top of page
"SHELVED"
A year-long project with the FOLD Art Collective.
​
Each of the 12 artists in the collective will make work in response to the idea of an ordinary domestic shelf.
Every month one artist brings their ‘shelf’ to the group Crit for discussion. And each month a photograph of that shelf is added to the FOLD website and Instagram with a short (200 word max) artist text to accompany the work. Sculpture, textiles,painting, drawing, printmaking, film and digital practices will all be brought to play
In this way, the project will accumulate over a year, with the collection of ‘shelves’ influenced by previous ideas and the ongoing discussion.
​
The project will be seen unfolding throughout the year on Instagram & the FOLD Art Collective website. Pieces will be shown as part of The Weight of Things exhibition at Morley Gallery in March 2025.
Non Finita
2024, linen, wax, charcoal, paper, thread, wood
Cass Breen
​In her piece, Cass references the sculpting technique meaning a work is unfinished, a convention dating from the Renaissance period. Here, it is a reference to a ‘shelved idea’, something which might have been abandoned or not sufficiently developed at the time, but could also live to see another day. The component pieces that make up Non Finito were made some years ago. They had their outings at the time but in her periodic reviews of past work, Cass often re-examines work in the light of what has happened since. So these pieces came off the shelf but also onto the shelf in a new relationship between the constituent parts.
Underneath It All
2024, oil painting on ready made wooden shelf
Jess Blandford
​Jess’ shelf is deliberately empty. Usually a shelf is a space to show off prized possessions, while the everyday structure itself goes unnoticed. But here (if you bend and peer beneath), you’ll find an oil painting - pools of colour, gestural marks and erasures. Abstract expressionism (traditionally full of machismo and high cultural value) hidden on the underside. It’s a tribute to the often invisible work of support: the physical, emotional and mental loads that we carry for those we love. The role of carer is complex, mundane, intimate, repetitive, funny, messy, low status, and essential. Jess’ ordinary shelf aspires to celebrate the unpaid labour which holds up our global economies, as well as our everyday lives.
Prologue
2024, mixed media
Marina Nasso-Beard
Prologue is composed entirely of collected ephemera. Paper fragments serve as mementos of significant events or as tokens of places Marina yearned to attend but circumstances prevented. Each piece, collected over four decades, preserves cherished memories.
Marina has re-presented this collection as a unified structure in an attempt to prevent the intangible from becoming lost and forgotten, as a curator and custodian over select objects.
The shelf itself holds no inherent worth, except as a reliquary of precious moments, some shared, others experienced alone; intangible memories that shape her identity. They recount formative moments within a life, bearing witness to countless interactions, whether mundane or pivotal, which constitute the essence of what is enduring and of value in each life.
The Light Within
2024, mixed media
Carmen Van Huisstede
‘The Light Within’ is a found object sculpture that embodies the theme of 'Shelved', serving as a poignant reflection on the resilience and strength of women against societal norms. Made from repurposed wire hangers, the sculpture's base forms a shelf, representing the constraints and expectations historically imposed on women. The interwoven hangers suggest the interconnectedness of women's experiences and the solidarity needed to overcome societal limitations.
At the centre of the wireframe lies a yellow sphere made from layers of materials, fabrics, and inscriptions, implying that women are the radiant centre of life. This central element, reminiscent of Abramović's performance art, evokes discomfort and empowerment, echoing the uncanny nature of women's experiences within societal structures.
Between the Acts
2024, Copper, chain, iron, ceramic, mirror, glass and moss
Jane Hughes
The shelf, In the fashion of the theatre of the baroque, sets out a pastoral scene where the figure was used to maximise drama. Made from a piece of thin copper sheeting, the shelf is held up by two weathered iron supports. It nevertheless almost imperceptibly bows with the weight of the cornucopia upon its surface. A Mise en scene to ‘wedded bliss’ and the spectacle of marriage. Mirrors, clouded glass, broken cherubs and figurine lovers adorn the surface, while chains and archaic objects weigh it down. The Marriage ceremony mirroring theatre. Both are performances with scripts, costumes, an audience and dialogues in which the leading characters must play new roles in the ‘production’.
