A new exhibition from Sara Trillo, exploring the Kentish landscape.

In old Kentish dialect “Alleycumfee” means a fictitious place, an imaginary destination you named when pressed with unwanted questions about where you were travelling to. Sara Trillo uses the term Alleycumfee to name spaces within the Kentish landscape; places which, although inspired by ancient sites of human activity, have now largely vanished and for the most part exist only in the imagination. The work represents the artist’s quest to visit what remains of these locations and fuse this experience with research into their histories. The different types of places Trillo has explored represent diverse aspects of the county’s topography: the sea, the coast, and the subterranean.

Trillo’s work starts with extensive research. She looks into the histories and mythologies of places she is interested in investigating. In addition to archive and digital research, she also uses old maps. She locates landscape features and human settlements or workings that have disappeared from contemporary cartography. Having identified landmarks, tracks or places that intrigue her, she makes walking expeditions searching for any remaining traces of these sites. She then creates work in the studio inspired by what she discovers. This physical output ranges from small hand held tools, to immersive installations, to wearing cloaks whilst walking. Her preferred media are textiles and ceramics, although she also incorporates organic material found on walks wherever possible. The fabrication processes are influenced by an interest in archaic making skills. These include flint knapping, plant dyeing, and creating ceramic work from locally dug clay.

Related events

Events are free, but booking is highly recommended. For full details and booking, visit the Alleycumfee event listings.

There will be a Private View on Friday 18 October, 4.30 – 6.30pm. Celebrate the exhibition with a drinks reception on St Luke’s Day – the patron saint of artists and doctors.

We will host an Artist Talk and Q&A on Thursday 14 November, 2 – 3pm. Sara Trillo will be talking about her current practice, research and future plans within the gallery space and discussing the work on display in the Daphne Oram Gallery.

Trillo will twice lead a specially commissioned Artist Walk, on Saturday 26 October at 10am, and Wednesday 27 November at 1pm. She will be sharing mythologies and histories about the landscape to the east of Canterbury, and looking for traces of vanished places. Commencing from and returning to the Daphne Oram Gallery, the walk is expected to take 2 – 2.5 hours with stops.