Found: Museums, Collections and Wellbeing
Found is a piece of artwork created by Leicestershire artist Rachel Grevatte.
Published: 2 September 2021
A new temporary piece of artwork has been installed in the World Arts Gallery at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery. The artwork, is inspired by the birds in the museum's collection of art, craft and natural specimens. In fact, Rachel's own early memories of Leicester Museum & Art Gallery include an amazing collection of taxidermy birds displayed in a glass dome.
Finding things is important to all our lives and wellbeing. It can be a place to call home, a soul mate, wonders of nature, personal "treasures", a new skill or information. Many of us have found Leicester or Leicestershire our home and our daily lives are spent finding our way around it in our own journeys through life.
Rachel worked with community groups and museum visitors to create the Tree of Life. Participants took part in workshops creating painted and printed papers that were used to make the bird collages. Each bird is made from a collage of found and painted papers which have on them pieces of poems, songs, recipes and personal memorabilia chosen by participants to tell their own personal stories of Leicester. The leaves and bark of the tree have been created with rubbings and prints from trees surrounding the museum. They are made from local newspaper cuttings related to stories of Leicester's past and the recent pandemic.
Workshop Gallery
The display at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery
The display case that accompanies the exhibition
Finished 'Bird' artworks
Creating 'bark' materials
Creating materials for birds workshop participants
Creating materials for birds workshop participants
Artist creating Picasso inspired bird
The "Found" tree is a Tree of Life covered in colourful collaged birds. The Tree of Life canopy appears to burst through the floor from below. The birds have found their home in this tree with all its history, change and growth. Despite being from different times and places from around the world, the birds appear to live here together peacefully in all their glorious colours.
Look in the display case nearby and see bird inspired objects from the museum collections.
Take the time to find other birds and bird motifs around the museum and be inspired!
With special thanks to The Carers Centre Leicestershire and Rutland, Focus Charity, Leicester Community Links and ArtReach.
The artwork is available to view from Saturday 4th September - please see our What's On listing for more information.
Meet the birds events
We have special event days coming up in October 2021 where you can meet some human sized birds and take a photo with them.