Press Release

22 | 02 | 24

‘Big Sur' California Artist Peery Sloan

Making work within the crafting communities of Scotland

Photograph from Peery Sloan'sThe Language of Woolproject on The Shetland Islands | Image credit Sean Sweeney

Multidisciplinary, site-responsive artist Peery Sloan is spending winter and the early part of 2024 in Scotland, 5,000 miles away from her home in California, on a series of residencies and projects that will culminate in a touring exhibition of textiles and photography later this year.

Peery's practice is based on traditional ‘women's' crafts such as weaving, beading, quilting, knitting and basketry, and considers the interplay between natural materials and social structures. Her current exploration of creative action within rural communities incorporates locally sourced materials such as clay and wool, and uses ceremony and performance to explore ideas of community and belonging, whilst raising questions about energy and resource use and our impact on the environment.

This project began in October 2023 in Scalloway, ancient capital of the Shetland Islands, with The Booth Residency, courtesy of Wasps (Workshop & Artists Studio Provision Scotland) and the Shetland Trust.TitledThe Language of Wool,the Shetland Islandsproject aims to forge a deep connection with ‘place' and is based on Peery's immersive engagement with the islands' crofting and knitting circles.

"My exploration of the evolution of wool, from raw to refined, unveiled a language characterized by patience and meticulous attention"says Peery."Seeking guidance from those more adept, I became interwoven into the fabric of the community".

Integrating raw wool laden with lichen, dirt, and peat harvested from pastures, the project culminated in the knitting of a shawl, with which Peery adorned herself, along with a traditional straw Skekler ‘guising' hat, which is traditionally thought to disguise and protect children from malicious spirits. An associated site-specific performance was documented by photographer Sean Sweeney, and both Peery's creations and Sean's images will make up part of the forthcoming exhibition.

"These images depict a fabricated creature, both alien and indigenous"says Peery,"endeavoring to bridge the gap, and to fathom the essence of the energy of the Shetland Islands".

Photograph from Peery Sloan'sThe Language of Woolproject on The Shetland Islands | Image credit Sean Sweeney

Peery is currently in Dumfries as Visiting Artist at The Stove Network, an art charity which supports communities in making positive change in their local area. Throughout 2024 she will be continuing to make work that reflects her interest in the way that communities respond to and engage with art.

TheLanguage of Woolproject and subsequent collections will form Peery's first UK exhibition,Of Spirit, Of Power: The Vernacular of Energy,which will be launched as part of Wool Week on the Shetland Islands this September, before moving on for exhibition at TheBriggait,Glasgow in October. The exhibition will also include a collection of Peery's hand knitted tapestries, and caps made by Shetland Knitters with motifs that Peery has designed relating to wind turbine farms and Scotland's ongoing energy crisis.

To follow Peery's ongoing projects see www.peerysloan.com

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Print Ready 300dpi images for press use: 
 
PEERY SLOAN The Language of Wool 1 

PEERY SLOAN The Language of Wool 2 

Editors Notes

PEERY SLOAN

Artist Peery Sloan, a Tennessee native, once served as the designated yarn-roller for her needle-working grandmother, a role she loved and embraced even into adulthood. This early engagement with craftwork laid the foundation for her multidisciplinary art practice, which is influenced by traditional ‘women's' crafts such as weaving, beading, quilting, knitting and basketry. Now residing in Big Sur, California, Peery's work draws inspiration from the natural environment and explores the concept of belonging. Evolving into a socially oriented artist, she employs ceremony as a medium to bridge social connections and disconnections, while addressing human environmental impact. Rejecting confinement to a single medium, Peery's art is site responsive and adaptive, utilizing materials and practices relevant to each community she works with. Her work has been exhibited across the United States and internationally.

For further press information or additional images contact Mercedes Smith at Fine Art Communications director@fineartcommunications.co.uk | Tel 07825 270235 | www.fineartcommunications.co.uk