Louise Bennetts + Laura Lees talk urban fabrics

Welcome to DES Talks, a podcast that celebrates creative ideas and energy. In this episode Susanna meets the artist Clare Woods in the garden of her studio in north Herefordshire. They talk about her recent collaboration with Edinburgh's Dovecot tapestry studio to weave three tapestries. Entitled The Smotherers, The Take Over and The Volunteers, the tapestries are woven in a wondrous array of greens and depict intensely beautiful undergrowth and weeds. They are soon to go on display at London's Garden Museum. Clare who initially studied sculpture is a celebrated artist. Her luscious paintings of fulsome flower arrangements and aged planters filled with wayward unkempt plants, celebrate both beauty and decay. Clare talks about her process of making - she paints on the horizontal rather than vertical - the joy of colour and her collaboration with Dovecot. Clare is also currently showing a painting in Earth Matters, an exhibition curated by Susanna and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh at Inverleith House. She has a solo show at Pitzhanger Manor, London runs until 8 November. Threads of Ascent: Tapestries by Clare Woods is at the Garden Museum from 9 October to 5 November. Dovecot, a tapestry studio in the heart of Edinburgh. Founded in the early 20th century and very much inspired by the Arts and Crafts powerhouse William Morris, today Dovecot is celebrated for its ambitious collaborations with leading contemporary artists, such as Linder, Alberta Whittle and Chris Ofili to create outstanding tapestries. Do tune into our podcast Exploring Dovecot to hear Clare in conversation with Dovecot's director Celia Joicey and master weaver, Naomi Robertson. Dovecot Studios Clare Woods Garden Museum Earth Matter Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Pitzhanger Manor Thanks so much for listening to this episode of DES Talks, we do hope you enjoyed it. Please do spread the word, share, subscribe and rate and rave - we really want to share these conversations far and wide!

Welcome to DES Talks, a podcast that celebrates creativity and people from across Scotland. In this episode Susanna visits Dovecot, a tapestry studio in the heart of Edinburgh. Founded in the early 20th century and very much inspired by the Arts and Crafts powerhouse William Morris, today Dovecot is celebrated for its ambitious collaborations with leading contemporary artists, such as Linder, Alberta Whittle and Chris Ofili to create outstanding tapestries. Susanna chats to Dovecot's director, Celia Joicey and master weaver, Naomi Robertson. They discuss Dovecot's early history and its journey to its present day home, a former public baths where members of the public can look down from a viewing balcony to the weavers weaving on vast looms below. She also talks to Clare Woods, an artist who has recently worked with Dovecot on three tapestries. Woven from watercolours of weeds and entangled undergrowth painted by Clare, the tapestries in brilliant verdant greens are soon to go on display at London's Garden Museum. You can hear more from Clare in our DES Talks - Clare Woods. Dovecot Studios Clare Woods Garden Museum Earth Matter Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Thanks so much for listening to this episode of DES Talks, we do hope you enjoyed it. Please do spread the word, share, subscribe and rate and rave - we really want to share these conversations far and wide!

Welcome to DES Talks. In this episode Susanna explores Hospitalfield, an extraordinary 19th century Scots Baronial cum Arts and Craft house with a glorious walled garden that is dedicated to contemporary art and ideas. Located on Scotland's east coast a skip away from the North Sea and the town of Arbroath, Hospitalfield was built by Patrick and Elizabeth Allan-Fraser as their home. Arbroath-born Patrick who studied art at Edinburgh of College of Art was determined that Hospitalfield become a home for artists, building light-filled studios in 1901. Over a 100 years later, Hospitalfield today welcomes art practitioners from around the world and offers workshops and welcomes the general public. The celebrated architects, Caruso St John, have built a cafe, a fernery and restored the studio spaces. And a few years back the visionary plantsman and garden designer, Nigel Dunnett, devised a beauteous planting scheme for the walled garden. Susanna speaks to Hospitafleld's director Lucy Byatt, architect Peter St John and artist, choreography and performer, Florence Peake. Florence recently staged Ode to the Dark, a collaboration with Scottish Dance Theatre at Hospitalfield. A processional performance that excavates the realms of loss, Florence talks about her work and the ongoing exhibition at Hospitalfield, Your Meaning Not Your Materiality. Lucy also talks about the work of Nigel Dunnett who died earlier this year and the prestigious International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens which has just been awarded to Hospitalfield. Hosptifalfield Florence Peake Caruso St John Architects Nigel Dunnett The International Carlo Scarpa Prize for Gardens Watch Florence's 2025 peformance of To Love and To Cherish at Jupiter Artland. Thanks so much for listening to our DES Talks conversation, we do hope you enjoyed it. Please do spread the word, share, subscribe and rate and rave - we really want to share these conversations far and wide!

