Something invisible and powerful and totally uncontrollable was an exhibition of painting and ceramics created between 2021–2023.

After more than a decade researching lesser-known and female-led folk arts and customs from the North of England, Lucy Wright began painting during the Covid-19 lockdown, and intensified her practice after the unexpected loss of her father in 2021.

An only child and intentionally childless person, this body of work is concerned primarily with female solitude and the pleasures and consolations of time spent in nature, engaged in non-anthropocentric sociabilities.

She feels that creating images of the body in juxtaposition with the landscape, functions as an act of personal reclamation, while also embracing humanity as an aspect of nature capable of communion in and with the natural world.

Before exhibiting this body of work Lucy spent 3 days in residence at South Square, researching contemporary folk tradition and local stories with our on-site archive.

The opening event was a celebration of folk tradition with Morris dancing from ‘Waters Green Morris’ and music from Leeds based folk musicians ‘Helian’ and the centre was finely dressed in clootie ropes to signify hope.