The Kettlers are a creative arts group of people from North Cambridge who gather bimonthly with artist Lucy Steggals to grapple, stretch, tinker, reflect, enquire, repair, experiment, make, play, share and laugh. Our favourite object in the house is a clear glass double lipped jug hiding in one of the corners.
During 2022, The Kettlers are collaborating on a series of creative conversations focusing on our favourite corners of Kettle’s Yard. Each quarter, we are exploring one corner and taking it as a starting point for our playful experiments. Thinking about the objects, artworks and things that live in that corner. Expanding on and adding our own thoughts, reflections, feelings, and narratives as well as finding ways to invite the wider public to join in the conversation.
We will be sharing evidence of our creative process online via the Kettle’s Yard website. We will also be co-creating a card deck at the end of the year that we hope will encourage visitors to explore these four corners of the house in new unique and meaningful ways.
Corner 1
Have a go
The Kettlers have been thinking about what the words ‘light’ and ‘dark’ mean to them.
Draw a ladder. Think about actions, feelings, memories, places or objects which you might associate with ‘light’ or ‘dark’. Then write a word on each rung of your ladder going from light to dark or from dark to light.
Here are some suggestions from us:
Descend
Ascend
Mended
Wibble Wobble
Looping
Up Up Up
Moon
Stars
Fall
Criss-Cross
Halfway
Light
Dark
Love
Twilight
Scared
Wisdom
Hope
Sun
Shadow
Made it
Corner 2
The Kettlers have been reflecting on colours and how they connect to emotions and protective shells.
Pick a colour that matters to you think about it. Assemble a collection of clothing, fabric, accessories and objects in that colour. Construct a wearable protective shell on your person. Go for a walk and look for that colour.
The Kettlers chose the following colours.
Black- background/cat/ monochrome/ winter/ bins/ witch/ sadness/ darkness/ smart
Green- growth / plants/ life
Purple-hats / summer/ light/ sun/ petals/ fresh/ purple rain
Red- red cross/ sunsets/ remembrance/ poppies/ queen/ danger/ help/ dragons/ fun
Blue- sea/ beach/ waves/ mums dog/ blue summer sky/ high sky/ bright/ beautiful/ bluebells/ service uniforms
Lavender- lovely smell/ relaxing/ grandma/ smokey leaves/ bumble bees
Fuchsia- nail varnish/ flowers/ happiness/ skies
Corner 3
The Kettlers have been wondering why plates are round and redesigning cutlery. They have been thinking about who they would invite for dinner and what they might feed them.
Invite friends for dinner. All bring a plate (preferably not a round one). Share with each other why you chose this plate and how much it would cost if it was for sale in a thrift shop. Make your own cutlery. Dream up a menu.
Thank you
All the images and artwork here are the original creations of The Kettlers.
The Kettlers are:
Christine Chamberlain
Valerie Cutting
John Holt
Karrie Kuller
Ros Rowlinson
Barbara Watts
Christine Wright
The are supported on their creative excursions by artist Lucy Steggals.
Thank you also to Ester Rovira for volunteering to support us this quarter.
Supported by
