Patches of Blue Sky, 2016
Patches of Blue Sky was a project to grow flax in West Coker Somerset. From February 2016 flax seed was available to anyone who wanted to take part, with over 80 people growing flax over the summer of 2016. Many people brought their harvested flax stooks to the twineworks at the harvest event in October.
The project aimed to connect people and place by re-establishing a crop that was grown for hundreds of years in the local area. Flax was traditionally used for sailcloth and twine, forming the main industry of the West Coker and surrounding areas for centuries, but fell into decline from the 1950's. Dawes is believed to be the last remaining extant twineworks with all its machinery still present.
Commissioned by OSR Projects as part of the 2016 Ropewalkers Commissions to create work in response to Dawes Twineworks