Jenny Steele Draws Attention to Sustainability Issues in Art, Selvedge

September 3, 2024

A 40-year-old wooden boat has been given a new lease of life to draw attention to issues around sustainability in the art world. Artist Jenny Steele has been working with local people in Barrow to transform the 1980s handmade hardwood vessel into a symbol for sustainability.

Using locally sourced natural and recycled materials, the group, who are aged from 12 up to their 70s, has been constructing a large and intricate woven structure on top of the craft, which Jenny bought from its hobbyist maker when he longer had space to store it. They have named it Charon, after the ferryman to the underworld in Greek mythology.

The remodeled ship will set sail for the first time on the large wildlife pond at Allotment Soup community growing space on Walney Island, which is operated by Art Gene, on Saturday 21 September 2024.

At around 2.5m high and 4m long, artist Jenny vowed to reinvigorate the mahogany dinghy, which was hand built in Lincolnshire at around the same time Jenny was born, with a new purpose.

Working together with members of the Women's Community Matters group, the local homeschooling community, and plot holders from Allotment Soup, Jenny has been weaving together thousands of strands of locally grown vegetation to create a canopy-style structure on top of the boat. The materials, including common rush, mint, various grasses and willow, were handpicked from plots at Allotment Soup, guided by Art Gene's community gardener Bethan Pettitt. Read more here

Selvedge also featured an article on The Gorton Rush Cart here