Jo Fisher Roberts is an artist and illustrator. Interested in the natural world, she combines traditional illustrative techniques with experimentation and found materials; the carnivalesque and the surreal.

The Library of Obscure Wonders was founded in 2004 as a contemporary Cabinet of Curiosities – exploring, recording, and collecting wonders in everyday life. Since it’s opening the Library has collected many items receiving works from scientists, artists, and explorers.

The Woods: “When I was about the age of 10 I was with my family on a walk in woods in west Wales. As usual on such walks I had fallen behind the group. Dawdling along daydreaming I suddenly froze. Just couldn’t move.

Everything became super-real, bright and overwhelming, the noises were intense. Tiny details such as fungus, mud, leaves seemed god-like, immense and all powerful. There was no time. There was no separation between myself and the trees, the plants, the mud, and the water around me. They knew me, were me and I was them. I tried to hang on to normal reality, but that seemed distant, a thin theatre played on top. Even the thought “I” didn’t make sense any more. The experience was beautiful, incredible, ecstatic and horrific all at the same time. Terrifying.

“After what must have been just a few minutes I came round, heard my family calling for me and ran to catch up with them.

“Episodes similar to this were repeated and sometime later I was diagnosed with a type of epilepsy, but this experience, no matter what its causes, has always been important to me and my artwork can’t help but explore that “other” interconnected world. My work uses recycled materials. There is so much manufactured stuff in the world it can feel good to find the beauty in that which is used and thrown out: the constant dying and renewing process reminds me of the woods and the cycle of life.” JFR

The soundtrack is a collaboration between Jo Fisher Roberts and Cos Chapman. Constructed from extended vocal improvisations and processed using electroacoustic techniques to cerate a soundscape out of clearly human utterance.

The exhibition on the 1st March will also host the first phase of Spletza Martin Adventures. Storytelling, ritual performance, film and contemporary cabaret meet to create an exciting new cross-artform collaborative enterprise.

“Painting with paper, drawing with sound. Collages, sound sculptures and other explorations”.

Giles Leaman is a London based artist, musician and arts practitioner whose work traverses sound, installation, performance, sculpture and 2D artforms. His interest in found objects and the challenge set by using them, informs the process in which he works, ”It is as if the material creates a spark to a hitherto unexpected wave of energy, which then in turn consumes everything”. This spark or connection can sometimes be between two materials or a technique and a material or an idea looking for a framework in order to exsist.

The work ranges from collage, using found fragments, printing, drawing and painting, sculpture and assemblages to sound sculptures and experiments with diverse materials.

As a maker, and art enabler for art workshops for 25 years, a vast range of techniques and materials have been tested, manipulated explored and played with, and it is this playful air has lead to a demystifica\tion of “Art” or creativity being out of touch for most people, and more of an energy that can be encouraged and tapped into.

This show is an opportunity to combine new experiments with exsisting works, to break down barriers and put them up again.

Giles Leaman has worked as a printer, Designer of sound environments, a musician with various groups and with Puppeteers, dancers, artists Carnival Arts and as an art enabler for young people.