Gokotta exhibition. A much bigger than usual "Little Arty Journey".

I belong to KAIROS - an amazing, supportive, inspiring group of artists. Some of us have been together since the group was formed in 1997, others have joined later. We meet regularly to create artwork, to learn art techniques and skills from each other, share information about exhibitions we have seen, to support and encourage each other and to share very nice meals together! (We're very good at food!)

The artwork for this exhibition began over 3 years ago with the theme of birdsong and has developed over time to include anything bird related (nests, eggs, feathers, habitat etc.) We have called our exhibition Gokotta - a Swedish word meaning to get up early to hear the birds sing. 

Monday was the day when six of us (Lucy, Cath, Jackie, Jodi, Karen and I - plus Karen's husband Gerhard, Lucy's husband Graham and Jackie's husband John) garthered at DC1 a cafe gallery in Seaside Road, Eastbourne from various places around the South East to put up our exhibition up.

Here we are hard at work transforming the empty space...

unpacking and arranging our artwork. (Jodi)

Jackie, John and Jodi.

Karen and Gerhard

Concentration. Jackie. John and Jodi. 

Cath.

Lucy's unique method of hanging her colouful bird drawings.

The cafe is on the ground floor. The gallery is downstairs. Here we are having a break while Jan (technician) was hanging the work on the wire hanging system in the cafe.

Board ready to put outside. 

More exhibits - Some of Jackie's bird boxes.

A chance to look at each other's work. Jodi and Cath.

Gerhard, Jackie, Karen, Jodi and a bit of Cath's fringe at the right hand side.

A peek at the artwork on the walls. Cath's textiles. 

Looking along the wall - Jackie's pen and ink drawings (left), Jodi's paintings and collages (middle) and some of Cath's textiles (right).

My photography and photographic collages. 

 A look at the work on the plinth before the acrylic cover is put on. Drawings and textile by Cath, Nests and ceramic birds by Karen.

Gerhard helping Jackie put up two of her birdboxes on the trellis while Karen holds her hanging nest out of the way.

John pondering for a moment. 

Looking at Cath's textiles from the other side.

Karen's ceramic bird wings and feathers. Labels and statements going up now. 

Jodi's collagraph prints. 

Art work on the plinth from the front. Decision made about where to put the labels.  

Karen's "Empty Nest Syndrome" (Found artist's boot, straw, coir.)

Jackie's nestboxes firmly fixed and Karen's nest hanging in front.

Jackie's pen and ink drawings. 

Jodi's paintings and collages. 

My artwork with labels and artist's statement added.

Finishing touches.

Cath kindly had Jodi and I to stay overnight. As Jodi and I were on our way to Jodi's car I noticed a statue with a seagull on it's head.

We had just been talking about the workshop Jodi was going to run the next morning - creating murmurations (big flocks of starlings flying in swirling patterns) when Jodi said "Look there they are". It took me a while to see where they were with mylong distance sight not being brilliant and as they turn they sometimes do almost disappear. Please excuse the poor photos. It was only a relatively small murmuration but I've never seen one this big before.

The starlings reminded me of wax in a lava lamp the way they moved so fluidly in rounded shapes, elongating, then splitting into two separate forms which went off in different directions and then came together into one group again.

I turned and looked back towards the road we had come from to see buildings silhoutted against an area of golden sky.

Jodi and I had a lovely stay at Cath's, a delicious meal and very welcome comfortable beds. (I was well past it and had a very early night.)

The next day Jodi and I went back to the gallery where we met Lucy. Our exhibition opened and Jodi ran her workshop - creating murmurations. This was the beginning of a group of birds pinned to the wall - the shadows doubling the number of birds very effectively.

Already giving the impression of a small murmuration. Hopefully this will be added to throughout the exhibition.

Looking through the acrylic cover on the plinth - one of Lucy's big crows in the background.

A sneaky peek in the storage cupboard at one of the workshop participants impressive painted, printed and stencilled murmuration on canvas

One of Lucy's crows is perched above the stairs down to the gallery, beside another of Jackie's birdboxes.

If you're in the area the exhibition is well worth visiting. (Free entrance.) More information can be found on The Devonshire Collective website along with details of workshops (£4 a session) which are running throughout the exhibition. These are suitable for adults with any previous creative experience or none. Children are welcome to come to the weekend workshops with an adult. Workshops need to be booked as spaces are limited (information about booking is also on the Devonshire Collective website. The Exhibition is open until until 21st March - don't leave it till the 22nd to come and see it because that's the day we are taking it down.