Sarah Evelyn Marsh
Testimonials, emails and comments about my most recent work
Dir. of The Mosaic Rooms
Aug 2023
Congratulations on the Whitechapel Gallery space. It is wondrous!
Was really amazing to see such a range of ages interacting so well, and teenagers really going for it which surprised me.
Really encouraging to see, and I had a nice chat with one parent who was saying how the kids seemed unsure at first and that then play was unfolding and growing and they really got into it. It seemed such a success!
Pippa Hale (Play designer York Railway Museum)
Aug 2023
Just in time to catch ‘Sculpting Conversations’ by Steph Jefferies and Sarah Marsh at the Whitechapel Gallery today before it closes on Sunday.
Tactile, thoughtful, intelligent and beautifully executed, this sensory and social installation for small children and their carers allows visitors to sculpt their conversations using curvaceous and squishy objects, based on the idea of how we use our hands when we talk.
Considering this installation has had a three month run and is hands on, the work still looks fresh and inviting. The people that were in there seemed very engaged with both objects and the film alike.
Director of Education and Public Programmes (Whitechapel)
As we (sadly) begin the deinstall of Sculpting Conversations, I wanted to say an enormous thank you to you both for creating such an amazing, inspiring, creative and beautiful project.
We were so happy you were able to respond positively to our invitation, despite the tight timescales, and it's been a pleasure seeing how audiences of all ages have engaged with the project over the summer. The responses in the gallery and on social media are testament to the sensitivity and imagination that underpins your practices, and I know Helen and Kirsty have loved working with you both. I'm really going to miss seeing the space each day and how much joy it brought to visitors (including my daughters!).
Bablands @bablands.london
As predicted, we both absolutely loved Sculpting Conversations, an immersive, family-focused exhibition by @thesensorytoolkit and @play.explore.art that’s part of @whitechapelgallery ‘s new Life is More Important Than Art programme.
Comprising ‘scribble sculptures’, tactile shapes, lavender-scented objects and even a swing, the exhibition invites visitors (particularly families) to mould, squash and wear the objects, using the space (which is huge, air-conditioned and dreamy) to relax and play as they wish.
We played in there for ages and I’m so pleased it’s on all summer (until the 3rd of Sept)!
Free to visit, no need to book. Suitable for ages 0+ (no age limit
Testimonial from Deborah Riding, Programme manager for Children and Young People, Tate Liverpool, Albert Dock, Liverpool.
Sarah’s practice as an artist and educator is incredibly sensitive and inclusive. Sarah has delivered several projects at Tate Liverpool with different audience groups and all have been peer led, driven by the participants’ own ideas.
She has a confident and rigorous practice but combines this with warmth and generosity that inspires those she works with and nurtures their own creativity. Sarah has established herself as a leading practitioner in the region for interactive gallery spaces for children and young people.
She has developed contexts for play and learning that support whole family engagement with, what can often be, baffling and intimidating environments. This strand of her practice has expanded in recent years to encompass a specialism in working with children and young people with Autism.
Sarah has helped the Learning team at Tate Liverpool to introduce relaxed session to our family offer and has been key in developing our programmes and welcome for this group of visitors.
She is presenting on this at a forthcoming conference at the Royal Academy in London with Tate Liverpool’s curator for family programmes.
February 2017