'No Frost at Night', Babylon ARTS, Ely - Curation

Curated during my time on the Babylon Young Curators Programme between 2020-2021, No Frost at Night was a contemporary art exhibition containing new works directly inspired by a weather diary recorded in 1963 by Betty Mann, owner of Mann’s Nurseries and lifelong resident of Soham in Cambridgeshire. The exhibition ran from the 23rd April - 23rd May 2021 at the Babylon Gallery in Ely. “Mrs Mann was a nurserywoman who - come rain or shine - religiously diarised the temperature readings and weather patterns that she observed from her garden in Soham, Cambridgeshire. Betty began writing her first twelve-month weather diary during the Big Freeze of 1963, one of the coldest winters ever recorded in the United Kingdom. On the surface, it presents the reader with an uninterrupted insight into the atmospheric conditions experienced by those living in The Fens in 1963. However, there is far more to be found hidden between its pages.⁣ No Frost at Night presents an artistic analysis of this diary, in the form of five newly commissioned artworks by: Amber Lawrence, Eleanor Wood, Mari French, Mark Tamer and Simon Nunn. These artists have collectively utilised a range of mediums - as vibrant and as varied as the weather itself - to dissect the many facets of this historical record. This exhibition is a celebration of creation and invention. Whilst projects that we begin today may feel of limited value, with passion and perseverance they can become greatly significant; leaving behind legacies through which we live on.”⁣ - Sid White-Jones, 2021. Visitors to the exhibition were met with artworks in a range of mediums including: installation art, contemporary works on paper, abstract painting, experimental photography and film. The exhibition also included a display of artworks created by the local community. Inspired by Betty’s regimented recordings, I asked members of the community fill in their won diary for fourteen days. These diaries were posted out to people for free, to fill in and return to Babylon ARTS. Over 100 of these completed diaries were returned and then subsequently displayed within No Frost at Night. Some of these diaries were used to personally reflect upon the pandemic of 2021, whilst some were used as a form of escapism; an opportunity to forget about the outside world for a short period of time. ⁣ No Frost at Night was featured on and in: BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Ely Standard, Suffolk Norfolk Life Magazine, The Lost Words Podcast & Velvet Magazine. Special Thanks - This project was supported with funding from Arts Council England and The Co-op; and with support from Wysing Arts Centre, Kettles Yard, G's Fresh and Heritage for All CIC.⁣⁣ Thank you to the whole team at Babylon ARTS for your mentorship. The artists for their creativity and dedication. Heritage For All CIC for your generosity in lending the diaries to me. To all of those involved in the Fourteen-Day Diaries project. W: www.babylonarts.org.uk IG: @babylonarts