I have written the story of the Offshoot Residency and Exhibition in the form of a blog. It is an evaluation as well as thoughts and ideas and purely my view.
Flyers courtesy of Artcore
mrusert@osnanet.de https://margit-rusert.de
drcawright@yahoo.com https://chriswright.co.uk
Residency diary
2025
This plan has been hatching since June 2024 during my residency to Osnabrück commissioned by Artcore Gallery, Derby. It is rare that you meet someone who you get along with and their work coincides with yours enough to plan something in the future. Through my membership of Near Now, Broadway, Nottingham, I was offered the gallery. This was massive support and enabled this 2025 residency and exhibition to go ahead. We had been discussing the what’s, why’s, when’s and how’s for weeks, constant messaging and emails until we finally after many changes, we finally came up with what we were about.
In this audio sculptural installation, our vision is to create a place where nothing is certain, where things – plants, fungi, or even bacteria – reach from the top to the bottom, from corners and centre and out to the edges. Resonances, that may or may not be familiar, encompass the gallery. In, round or through the work in the exhibition, individual sounds play quietly amongst the sculptures creating micro worlds.
Taking Rusert’s earlier sculptures, The Winner Takes It All, an exploration of plant mutation, as an inspiration, Offshootimagines what happens next. We are presently destroying our own environment due to individual behaviour and to corporate greed. This work at Broadway Gallery, Nottingham, supported by Near Now, explores the natural environment, particularly of plants, to try and gain an understanding of how we might see and hear the earth in a future time.
Offshoot aims to stimulate discussion about sustainability, biodiversity and ecology, which arises through the materials and processes involved in the production of the work. It also looks at how the possibilities of sculpture and sound reinforce each other in the context of ecological issues. We welcome all viewpoints and present an invitation to take part either through the making or in conversation in either English or German.
Throughout the making of this work, every effort is made to use re-purposed and recycled materials and to carry out the residency in accordance with our principles.
Day 1 Tuesday June 17th
The first day - Margit arrived. We sat on the swings by the bus station, laughed and took photos. Went to an exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary, looked at Broadway Gallery through the window and talked. I had already shared photos, but it is not easy to gauge the size without seeing it in real life. Met Lee Nicholls, the creative producer at Broadway who has supported this project so much. In fact, without him, there would have been no project so thanks Lee.
Day 2 Wednesday June 18th
Went to Artcore Gallery, Derby to meet Zahir Shaik, the artistic director. I realise that this is how residencies should work in an ideal world – the meeting of people on a similar wavelength – that then begins a life on its own. Artcore are printing leaflets and doing social media for us, thank you. This multi-organisation support is so valuable. It is hard to create this work without them.
Day 3 Thursday June 19th
Donated wires
Starting a couple of days early, we began with a huge pile of wires, some drawings on plastic sheet by Margit and lots of ambition and enthusiasm. I have been collecting wires for a few weeks from places such as an electrical garage, Surface Gallery, a neighbour who, amazingly, had a whole sack full of old computer and data cables and Near Now. The use of this material was initiated because we needed a lot of it, it was free, it had the potential to be sculptural, able to be manipulated. It had the capacity to look like roots, mycelium and other plant-like structures. It also had a relationship to how we live our lives. Whilst satellites and The Cloud have taken over some need for cables, we are still reliant on them for many things. We began with the wires - sorting, cleaning, bundling and generally testing what they could and would do. Stripping cables of their outer coating revealed treasures within.
Margit began by drawing over the original drawings on the plastic sheeting creating new green shoots that both encompassed and enhanced the original drawing. All was uncertain at this stage, it was a place of play. I feel trepidatious about some aspects of the collaboration but feel sure we can work it out. As always, with projects of this sort, you realise that perhaps we should have talked more especially about materials and ways of working. I thought we had but there should have been more.
Day 4 Friday June 20th
The drawing continues. Wire structures appear on the walls. They are like drawings - drawing with wire that echoes Margit’s work or, Margit’s drawings echo the wire sculptures. There is some semblance to the natural world, such as lianas that drape onto the floor. These structures, or, rather, unstructures, reference my experiences whilst travelling. Fishing wires now create zig-zags across the ceiling ready to hang from. It is a perpetual problem of how to attach things to the walls and ceiling as no holes can be made. The former use of the gallery as a shop meant that there are very many plug sockets which I covered with paper. However, some fixtures were used as supports making the gallery look like it was part of an abandoned site.
