Su Blackwell

Using a scalpel, a cutting board and books, Su Blackwell creates intricate miniature worlds out of paper. With no preliminary drawings, she begins with an image in her head, and based on close examination of the text, the work slowly evolves as “the paper leads the way”. Beginning her research in the library archive at Chatsworth House, Su was drawn to the rare books on orchids, specifically John Lindley's fantastically titled 'Sertum Orchidaceum: A Wreath of the Most Beautiful Orchidaceous Flowers’. The 6th Duke, William Spencer Cavendish (1790-1858), bought his first exotic orchid (Oncidium papilio) in 1833, a serious status symbol, and thereafter was driven to assemble a collection above all others, as well collecting the books in which they were illustrated. Su’s elaborate site-specific installation is inspired by early competitive displays of orchids grown in the greenhouses of large estates like Chatsworth.

“I aim to give an impression that the orchids have burst from the pages of the book, and then been carefully organised into categories of colour and identification. My work makes comments on the order and disorder of the natural world, and our desire to record and collect this data”. 

Su graduated with a Masters degree in Textiles from the Royal College of Art in 2003, moving on to working with paper shortly afterwards. She has worked with print media, theatre and animation, and most recently illustrated a book, “The Fairytale Princesses” published by Thames and Hudson in 2012.