition on a glorious Yorkshire day.  The spareness of the hall, with its cool and musty atmosphere made for a perfect sanctuary after the heat, as we had walked there from Addingham along the Dales Way. At the end of the viewing, we were refreshed and invigorated for the journey back, being even more mindful of the trees we passed on the way.

Sarah Pressley

Walking along the banks of the Wharfe, through a gap in the wall, up a path overgrown with Jack by the Hedge and into this austerely beautiful building. The solidity, quiet and dark of Fairfield give way to pulses of light, movement, image and sound that gently saturate the senses. Wave upon wave of wood-sounds - as strings, as birdsong, as wind through the pines, as gouging and sanding - as instruments, mobiles and film are created to interpret the music and movement of life. These reciprocating layers resonate to our profound interdependence upon each other and nature.

Professor Fiona Williams

I loved the immersive quality to the installation, being surrounded by the sound and looking through the mobiles to the film. The way the different visual elements mingled and shifted (physical object, shadow and film) were mesmerising. A really successful installation and moving experience.

Alice Fox

Changing the inside of the space and our perception of the outside world.

Professor Becky Malby

To be mesmerised by the film and mobiles. Curves rotating, throwing shadows on the screen, like spirits dancing in the room with sounds of nature, of working wood and then violins. Like puppets that come alive or masks that take take on their spirit when worn. From tree to wood to music. Music spans heaven and earth. Soaring above and returning as reverberations. I wanted to dance… I was held by threads made of music, of curves and shadows. What is real and what is not become blurred. The witness become part of the installation. Past present and future dance with each other.

Ruth Steinberg

And always the curling and ebbing and flowing of the music in silence-and-wood in the body of the meeting house.

We stood and moved between for the second playing of the film, enjoying breathing softly on the curves and plains (how we have tried not to breathe on each other these last 18 months, held our breath as the pandemic played out!) 

Then it was over.

Not over. Out into sunlight.

Talking on the green grass with you.

More internal....that silent music of forms. Shapesong.

Sally Little

The space was both held and pulsing. As we settled to watch the film, the mobiles were quiescent, joining the back wall in shadow form and reminding all the while of their presence. The unfocused imagery led the mind into a dreamy state where music, form and flow interwove enchantingly.

Anna Botwright

Dovetailing was truly unforgettable for me… The show has beauty, elegance and heart. I would love to see how it transforms new spaces and I really hope it goes on to delight more people worldwide. Magical!!

Jenni Smith

It was a most memorable de stressing experience and a wonderful reminder of what is important: listening, looking and appreciating. How pleasurable it was to allow oneself to relax meditatively to the gentle rhythms of nature and yet hear beautiful music that added a human dimension.

J & P

It was a spiritual experience, quite emotional for me. The mobiles complementing the stillness within the meeting house . And the film carried me away into the forest .

Sylvia Thompson

It seemed particularly relevant after the last difficult months.

Pam Gillgrass

The combination of the mobiles hanging from the rafters, and their shadows reflected on the wall, the simplicity and stillness of the ancient meeting house, and  then the beauty of the film accompanied by the music completed a multi sensory experience! I thought the beautifully crafted and  shaped mobiles seemed to be suspended in space and made me think of thoughts inside the mind.  Highly recommend this exhibition to everyone! Not to be missed!

Ghislaine Young

Intriguing, beautiful, calming, ethereal

Rosalind Forbes

Prompted by the sounds and spirit of the woodland whilst taking shape from the music, the seamless layering of experiences brings one to appreciate a light harmony in nature. 

Dr Loraine Powell

We found our shadows moving through the woods on the screen along with those of the mobiles, each of which was creating its own living calligraphy.

Ian Bone

Finding this exhibition of the work of three talented artists working so collaboratively in three such different media was a joy; even more so because it was in this tiny 17C chapel on a glorious walking route in the Yorkshire Dales. I had heard of the exhibition via the diary page in The World of Interiors - the information was bookended by events from Bath, Venice, Edinburgh and New York. I don't think those locations (and their shows) could have bettered this one.

Suzanne Rennie

The exhibition was a delight for the senses. A serene experience of light, music and movement. As you move under and around the exhibits your movement creates their movement changing the shapes and shadows as they turn and dance. Moving under and around felt like being in the boughs of the most exquisite and delicate of trees.