We had decided to invite guest artists for half days. We thought this would both enhance the work, provide inspiration and keep the conversation about biodiversity to the forefront. We almost had cold feet about this, thinking that it would be a distraction but the first of the guest artists was Louise Garland and it worked well. She made a surreal plant-like hanging referencing Fibonacci sequences. This photo includes the reflections of the house opposite.
A1 posters, courtesy of Near Now, have arrived and look great. Flyers, printed by Artcore, have been distributed to various cafés, galleries etc. Visitors invited as part of an ongoing process.
Posters courtesy of Near Now
Day 5 Saturday June 21st
Stayed away from the gallery for Margit to rest and us to reflect, assess progress and talk. I feel that I have been working on this project for weeks, there is always a lot of things to do, emails, meetings etc. that I also feel a bit weary and welcome the rest that comes with have actually having begun. Having unexpectedly gained a couple of extra days, we are relaxed, should we be?
Day 6 Sunday June 22nd
Another rest day doing nothing special but introducing Margit to local places and customs such as going to the pub. Amazing what 3 pints of lime and soda can do!
Day 7 Monday June 23rd
After a weekend off to reflect on the start that has been made, it is back to drawing and manipulating wire. I realised we needed an information sheet for guests
Art and Biodiversity: Sculpture and Sound
A residency and exhibition that brings together two artists from England and Germany in a practical conversation between art and the environment, sculpture and sound.
The residency will open on June 24th with an almost empty gallery with a vision to create a place where nothing is certain. Things that maybe plants, fungi, or even bacteria, reach from the top to the bottom, from corners and centre and out to the edges. Resonances, that may or may not be familiar, encompass the gallery. In, round or through the work in the exhibition, individual sounds play quietly amongst the sculptures creating micro worlds. The temporality of the listening process, its fragility, is enhanced by the contrasting solidity of the sculptures which threaten to invade the space.
Our aims are to stimulate discussion about sustainability, biodiversity and ecology, which arises through the materials and processes involved in the production of the work. It also looks at how the possibilities of sculpture and sound reinforce each other in the context of ecological issues. We welcome all viewpoints and present an invitation to enter the conversation in English or German.
Rusert and Wright began their collaboration during an artist exchange in 2024 in Germany, with Artcore Gallery, Derby and Osnabrück-based hase29, m82 studios and skulptur-galerie. The two artists continue to expand their work together alongside their individual practices and work to intensify the links between the two countries. This exhibition is possible thanks to the generosity of Broadway’s Near Now and continuing support of Artcore Gallery.
It is only day 3 of making so still have 9 days to make an exhibition. The aim is to finish on Thursday 3rd and have the last two days as exhibition only. Whether it works out like that is a matter of conjecture. The gallery seems to grow in size and we need more and more material. My hands are sore and cut from the wires and Margit’s arm and back are aching due to drawing. It is extremely hot which makes us a little tetchy. The gallery has huge windows so there is no escape from the heat. Kept going by cake and coffee.
Day 8 Tuesday June 24th
Just getting on with it and adjusting to the limitations of the gallery. It is not very easy to create work that stands off the walls as fixing to the ceiling, for example, is difficult with the heavy weights of knotted cables. My plan is to finish the sculptures this week and focus on the sound next week. A couple of tests have been made for feasibility. Margit aims to finish the drawings by Tuesday and so add to the sculptures. I was hoping to create new sounds but I realised that part of my existing sound library plus recent additions were just right. Speaker charging ready for the trials.
Margit almost completed drawing number 2 and I untangled the tangles in the wire. More cable arrived today but the heap is reducing fast. A long working day 10 to 7. Visitors have been welcomed and conversations had about the materials which, at first glance, appear to be odd and unlikely; the process –the stripping and manipulation of the wire is a painful procedure; the theme of mutation, sustainability, climate change and the future of plant life. With regard to our aims to make a sustainable exhibition, we are travelling by bus and bike and bus most days which makes for longer days.
