Artist Eve Adams had to overcome the logistical difficulties of living in an island when her entry in Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition was shortlisted.
Eve, a multidisciplinary artist based in Castletown, submitted a delicate floating island called ‘Keep Hold’ for the London exhibition, the world’s largest open exhibition.
It has run without interruption since 1769.
Eve was thrilled to discover that the piece - made from materials including plaster, slate, fibre and carved recycled cork over more than 100 hours - had made the shortlist of 4,000 artworks, down from 16,500 entries.
For the next round of judging her work had to be hand-delivered to London, where the judging panel would select the final pieces to go on display.
‘Whilst I feel very lucky to be part of such a wonderful and unique island community, which I celebrate often through my art, the Isle of Man can present unique problems when trying to take up opportunities in the UK and beyond,’ she said.
After researching packaging materials and checking hand baggage rules, Eve ended up taking the piece as hand baggage on a flight to Gatwick, before getting the train to Brighton to stay with her brother for the night.
She then headed to London by train early the next morning and carefully carried the piece through the streets to the Royal Academy in Piccadilly.
She received financial support from ATLA Group for the cost of the flights - and extra hand baggage.
‘I definitely felt very visible, which is unusual in the crowds of London, and nervous carrying an usual and large cardboard box,’ she said.
‘Fortunately, my packing job was more than sufficient and it was an exciting rush of relief to safely unpack the piece at the Royal Academy.
‘I wasn’t sure what to expect, and was worried that there might be quite an austere and serious reception, but I was delighted to find a warm and friendly team there to help with any problems, and offer advice. The atmosphere was buoyant and supportive.’
Eve added: ‘It was a real thrill to see other shortlisted works being unpacked too, with sculptures large and small being carefully extracted from wrappings, or wheeled through on trolleys.’
Keep Hold wasn’t ultimately chosen for the Summer Exhibition, which opens on Tuesday next week (June 13) and continues until the end of August.
Explaining how the concept came about, she said: ‘I started with the idea of being alone on an island floating in time, and an imagined narrative of preserving, and keeping a close hold on the things that are most important to oneself began to unfold, and this piece is what came of it.
‘The landscape and main features are carved from old wine corks then painted, and the scene is carefully constructed layer by layer using slate, coloured fibres, foraged dried plants and all sorts of other bits and pieces.’
Eve creates community and public artwork, as well as hosting children’s art clubs and workshops for all ages in her studio, Art Squared, in Castletown.
She has worked on both the Wallabies Gone Wild, and the Big Splash charity art installations for Hospice Isle of Man, created public participation murals though Mural Fest and the Isle of Man Art Festival, and regularly holds public workshops such as the free outdoor clay play sessions in Poulsom Park, in Castletown, supported by the Arts Council .
She tries to balance this aspect of her work alongside her work as a professional artist and illustrator.
Eve likes to create beautiful 3D miniature worlds and delicate automata which captivate her social media followers and prove popular exhibits, winning the 3D category of the Hodgson Loom Gallery’s 2022 Fly exhibition.
Her work can be viewed in her studio, which is located in The Square, Castletown.
• The journey of Keep Hold, from packing to delivery is documented on Eve’s instagram.
See instagram.com/stories /highlights/179814020931088 41/ and instagram.com/eve_adams_dot_art/