Julie Roberts

Julie Roberts: Sculptural paper

• 5 June to 1 July, 2007

Julie's solo show, Sculptural Paper, marked the culmination of an 18-month placement at MERL as part of an Arts Council initiative, the Setting Up Scheme. The exhibition of textile and handmade paper pieces included lighting, vessels, mirrors and a large-scale installation.

The opening of this exhibition coincided with the launch of a specially commissioned piece of artwork at MERL, by Julie, which leaves a lasting mark of Julie's time spent at the museum. The installation combined the re-launch of the Clayton and Shuttleworth portable steam engine (after several months of conservation), with textile and paper spheres that represent the engine in steam; these rise from the engine's chimney and are lit with fibre optics.

Since graduating in 2003 from a Textile Crafts degree (Huddersfield University) Julie had worked at various Galleries, including the Bluecoat Display Centre, Tate (Liverpool), and FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), whilst running educational sessions and developing her own work.

During her time at MERL, Julie ran very popular family workshops, encouraging children and adults to have a go at new techniques such as paper and print making. Julie also works with many local schools on arts projects and teaches at the Institute of Education, University of Reading. Julie has also had several other recent exhibitions including locally at Maiden Erlegh Arts gallery, Reading and Artworks MK, Milton Keynes.

Julie said, "It has been a fantastic opportunity for me to be able to work at MERL, its been very inspiring and has led to some exciting projects! It's great to be able to leave a lasting mark of my time spent here, with the commissioned piece."

For more information on Julie's work, please visit her website.