HAPPENING this week in North Tawton, hosted by Ruth Smith Gallery, and supported by Red Mud Arts, is an exciting Smocking Project.

New York based artist, Annie Coggan, is to cover the facade of Ruth Smith Gallery in an enormous site-specific textile installation involving smocking which she has been creating at the Community Centre with many members of the community between January 11 and 14.

Installation will be on Thursday, January 15, and its “unveiling” on January 16.

The piece will be up until February 15.

Smocking involves pinching together fabric in patterns.

Its roots lie in farming work wear as it was highly durable, but it began to be used in finer clothes due to the idea of the “rural idyll”.

Annie’s practice incorporates interiors and architecture, and by working with this very sculptural traditional technique she connects people to place and heritage through haptic experience.

The installation at Ruth Smith Gallery will use the honeycomb technique associated with the rural English smocked frock, whilst the hessian it will be made from nods to its traditional use covering buildings to regulate the drying times of lime render.

Annie is running two workshops in conjunction with the project to give people a more in-depth view into the traditional technique and materials and it's contemporary applications.

The first took place on January 11, the next on January 17.

Images showing smocking's historical and contemporary context have been researched by Berlin-Exeter based artist, Sam Godfrey, who was artist in residence at Ruth Smith Gallery last October and also works with smocking.

Sam will share these at workshops and in the gallery.

More information can be found here: Smocked Building Project - Red Mud Arts.

Ruth Smith Gallery is at 5 The Square, North Tawton.

Opening times vary and further details can be obtained on 07810 590954 or visit: www.ruthsmithgallery.co.uk