Welcome to this conversation exploring Pier Arts Centre, an outstandingly beautiful art gallery on Orkney, an archipelago off the north of mainland Scotland. We talk about its celebrated collection of British Modernism and a recent gift of over 60 contemporary arts works of huge international significance. We also remember the artist Christine Borland who sadly died last month. Her exhibition Divine Imperfect was held at the Pier in 2012. Susanna speaks to Pier curator Andrew Parkinson about the life and times of the late Margaret Gardiner, whose gift of over 60 artworks in the 1970s was the impetus to the formation of the Pier which opened in the small town of Stromness in 1979. Her collection exemplifies British Modernism and includes works by Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Margaret Mellis. And this year, the publisher and collector Charles Asprey, gifted over 50 works by contemporary artists from the UK and beyond to Pier. Artists include Wolfgang Tillmans, Kitty Kraus and Manfred Pernice and the exhibition, 'Through Their Eyes - The Pier Arts Centre Collection and the unfolding Asprey gift', which is currently on at Pier, offers moving juxtapositions of works by artists such as Pernice and Ben Nicholson; Kitty Kraus and Margaret Mellis and Michael Dean and Eduardo Paolozzi. She speaks to Charles about collecting and gifting. Susanna goes on to speak to the Glasgow-based artist, Erin McQuarrie whose exhibition The Scale of Things is inspired by the Orcadian, filmmaker and poet, Margaret Tait. The textile works, some suspended, others wall-based are made of wool and linen frequently dyed by plants foraged by Erin. Erin also talks about the importance of her residency last year at Linkshouse on Orkney, which is run by Pier. Pier Arts Centre Charles Asprey Erin McQuarrie Linkshouse residency programme Christine Borland's obituary in The Guardian To find out more about the work of Orkney-born filmmaker and poet, Margaret Tait (1918-1999) head to Lux and to view her work go to YouTube. Thanks so much for listening to our DES Talks conversation. Please do spread the word, share, subscribe and rate and rave - we really want to share these conversations far and wide!

Welcome to a recording of a discussion held at the National Galleries of Scotland, celebrating the tercentenary of the birth of the Edinburgh-born geologist, writer and farmer, James Hutton (1726–1797), and the exhibition inspired by Hutton, Earth Matters at Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The panel discussion explores Hutton's influence on contemporary creative thinking and art. Glasgow-based designer and maker Stefanie Ying Lin Cheong who works with found rocks and soil and Dr Katie Strang, curator of rock and minerals at The Hunterian, Glasgow, discuss their ideas and explorations with Susanna Beaumont (Design Exhibition Scotland) curator of Earth Matters, an exhibition which forms part of a year long James Hutton Tercentenary 2026 programme of events. You can watch the discussion via our YouTube platform. The live captions on screen are automatically generated by YouTube and are sometimes not accurate. This panel discussion was held at Hawthorden Lecture Theatre, National Galleries of Scotland as part of the Learning Team programme of lunchtime lectures, so many thanks to NGS and the team for allowing us to share this discussion. Earth Matters runs until 1st November at Inverleith House, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, open daily 10.30-4.30pm, free. Image Under the City Stefanie Ying Lin Cheong 2026 Photograph Ruth Clark