09/06/2026
MOTHER TONGUE opens Saturday 20th June with a special Summer Solstice launch event between 4:00 - 6:00pm here at blackShed!
This will include live music, Morris dancing from Ruxley’s Crew and the first look at MOTHER TONGUE - a collaborative exhibition by artists Holly Dawes, Emma Salmon and Lara Hailey.
Thou, I, Not, That, We, To Give, Who, This, What, Man/Male, Ye, Old, Mother, To Hear, Hand, Fire, To Pull, Black, To Flow, Bark, Ashes, To Spit, Worm
These ‘ultra-conserved’ words are a set of 23 identified words that have survived since the last ice age. They have remained largely unchanged for up to 15,000 years, indicating a deep ancestral link between Eurasian language families. These words are powerful and universal, giving clues to their importance in our ancestors lives.
Artists Emma Salmon, Lara Hailey and Holly Dawes explore the theme of matriarchal histories through the ancestry of language in ancient cultures. Working with their independent disciplines of metal, textiles and ceramic, each artist will uncover hidden histories, using the list of ‘ultra-conserved’ words to initiate and unite their practices.
The exhibition opens on Saturday 20th June, and runs until Saturday 18th July.
There is also a series of practical, hands-on workshops to accompany this exhibition - details on the gallery website- book now to avoid disappointment!
