With new commissions from Craft Space Collective, Joe Richardson, Clare Sams, and Robin Vaughan-Williams
A Sense of Place is an exhibition exploring contemporary artistic responses to existing artworks depicting sites from across Hounslow.. Developed in collaboration with the Hounslow Exhibition Group, the project began by selecting works from Hounslow Council’s art collection. The seven chosen pieces—all on display as part of the exhibition—depict locations within CPP Hounslow’s catchment area. Many of these sites, such as the London Museum of Water and Steam in Brentford or The Bell Pub on Hounslow High Street, will be familiar to local residents.
Other works capture sites and buildings lost to time. These include Brentford Market’s interior and the Treaty Road Baths, both of which have since been demolished—the latter replaced by the Treaty Centre, itself now under the shadow of potential redevelopment. These artworks not only document the borough’s changing fabric but also highlight Hounslow’s ongoing evolution, prompting reflection on what is preserved and what is lost.
Some locations are less easily placed. A painting of St. Leonard’s Church in Heston (pictured below) is displayed in its original frame, where it was incorrectly labeled as a church in Acton. Rather than erasing this mistaken identity, the exhibition presents it as part of the work, raising questions about historical record-keeping, memory, and interpretation.
The four commissioned artists have engaged with these sites and themes in unique ways. From Craft Space Collective’s documenting Hounslow’s trees through printmaking and Joe Richardson’s works created through communal “drawing walks” to Clare Sams sourcing of local materials to create a new textile work and Robin Vaughan-Williams exploration of accessibility through poetry. Through these new commissions, A Sense of Place presents a multi-layered portrait of Hounslow, celebrating its visible landmarks while also uncovering its hidden histories and shifting identity.
This project is made possible with support from Hounslow Council, including Hounslow Library Service and Hounslow and Feltham Local Studies and Archives. Special thanks to Adam Grounds, Claire Powell, and Daisy McMullan for their contributions to the project.
Clare Sams – Brentford Market Place
For her commission as part of A Sense of Place, Clare Sams has created a textile banner inspired by Brentford Market, using repurposed and sustainable fabrics to reflect both the area’s history and its contemporary identity. This work continues her exploration of how textiles can tell stories, bring communities together, and contribute to conversations around sustainability and place.
Taking its cue from a painting of Brentford Market in Hounslow Council’s art collection, the artwork reimagines the site in fabric form, layering stitched textile elements to create a rich, tactile representation of the area. By sourcing materials locally from charity and thrift shops in Brentford and the surrounding borough, Sams incorporates textiles that hold their own histories, physically embedding the work within the community it represents.
Sams explains that “The Brentford represented in the painting was barely recognisable. The redevelopment of the area has had a marked change on the town.” While referencing Brentford’s heritage as a market town and the original market building depicted in the painting, also celebrates the borough’s cultural diversity. The design features fruits, vegetables, and other food products found in Brentford’s shops; in highlighting the legacy of Brentford Market today, Sams celebrates the area’s diverse “global-local community.”
A key element of the piece is the symbol of the bee, which appears throughout the design. Bees are an important emblem of Brentford’s identity, representing community, resilience and collective work, while also reinforcing themes of environmental sustainability—a recurring focus in Sams’ artistic practice.
Clare Sams is an artist, researcher, and educator specialising in community engagement and sustainable textile practices. Her work is rooted in environmental sustainability, with a focus on recycling, repurposing, and using materials that reflect local histories and identities. Through stitching, knitting, and textile collage, she explores themes of place, collective memory, and social history, often collaborating with communities in the making process.
She has undertaken residencies, commissions, and community-led projects across the UK, with institutions including Suffolk Libraries, Imperial College London, Barking and Dagenham Council, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Craft Space Collective – 4²
Inspired by a painting of Feltham’s trees, this collection of sixteen monoprints captures individual leaves at a single moment in time and place, gathered from the streets of Hounslow. Each print is inscribed with the latitude and longitude of its collection, preserving its ephemeral presence within the landscape.
The work reflects the biodiversity of Hounslow’s trees, including American sweet gum, maple, plane trees, and ginkgo, drawing a connection between the natural and human diversity of the borough.
For this project, each leaf was collected, numbered, and recorded using GPS. The printing process began with monoprinting the leaves on mulberry paper using printing ink, followed by overprinting with a circular gel plate. By mixing multiple colours on the plate and reapplying the leaves with residual ink, a rich texture and layered effect emerged. Deliberate mis-registration and masking techniques were used to create depth and glow, ensuring each print retained a unique sense of movement and transformation.
“Shining jewel-like on the dark autumnal pavements, the brilliance of the leaves inspired the palette of the work” explains Fiona Eastmond (Craft Space Collective). As the seasons turn, these bright leaves become part of the next generation of trees, echoing the cycles of change and renewal in the local environment.
Craft Space Collective is a creative partnership between artists Fiona Eastmond and Jake Marrinan, dedicated to making art accessible, sustainable, and a tool for community connection. Their work focuses on affordable, easy-to-make arts and crafts, fostering creativity, joy, and a sense of belonging, particularly within isolated and disadvantaged communities. Through their projects, they explore how everyday materials and sustainable methods can create meaningful artistic experiences that bring people together in an increasingly atomised society.
CPP Hounslow 