The Mossy Carpet’s North Devon tour

29 Apr

Written By The Art and Energy Collective

In April 2024, Art and Energy’s Naomi visited North Devon with The Mossy Carpet artwork with a mini tour of Northam Burrows Country Park, Barnstaple Library and Braunton Countryside Centre.

Northam Burrows Country Park’s Visitor Centre was our first stop on the tour, with a free mossy guided walk for holiday makers and visitors plus free self guided creative activities open to all. Naomi also delivered a free hands on creative workshop inspiring interest in mosses and encouraging everyone to make moss inspired woolly pompoms and textile tufts to add to The Mossy Carpet artwork.

The Visitor Centre has a x40 digital microscope which we loved looking at mosses through especially the Tortula or Screw Moss which looks like an array of stars just after the rain! With Marram grass, this moss helps to stabilise and grow sand dunes, and create the soil for other plants too.

This microscope is used by all the visitors to study finds from the beach and sand dunes.

Barnstaple Library was next on our tour, joining their Nature Takeover Day celebration event as part of the Pride of Place project. Naomi was on hand to offer free hands on creative activities for all the library visitors who wanted to join in. Various species of moss were on display offering initial inspiration and conversation with magnifying glasses and sketching materials available. Visitors could also get hands on making moss inspired woolly pompoms and textile tufts to add to The Mossy Carpet. Our approach to these open events is very relaxed, visitors could crochet, knit or embroider straight on to The Mossy Carpet fleecy backing or help to stitch on other’s creative pieces.

The North Devon Craftivists (left below), delivered a beautiful mossily adorned square which they attached to the carpet at the Library. If you are interested in joining in with your own piece, we have information on The Mossy Carpet pages.

The Mossy Carpet was also on display at the Library for a second day offering a self serve space for creativity for all visitors to the library.

North Devon Craftivists attaching a Mossy Carpet piece.

We added a few mosses to the Reading Tree by James Lake.

A very young participant seemed to enjoy how The Mossy Carpet felt!

Braunton Countryside Centre was the final stop on our North Devon Tour. Naomi delivered another successful free guided mossy walk in the local area, looking for urban species of bryophytes followed by a free drop in creative activities session. The Mossy Carpet provided the focus and backdrop for creative inspiration making moss inspired woolly pompoms and textile tufts to add to the artwork.

The Mossy Carpet was also on display in the Visitor Centre for three additional days offering self guided creative activities for all visitors to the Centre. In addition, a fourth day of free hands on creative activities was offered to some home education families delivered by local artist and facilitator Amanda McCormack.