Julian Claxton
Julian Claxton studied in Manchester, London and Bristol. His work mainly appears on social media, particularly Instagram as @pryddywyrd, @blu_rider and @gbekkenwand
He now lives at the edge of the village of Priddy, a fairly isolated spot in a wider rural environment. Recent work uses natural and discarded materials to produce objects that are left for long periods of time in the open environment. Some to weather and decay, others to be incrementally added to. These are then photographed as part of the series ‘pryddywyrd’ and ‘Pryddywyld’.
Current exhibitions include: ‘Rituals of Self Realisation’, Annwfn Gallery, Brecon; ‘Foraging as Arts Practice, Haus-A-Rest, and; ‘Gothic Winter’, Phantasmal Gallery. Last year he showed in ‘Still Krazee!!!’ Portland, Dorset as part of the b-side Festival; ‘Seen and Unseen’, Cambridge Photography Gallery; ‘Weather Forecast’, Clapham and ‘Hive’, Bridgwater.
pryddywyrd is an ongoing project by Julian Claxton started in 2023. Firmly based in its particular locale on the Mendip Plateau, the work moves between representation of objects, animals and events to the making of objects, working within tropes of folk, gothic and folk horror. All the works are made in relation to and as part of the local landscape - one field and a wood -, often remaining in situ for months if not years as weather and wildlife interact with them. The work is mainly seen through monochrome photographs posted on the pryddywyrd Instagram account. These exist in the grey zone, approaching dusk with mist and fog ever present.