Helen Edwards: Breathing of Life (3rd July - 10 August 2024)

Visit this transformational journey in art with local artist Helen Edwards as she weaves together her work as a solo artist with explorations in ecological art and community in Oxford. 

Helen’s portraits are rooted in her deep ecological explorations in active imagination. Originally from the North of England Helen has danced and swum in natural landscapes all her life. Working to connect body breath and imagination she traces aesthetic connections with environmental images through colour texture and symbolic detail.  The paintings are juxtaposed with underwater photography which brings exciting new perspectives to the waters of Oxford revising ways in which the vitality of rivers and lakes of urban landscapes might be felt. 

This exhibition celebrates 75 years of Cutteslowe Community Association where Helen has run a family art club since 2006 showcasing artistic responses arising from connecting local communities to the ecology of Oxford. In particular the work in saving rare wetland plants and their landscapes by Freshwater Habitats Trust in Oxfordshire). Large scale collaged group landscapes and individual prints invite us to taste the atmosphere of these learning experiences. 

A joyful celebration inviting new connectedness with sacred and evolutionary aspects of nature deeply relevant for our times. 

Private View

Wednesday 3 July 6 – 8pm 

There will also be a dance performance and live music. 

Artist talk 

Tuesday 9 July 2 – 3.30pm 

About the Artist

Helen works as an artist integrative arts psychotherapist eco-somatic therapist and dancer having trained in environmental art and dance in the UK Europe Japan and Indonesia over the last 25 years. She has an MA from the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education Islington in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy.  Helen has created artwork in response to ecological explorations across the last three decades bridging art and science engaging with intercultural exchanges and communities with a focus on water and ecology making visible felt aspects of the natural world connecting with nature restoration and environmental projects.  She is Chair of Oxford Urban Wildlife Group  

Workshop opportunities offered alongside the exhibition:

Family Art Sessions 

24 July | 2.30 – 4pm and 7 August 2.30 – 4pm 

Come and join artist Helen Edwards to enjoy these creative sessions for families of all ages and backgrounds. Have fun meet new people and learn about making art in response to the natural world. 

Dance and ecology workshop

8 August | 2 – 4pm 

Helen will share some of her experience of Butoh Dance Theatre and Amerta Movement both embodied dance approaches she has studied in Japan Indonesia and Europe. She will offer simple ways of learning how these approaches can enrich dance and movement in everyday life as well as in performance and theatre. 

Ecology and poetry workshop

9 August | 2 – 4pm 

Learn ways of breathing life into words and poetic responses to the Breathing of Life exhibition a range of plants and ecological studies. Helen is joined by Elsa Hammond from SciPo set up to explore bridges between Science and Poetry in this case examining links between Art and Poetry. 

Drawing dance in response to the exhibition

10 August | 2-4pm 

Learn ways of responding and portraying movement and stillness in dance through drawing and art making inspired by Oxford Drawing Dance. Discover ways of responding creatively to time and space as expressed by dancers in innovative new ways together. 

Please email Helen Edwards ([email protected]) to reserve a space at any of the above sessions. 

Host or Publisher The North Wall Arts Centre