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It’s time to wake up.

 

No, it’s still dark!

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Yes, but there are things to do.

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Do I really have to get up? What is it that I actually need to do?

 

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The world turns, the light dims. Long days fade and it’s a drag to leave the apartment, especially with the rain. Conversations at the breakfast table revolve around the point, why resist these feelings, why can’t we just stay in?

 

Waterproofs go on. Out in the woods things are still growing. Decomposing what’s left behind by the trees, emerging between the soggy leaves. ‘It’s getting dark already, eh?’ There’s a Russian phrase for all the things that are about to be, they say ‘It’s on the nose’. Sniffling in the damp, here we are, ‘Winter’s on the nose.’

 

Back home the candles melt, disappearing as quickly as the day. Books pile on the floor, we could do with some new shelves. Thinking along with these rhythms of growing, collecting and storing, we’ve been gathering materials on walks and in the kitchen over the summer and early autumn to make natural dyes: walnuts, avocado skins, yellow flowers, onion peel. What to do with all these things collected over the year and how can they help us listen to our bodies and be okay with being slow and sleepy for a while: let’s make some homeware for hibernation.

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Homeware for Hibernation is a duo project with Jake Caleb to embrace the darker months and rainy weather by making a homeware collection exploring rhythms of growing, collecting and storing. The project was exhibited at LIFE with generous help from Ash Kilmartin.

As part of the show and to mark the clock change we broadcasted Extra hour hour: one hour of night time stories with Rotterdam Art And Radio on Saturday 24th October. This can be accessed via RAAR.

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