bookshop corner with Sarah and Jocelyn laughing and talking in front of the window with Jocelyn's art and many copies of Helm in, with drystone wall, trees, field and the wet road behind them.
Panel with green and pink-orange background, picture of cover of indie edition of Helm and text:
To celebrate the publication of the acclaimed Cumbrian author
Sarah Hall’s new novel, Helm, fi ve local artists have each been
paired with an independent bookshop to create an installation
that offers a unique interpretation of the Helm Wind.
The Helm Wind is a strong north-easterly wind hitting the
western slopes of Cross Fell in Cumbria and is the only named
wind in the UK. It features in weather warnings and local folklore
alike, and it is known for its wave-like form.
This is a partnership between the publisher Faber & Faber and the
art collective A Public House to celebrate the publication of Helm
by Sarah Hall. The fi ve independent bookshops displaying artists’
work are Bookends in Carlisle, Fred’s Bookshop in Ambleside,
Sam Read Bookseller in Grasmere, Westwood Books in Sedbergh
and Verey Books in Pooley Bridge.
Exclusive signed independent bookshop edition available now
Orange and green background with white text: Jocelyn McGregor has created a new series of illustration-style
paintings on paper for Sam Read Booksellers, depicting the
various stages of irritation at having long hair in the Helm Wind
that turn a pleasant walk into a battle with the elements.
The artwork plays with the possible origin of the name ‘Helm’
as a helmet or cap in Anglo-Saxon and the folklore surrounding
long hair as having semi-autonomous power, strength
and mystical abilities.
About the artist
Jocelyn McGregor is a multi-disciplinary artist based in
Cumbria. She holds a BFA in Fine Art from the Ruskin School of
Fine Art and an MFA in Sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art.
She was awarded a Henry Moore Foundation Grant (2023),
Sculpture in the City: Aldgate Square Commission 2022–3,
the British Council SWAP UK/Ukraine Residency 2019–20
and Bloomberg New Contemporaries in 2018. Key exhibitions
include No Notion of Loving by Halves, God’s House Tower,
Southampton (UK); DREDGED, Windermere Jetty Museum,
Cumbria (2023–4); Lapsus Calami, Marlborough London
(2023–4); Trespassers Will be Detected?, Dnipro Centre for
Contemporary Culture, Ukraine (2020).
Sarah Hall standing in front of the centre panel of the window, holding a copy of Helm and smiling gently, with fells reflected in the glass in front of the art work, so one of the heads with long hair blown about their face is just above Sarah's short-haired head.
It's so great to see a publisher supporting creativity in a writer's local area like this. Visit our fellow Cumbrian Indies @fredsbookshop.bsky.social, Verey Books, @bookendscarlisle.bsky.social and @westwoodbooks.bsky.social to see the other artists' work.
#ChooseBookshops #CumbriaCulture #BookSky
