Past Exhibition
Entanglements in Marine Environments
About the Artist Gill Melling is an artist living and working in Devon whose art practice, developed over a 30-year period, spans several genres, from site-specific installation and community facilitation to drawing and sculpture. Gill understands the world as a complex system and reflects this both in the work she creates and the life she leads. She holds a PhD in Fine Art and has also worked as a garden designer and mental health community worker. In 2017, she returned to her art practice with renewed focus and currently maintains a studio in Exeter. Since 2020, Gill has been creating artworks exploring the impact of our industrial cultures of consumption on marine ecology. She uses mixed media including reclaimed materials such as fishing line and plastic; natural objects like fish skeletons; photography and digital production; iconic imagery; and tools of consumption and cultural practices. These elements come together in both 2D and 3D juxtapositions that offer a slanted, entangled, and sometimes humorous perspective. Her intention is to prompt reflection on our interconnectedness with nature and the ways in which environmental damage—shaped by our traditions and practices—ultimately harms ourselves. Gill is therefore careful in her choice of materials, considering the longevity of each work and the environmental footprint it leaves. She has undertaken two residencies in Estonia—one in Tallinn and one on an ex-Soviet airfield in Haapsalu—as well as residencies with people living with dementia, Exeter residents, and college students. These have included site-specific installations, gardens, and collaborative works. Gill has exhibited across the UK and Europe and was recently selected for an Emerging Artist Award, recognising the new direction of her practice, and will exhibit at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery during Devon Open Studios 2025. About the Work Through these works, Gill explores the human impact on—and dependence upon—seagrass and seabed habitats, both locally and globally. Seagrass is estimated to be 35 times more efficient at absorbing carbon than tropical rainforests, yet since the 1930s, 90% of global seagrass beds have been lost. These habitats provide nursery grounds for popular culinary fish such as cod, as well as essential environments for cuttlefish and endangered species like seahorses. This series evolved through local conversations and observations, resulting in mixed media “entanglements” that combine beachcombed objects, organic matter, and human tools used both in the sea and to consume its treasures. The works create space for dialogue, inviting reflection on the fragility of seabed ecosystems while celebrating the strength and significance of seagrass habitats for human wellbeing. The unexpected relationships between the materials—and between the works and their viewers—aim to challenge, provoke thought, and encourage deeper questioning of critical marine issues. The Geopark designation has provided a unique canvas, drawing together a geography that encompasses Marine Conservation Zones that must share space with a fishing heritage that includes one of the largest fisheries in the country, a leisure industry, and local communities, all reliant on these same natural resources. This sits within the wider context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which the world continues to grapple with, and a global ecosystem increasingly reliant on local conservation efforts. This programme is a collaboration between Artizan Collective CIC, Torre Abbey, and the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark. Funded by the Torbay Local Heritage Grant Scheme through National Lottery Heritage Fund Investment, with additional support from CAF; a government funding stream, administered by the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), to protect treasured heritage assets in England from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and funding from Museum Estate Development Fund using public funds by Arts Council England Torbay Council and the Friends of Torre Abbey (FOTA). Thanks to the Blue Meadows Project and Ocean Conservation Trust in providing access to their seagrass restoration nursery and seagrass seeds. Thanks also to Neil Garrick-Maidment for his time and permission to use Seahorse Trust images.
📅 25 May – 22 June 2025
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📍 Artizan Collective
⚫ Exhibition Finished
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