St. Ives, Cornwall & Geberit’s Hotel Report

February 2023 Reflections ❊ Subscribe

“I rarely draw what I see. I draw what I feel in my body.”

— Barbara Hepworth

As the days get lighter, my eyes are being pushed out of the home, out of my studio, and into the wider environment. I’m curious about how the spaces outside of our dwellings impact us.

How does the pulse of a city affect creativity?

How does the stillness of a tree, with deep roots, affect one’s energy?

What does the geographic location of my home and workplace signify, at a deeper/higher level?

This month, I spent time in St. Ives, Cornwall.

I’ve felt a calling to go to St. Ives since I moved to Belsize Park and set up my studio in Primrose Hill. This was inspired by history books I’ve read of North London, and artists like Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson who lived here and in St. Ives. Both locations have a connection, or energetic pull, to one another.

I travelled with my partner, Charles. We went to the Tate, St. Ives and saw a powerful exhibition on Barbara Hepworth. I felt stirred by the clear, geometric forms she worked with—which I felt physically in my body. It’s interesting how looking can make us feel things, in the body.

The next day, we went for a long walk. Charles is skilled at reading maps and navigation, and we stopped all reliance on our phones. We disengaged from the digital world and dropped into the tempo of nature. Long views, a variety of textures, and incredible neolithic structures had me dancing between past and present, and developing a deeper curiosity about the British landscape. I was moved by the softness of it—the erosion of rocks, wild grass and and open sky—and the soothing effect it had on my nervous system.

When I returned to London, I felt high. The softness of the countryside, the space it created within me, helped me tap into my own sensitivity deeper. I saw colour more clearly.

I grew up in the countryside and dreamt of living in a city. Living in a city, I dream of the countryside. I don’t think one exists without the other for me - together, they allow me to explore different parts of my being and creativity.

Where do you go to, in your mind, when you are seeking peace or want to ‘get away’ from it all?

Do you have a spiritual home, a place of refuge?

Can you describe it across your senses—the way it smells, the colours, the texture, the quality of light, the views?

Geberit’s Hotel Guest Experience Report 2023.

It was a pleasure to contribute to Geberit’s Hotel Guest Experience Report, alongside industry experts including Ruth Slavid, Jane Pendlebury, John Mullens and Alon Baranowitz.

My chapter examines the significance of ritual in relation to guest wellbeing and looks at how hotels can create spaces that stimulate wellbeing through inclusive and sensory design. You can download a copy here.

I would love for Be-kin to design a boutique hotel or spa environment, with a focus on wellbeing and connecting in with the nature world. If you know anyone who is working or investing in this space, I would really appreciate an introduction.

Until next time,
Wren.