Will It Hold, Though?
2025, cotton organdie fabric, thread
Eleanor Street
The title is a nod to the testy and rather slapdash DIY that Eleanor & her partner have to undertake, from time to time. However, the piece itself reflects on ideas around reliability, trustworthiness; of trying to keep precious things safe and trying to have faith that people and things will do their job, function as we expect. With the burgeoning use and development of artificial intelligence; dishonesty and disruption online in pursuit of clicks and monetisation; the collapse of trust in media platforms and figures of authority; and evidence of malign actions by individuals and state actors, what can be relied upon? Where can we place our trust and what can we do to ensure that the people, things and ideas precious to us - individually and collectively - are safe and can thrive.
Eleanor’s shelf encapsulates this worry and yearning for openness, honesty and ‘good faith’. Made from the organdie that she uses in her printmaking practice, it is a flimsy facsimile that cannot possibly fulfil its basic function of holding things, keeping them out of the way and safe.
Dregs
2025, mixed media
Claire Nicholson
All my life, I have collected scraps—little paintings, miniature drawings, tiny etchings—always thinking that one day I would use them in a piece of art. My home is filled with drawers overflowing with anything and everything from receipts, to Christmas cards to post stamps and postcards. *Dregs* is the realization of that lifelong habit, a celebration of preserving what might otherwise be forgotten.
Using string, wire, and those saved fragments, I created a suspended shelf that resembles a fishing net. The net has “caught” these small pieces of my past scarps, holding them together in a vibrant, dynamic composition. Each fragment represents a moment of creativity, a tiny story that now contributes to something larger.
*Dregs* is my way of showing that even the smallest, most overlooked things are worth keeping. The bright threads and overlapping scraps weave a narrative of preservation and transformation, turning what might have been discarded into something meaningful. This piece is a reminder that nothing is wasted, and even the smallest remnants can hold incredible value.
Unpacked
2025, stored and treasured baby clothing, washing line
​
Nell Martin
Babies' clothes are nostalgic and evocative for many of us. These clothes represent both happy and painful memories for me, undisturbed for many years. First worn by my two children, the clothes were kept in our attic in the unfulfilled hope of another child. What I didn't know then, was that I would unearth them in time to be worn again when grandchildren entered our lives.
Washing, drying and mending clothes for children is work that all parents and carers carry out. "Unpacked" is a chance to explore my feelings of loss and hope and celebrate family life.
Memoirs
2025, mixed media
​
Abigail Elverd
Reminiscent of the lone, thin shelf in Abigail’s rented apartment when she first moved in - and which buckled under the weight of the items she placed on it - this shelf is weaving a common thread that transcends beyond the items themselves to the lives it inhabits. The shelf holds many stories, and hidden secret memoirs of specific periods of time. Embedded with the unseen, it is witness to the unspoken words of those who inhabit the space - lying dormant and empty until the next tenants arrive.
This shelf is made from MDF weaved repetitively round with coloured cottons that overlap and sometimes unravel. Beginnings and endings, untethered and loose, reflecting that “common thread” that weaves a narrative we all share.
Am I On the Shelf?
2025, mixed media
Katherine Rose
​
On the Shelf: Definition (Oxford)
-
not used or wanted
-
BRITISH ENGLISH, informal, dated
past an age when one might expect to have the opportunity to marry (typically used of a woman)
This phrase began to be used in the 19th Century and is a continuation of a control that has been prevalent in Western history for centuries - a regulation of women who don’t fit neatly into a society that was constructed by powerful men (who were scared of the potential power of women).
The link to being unwanted, avoided, and ignored has a duality for Katherine as she sits firmly in mid-life and menopause. It is frustrating, but there lies enormous strength within obscurity because no one is watching…
storage boxes
2024, lead, light
​
Bernadette Enright
Bernadette has considered the role of a shelf as means of storage. Things might be stored for a variety of reasons - being saved for best, hidden from sight and mind, no longer used, saved for later. Usually, things saved are considered important enough to not be discarded. She has used the materiality of lead to consider the weight or importance of the items kept.
bottom of page