In 2012 artist Faye Claridge was awarded a residency at the Library of Birmingham to work with the Sir Benjamin Stone collection of over 22,000 photographs.  In her practice Faye uses archives, folklore and reminiscence to imagine our past relationships and our current sense of national and personal identity.

Stone’s obsession was to “record history with the camera” for future generations. Claridge’s work questions how we can approach such an ambition today and her work asks how our sense of self, geography, community and time can be formed through the celebration of real and imagined customs.

From the residency Claridge produced three new projects that were supported by GRAIN.  Kern Baby was a large scale, monumental corn dolly and photographic event, measuring five meters high, based on the original Kern Baby, photographed by Stoke in 1901.   In 2015 the sculpture was installed in the grounds of Compton Verney, Warwickshire as a temporary installation, in May 2016 it was installed into the main entrance of the Library of Birmingham. 

Claridge also followed in Stone’s footsteps to Cheshire and Warwickshire, making a series of photographs, The Children Of The Choosing, from Knutsford Royal May Day and A Child For Sacrifice from work with the Marton Museum of Country Bygones.

Credit: © Faye Claridge – Kern Baby (installation view, Compton Verney)