Today’s guest artist, Tim Baker, made micro-worlds of leaves, plants and insects.
Now I have begun thinking about the theme of our residency - biodiversity, ecology, plant mutation, sustainability – I have been reading and researching for weeks and have created a small library for the gallery. The aim is to provide inspiration and to stimulate discussion. The books, all second-hand, include Richard Mabey’s Weeds and The Cabaret of Plants, David Attenborough’s Life on Earth, Melvin Sheldrake’s The Entangled Life, Gareth Lovett Jones and Mabey’s The Wildwood as well as various guides to wildflowers, fungi etc. The creation of root-like or mycelium structures makes me think about how the world would be without human interference. As humans, we require such a lot to carry out a basic life!
Day 9 Wednesday June 25th
Another ‘getting on with it’ day. Placed the guest artists work with their names in suitable places. Now one drawing is complete and hung, the gallery is changing shape, nooks and crannies have been created that lend themselves to snaking plants that creep up the walls and that resemble a little the drawings. The question has arisen – are they not just wires? They have begun to take forms, that may be plant-like, algae-like or fungi-like but have a life beyond those categories. Do they belong to the sea, the earth or the air?
Day 10 Thursday June 26th
An almost a ‘too hot to work’ day with the gallery windows focusing the sun. Suncream inside! First job each day seems to be fixing what has fallen down overnight. With the first and, by the end of the day, the second drawing installed, it is beginning to look and feel like an exhibition. Tree roots creep from the railings, knotted ‘nests’ are intertwined with bunches of mycelium-like fronds, small fungi type ‘things’ sprout from corners. We might run out of wire! So far, good progress has been made.
Today’s guest artist, Connie Burley, made paintings/drawings on plastic sheet referencing mutated flowers. She had already researched the theme and had some fascinating, and scary, information. Her work was pinned to the door creating reflective layers.
nest
Trialling the sounds which will go inside the nests using small portable speakers.
Day 11 Friday June 27th
The evening was spent at a preview at Artcore for two German artists that are here for a residency. How different artists carry out residencies is illuminating, and it is useful to think in detail about how to improve things. Margit and I were very lucky to have been able to extend our project like this.
Day 12 Saturday June 28th
12 noon opening today for us. More fixing! Dinner with Zahir and Ruchita at their house with lots of art conversation and good food.
Day 13 Sunday June 29th
A day away from the gallery and we went into Derbyshire and up to the moors. It gave me a lot of inspiration. The fresh air away from the city was valuable. It is good to have this balance away from the intensity of the residency.
Day 14 Monday June 30th
Feel enthusiastic after yesterday’s trip but realise that we are both tired and a little out of sorts. There are a few tensions but that is understandable as it has been a very ambitious project and we now only have a few days left. Margit finished her drawing today and hung them although they were difficult to fix. The weather is still very hot.
Day 11 Tuesday July 1st
Marcia Porto, a Brazilian artist, was guest today and she drew on some spare plastic that Margit had, using monstera leaves which are common in Brazil. Realise Margit and I are a little tense with each other and have some difficulty with language and understanding. It is hard to be forthright when there is a danger of misinterpreting. Had to apologise for my grumpiness today! Although I have spent a lot of time learning German, and Margit speaks good English, I am very unconfident as I have now reached a deep grammar stage and do not understand things like word order and parsing. It has made me afraid to speak!
Marcia’s drawing near the ceiling!
Day 12 Wednesday July 2nd
A shorter day so that we could go to Dubrek Studios and see a Jazz Jam with Tim Baker. Mary Hayes was the last guest artist today and she stayed most of the day creating prints and using wire as print-making material.
Working on the sound pieces and decided to use 4 pieces not 5 so there was space for the sounds to be heard individually. This is not quite how I originally envisaged it but it is better this way.
Day 13 Thursday July 3rd
Margit decided to make a big sculpture with the wire that we had left.
Our exhibition is announced on the notice board in Broadway.
Mary returned to finish off her prints. Print-making is a very long process! We have hung the guest artists’ work with their names having advertised them in the gallery window.
