Meet the Artist
I’m Gaelle Chassery, a sensory artist living in Kilmartin Glen on the Scottish West Coast, where I work primarily with Scottish wool which I crochet or needle-felt into interactive sculptures. I also make sensory books with wool and with lots of other materials, like textiles, plastic waste, waste paper, etc. My art aims to reconnect people with themselves, their childlike joy and wonder, and with nature. It’s important to me to bring a sense of pause, safety, grounding and openness with what I do, and usually it’s a healing, fun and transformative experience for people to meet my sculptures and books. A key aspect of my work is that visitors are encouraged to touch and smell it, which is a lovely and permissive thing to be able to offer within exhibition settings.
What does the theme Together / Apart mean to you?
Together/Apart speaks to me on several levels: it’s the layered experience of life itself. I live in solitude almost 100% of the time while being connected online to many people through my engagement as an artist, advocate, writer and space holder: I have the experience of being apart from people while being together with them in ways that I choose mindfully because they are meaningful and respect my capacities.
My sculpture “Symbiosis” is a metaphor for that and an example of what I create in this connected solitude. It also pays tribute to the ecosystems and communities of plants, lichens, rocks and trees that I enjoy on my doorstep, and with whom I feel most at home and welcome. The yarns and wool used for the piece were sourced from a vast quantity of small Scottish producers, who inhabit their own ecosystems and establish their distinctive communities of people, sheep and plants, which results in a huge variety of textures and colours I can then put together into a piece that sings the story of the many Scottish landscapes, sheep, plants, stones and people.
What do you like about being part of Neuk Collective?
Being part of Neuk gives me a space to interact with talented artists, and I am always in awe of the countless skills and talents of our members. It’s supportive to be part of a collective of like-minded people, and to receive the help we need to make our voices heard and our art visible while normalising our experience and supporting each other.
I enjoy the opportunities Neuk gives me to test roles and see what I like to offer, so that I can contribute to this community from home. I have been hosting Body Doubling sessions for some time now, and it’s a lovely way to give back and help others.
Neuk gives me a platform for those skills, my writing, and my art, as well as tailored support in many essential areas for an artist, such as practical know-how, networking, and visibility. It’s a very valuable form of support for someone in my situation: living where I do with a very limiting illness, I have access to nothing except the Internet, and Neuk helps me make the most of it so that I can thrive anyway.
What else should someone do in Glasgow when they come to see the show?
It’s been many years since I was in Glasgow, but at the time I really enjoyed the Botanic Gardens and the Kelvingrove Museum.