The artist residency took place between late February 2022 and mid-June 2022.
In October 2019, I approached Morrab Library, in Penzance, Cornwall, with a proposal for a six-month artist residency, set to begin in early 2020. It was my first-ever residency, and stepping outside the comfort of my studio felt like a leap into the unknown.
Morrab Library, located in Penzance near my home, is a rare gem—one of the last 50 independent libraries in the UK and the only one in Cornwall. Founded in 1818, it holds 70,000 volumes spanning history, literature, art, biography, antiquities, poetry, and travel, with a quarter of the collection printed before 1901. There are no digital checkouts, electronic barriers, or automated filing systems—just real people who love a good conversation. It’s a wonderfully unique place to work.
But would they embrace an animation and digital sound project?
Lisa di Tommaso, the head librarian, quickly put my doubts to rest: “Anything that takes us into the 21st century will be wonderful.” The library’s absence of digital technology wasn’t a nostalgic choice—it was simply a matter of time, funding, and sheer perseverance.
Around the same time, the PZ20 Art Festival was being launched. It provided the perfect framework for the residency, and I was eager to involve the library. We set an exhibition date for mid-June 2020, when the festival would be in full swing.
Then, just as I began my residency, everything stopped. COVID-19 shut down the country, and Morrab Library, like everywhere else, had to close its doors. It took nearly two years for it to fully reopen, and when I could finally return, my six-month residency had been cut to four.
Despite the challenges, the PZ22 Art Festival marked a significant step forward. With Penwith’s vibrant arts scene—galleries, museums, and countless artists—it felt like an honour to represent Morrab Library alongside The Exchange, Newlyn Gallery, Newlyn School of Art, Penlee House, Penzance Studios, and many others.
At Morrab, I had full access to their collections, spending days immersed in the atmosphere—reading, sketching, photographing, recording sounds, and contemplating my next move.
What kind of conversation was I hoping for?
Ideally, I wanted to *talk* with books—but how? For a few years, I had been nudging my work toward interactive digital media, yet my main platforms had always been galleries and curated exhibitions. Morrab Library presented a different audience—articulate, knowledgeable, and deeply engaged.
Wandering through the towering bookshelves was both exciting and overwhelming. Artist residencies often thrive on the unexpected—on ‘purposeful playfulness’—and I knew that given time, something would emerge.
Morrab didn’t have space for an artist’s studio, so I continued working from home. But I didn’t mind. The library itself, with its history, people, and conversations, was more than enough to get ideas going.