Things are sprouting. It is almost finished. It is looking a little bit like a jungle and am hoping it doesn’t just look a mess. It is always hard to know when to stop. I was initially wary of Margit bringing the plastic sheet but, in the end, it provided a good backdrop and little nooks and crannies for wire and structures to hide in.
The continual discussions were an important part of the process of making even though they weren’t always comfortable. I am sure that there were things that Margit didn’t like that I made and maybe she would have been happier with a different material. With proper funding, we would probably not have used the cables. We made the very best of what was available in terms of materials, time and space.
The sounds are inserted into their nests. It is very hard to get the balance right especially when we have visitors. Just doing my best!
Offshoot sounds 2
Day 14 Friday July 4th
The wire is all one piece, connecting everything together, even the plastic. This is important as to how I am thinking about the world, we are all one. No person or living thing is isolated.
Big day today with the first day of exhibition and event this evening. Quite relaxed although we are not quite ready. Forgot we needed to tidy up for 12. Zahir, Ruchita and Vinod, an Indian clay artist who has been resident at Artcore for a month, arrived just after 2pm bearing flowers which was lovely and added the sense of smell to the gallery. It became quite a lively occasion with people coming in off the street as well. Lee came down and met Zahir and Ruchita for the first time. It was good for us to have to explain the work, to have to say it out loud in the context of exhibition rather than as a residency and in progress.
For the evening, I bought an embroidered tablecloth from the charity shop which fitted in perfectly with the theme. Catering was provided by Near Now, more thanks and the wine helped the conversation to flow with many staying from start to finish until we had to ask people to leave. We needed our sleep! As always, the first moments of an opening are quiet and just when you think no-one is going to arrive, they do. Had a small but happy turn out and as much as fitted in the gallery with the installation.
Day 15 Saturday July 5th
Arrived just before noon. Visitors and explanations but fairly quiet. Margit’s last day before leaving for the bus at 4pm.
Took all the work down and cleaned the gallery with help from my partner, thanks Mik. Some stuff went to my Surface studio, other in the car for recycling or taking home. Amazingly, it only took two hours and with the car parked in the Broadway space, it was quite easy. Very tired however.
Day 16 Monday July 7th
Recycled all the wire at www.completewasters.co.uk in Sileby. Began the ongoing admin. such as thanks to Lee and Zahir and completing blogs etc.
Day 17 Tuesday July 8th
Now the evaluation begins. I think that we needed better communication both before and during. Or maybe, just better ability to communicate. I need to improve my German and be more confident. We are both strong-minded women and sometimes, it was challenging. However, we are also able to listen and compromise and work things out. Margit said at one point ‘doing an exhibition is an easy way to lose a best friend’. Our ability to make an exhibition in a short time was proven. We responded, we worked hard and I believe it was successful. The aim was to create a conversation about the theme of diversity, ecology, sustainability, climate change as well as the process of art-making and exploring how sound enhance sculpture and vice versa.
In my opinion, the sound made the exhibition come alive. It provided several points of listening contact as well as an overall sound. It was not envisaged that I would be doing so much of the sculpture, my focus would be sound and I wanted to record in the city. However, this didn’t work out. The wire was difficult to work with but, for me, it proved an interesting material and brought out new connections with the natural world which aligned with the material as a necessary component of modern living.
There have been a lot of valuable insights that don’t necessarily relate to our residency but to previous residencies and to the idea of residencies in themselves.
Firstly, the importance of choosing the right artists, although this obviously cannot be guaranteed. This includes artists working in a medium that can be accommodated in the host space. Also the artists’ approach. They must have a curiosity and approach it with an open mind. They must be highly motivated and willing to be self-determined which means not regarding it as a holiday but as work. Working in a different country and language necessitates a period of adjustment and ideally at least a day with hosts to orientate them. There should also be extra time to recover from travelling. A firm plan of what happens when and where including timings needs to be shared in print or email so there is no ambiguity or last minute surprises. The ‘home’ artist must be prepared to do the majority of the administration.
It has been particularly valuable to write this evaluation, which will be public, to have left it a while before posting it. Whilst I will continue to have lots of thoughts about biodiversity and sustainability, I feel that we carried out our residency to the best of our ability and with integrity. Thanks Margit!