Clair Schwarz Exhibits at Bower Ashton: Fledgelings

VAMP member, Clair Schwarz, has an exhibition of works at Bower Ashton from 18 June – 1 September 2026. Titled ‘Fledgelings: Material Dialogues with the Wrens of the Curragh’, the exhibition features a small collection of formative works belonging to a larger undertaking, The Wrens Project. The Wrens Project is an umbrella of activities centered around the ‘Wrens’ – a community of women and children living in 19th century Ireland on the grounds of the Curragh military camp.

‘Fledgelings’ describes, re-presents and ‘archives’ the stories and lives of the Wrens through a methodology of romanticism. It attempts this through a combination of the humble and the luxurious, using aesthetics from folk art and religious iconography. Clair has also produced a catalogue to accompany the exhibition. Inspiration from contemporaneous accounts are combined with folklore to uncouple the story of the Wrens from that of fallen women, reframing the narrative instead to describe instead those who rose up in sisterhood and mutuality.

The exhibition is presented by Bristol Materials Network, which aims to build connections and share knowledge and resources around materials and sustainability, enabling the development of materials literacy for UWE students, staff and the wider community in Bristol. 

For more information about the Bristol Materials Network, email materialsnetwork@uwe.ac.uk.

For more infromation about VAMP member, Clair Schwarz, click here.