Personal Growth 2: The Art of Survival

Claremont Studios artists Sarah Broome, and Caroline Le Breton and two invited artists, Maggie Cullen and Nicky Gilmour, have come together to investigate ways as urban dwellers relate to nature and our environment. With increasing awareness of the impact of climate change, their work looks at both our resilience in the face of personal tragedy and our collective helplessness in the face of looming global catastrophe. Their work explores issues of shelter, self-protection and the reparative capacity of art and nature.

The idea behind the activity

Artists have always had a powerful relationship with nature and share many concerns with ecologists on environmental issues, climate change, and how this will affect people and communities in the near future. This concern is reflected in many national initiatives such as the RSA Arts and Ecology Centre, The Tipping Point Initiative and The Radical Nature Exhibition at the Barbican.

The artists hope to build links with and support local community environmental organisations by occupying an empty shop in Hastings town centre and transforming it into a creative environmental hub. The intention is to provide an opportunity for discussion between artists, environmentalists and local communities through making work that is active, socially engaged and relevant to the lives and concerns of the residents of Hastings and the wider implications of climate change.

The exhibition was showing in Autumn 2009 at

197 Queens Road, Hastings, TN34 1HA