Liz Grierson

Dovetailing is a beautiful , immersive installation. Set in the appropriately meditative space of a 17th century Quaker meeting house, it coaxes you rather than demands your attention. The cyclical film is a sensitive backdrop to the the delicate slowly spinning sculptures. Or is it the other way round? I particularly enjoyed the subtle photographs, printed on wooden panels.

Andy Wood

I have a mathematical background, and a lifelong interest in the mathematics of curves, in particular, so I found the experience of being surrounded by so many dynamic curves, of such beauty, quite overwhelming. I don't mean I tried to analyse them in any way, I was just.... "bathed", I suppose, in a manifestation of their complex diversity. Quite wonderful.  As the title of the Exhibition suggests, the essence of the whole thing is not in  isolated curves, beautiful though they may be, but in their interaction and mutual dependence - where the complexity goes through the roof. I can only marvel silently at how you go about creating such things.I also loved the film, and its soundtrack, which complemented the exhibition perfectly.

Martin Williams

This exhibition offers such a wonderful, multi sensory experience inspired by nature. I was blown away by its beauty but yet came out wonderfully relaxed. Cannot recommend it highly enough; catch it if you can.

Ruth McBain

An immersive experience taking thoughts dreamily along – birdsong, treescapes and the beautiful mobiles crafted and creating moving shadows in this perfect setting.  The music totally enhances this peaceful and uplifting experience.

Jennifer and Richard Rundle

…Juliet, Clare et Sally nous transportent au grès de leur inspiration dans un monde à la fois imaginaire et étonnamment familier…Cette balade étonnante est marquante puisque, désormais, à chaque fois que je me promène dans les bois, j’imagine les mobiles de Juliet en suspension entre les branchages frissonnant, bercés par le vent et les compositions musicales de Sally, le tout à travers le regard de Clare.

…Juliet, Clare and Sally transport us to the core of their inspiration in a dream-like and astonishingly intimate world…This remarkable experience endures in my thoughts as since then, each time I walk in the woods, I imagine Juliet’s mobiles suspended between the trembling branches, swaying in the wind, and the musical composition of Sally, all drawn into one by Clare’s film. 

Anne Andrieux (translated by Esme Gutch)

The beautiful moving shapes, birdsong, the music and woodland in a spiritual place made, ironically perhaps, for a still point in the turning world. Thank you for reminding me of what really matters.  And all that only happens, in my experience, as the result of hours and hours of work. So  heartfelt thanks and congratulations to you both/all.

Caroline Moseley

For me the exhibition tells a story of our relationship between the natural world and the human perception and human activities, the need for connection with nature through different forms of activities and creative expression like music, movie making and hands on sculpture and craft. The source of material - trees - was the element that held the building and the theme of exhibition like a very lively primal frame. It is so important to explore our relationship with the natural world, especially in current difficult times of the climate change. 

Agi

We loved the textures projected on the wood of the mobiles; the shapes creating the pieces; the story told through the pictures and sounds. Of course, the viola is just the right instrument to use here with the wood and strings. 

This exhibition is a study in mindfulness in many ways, allowing you to be transported to another dimension. The calmness of the mobiles movement and delicate pictures help you to relax – breathe in the experience. Wonderful.

 Professor Janet Cade

This exhibition is a deep immersive experience where time stops, and you are just in the moment.

Joan Ransley

Silence. Air, life, movement. Bird song to start a new day; breeze in the leaves. Nature, big trees, gentle noise, and then… music.

Suspended curves, shadows, shapes swaying; known and unknown, mindful, mystical, then joyful, a conductor’s baton swishing. Made from nature, created of wood. Living and uplifting as I let my arms join the shadow dance.  

All these I shared with my frail Dad many times in his last weeks. Music transcended conversation: we shared the space as we sat together, listening to the orchestral melodies from an old CD player, conducting the trees outside the bay window. With one eye close, he watched with the other to make sure I was still there and still conducting the leafy branches with him. Joyous. 

Remembered and relived today.

Silence again now. But all is well.

Lucia Smith

Dovetailing -  It had subtle power to immerse and take us gently away from the now and into a timeless world of delicate and tender beauty both visually and audibly.  We loved it!

Caroline Ravens

Your beautiful exhibition felt like stepping through a portal out of lockdown into the real, but changed world of 2021

Caroline Booth