Helen Pailing arrived at Highgreen in October 2013, shortly after completing her MA in Visual Arts: Designer Maker at the University of the Arts London. Central to Helen’s practice is a deep engagement with materials — she transformed everyday, often overlooked objects into sculptures, installations, and drawings. Her work was guided by a playful and intuitive collaboration between maker and matter, celebrating the potential of found and donated materials.
During her residency, Helen developed her Object a Day series, crafting one small, hand-held sculpture each day from natural and man-made materials she gathered locally. Items associated with farming — such as drainage pipe, baler wrap, and wire fencing — became recurring components in her practice, influencing both the scale and subject of her work. These explorations led to larger temporary installations on the moors, such as Planted, and culminated in her final exhibition Warp, held at Highgreen in August 2014.
The exhibition title, Warp, referred both to the show itself and to Helen’s major site-specific installation in the Dutch barn. This large-scale work responded to Tarset’s industrial heritage and to ideas and objects linked to wool making and weaving. Monofilament thread stretched across the barn represented the warp of a loom, while visitors moving through the installation became the weft — completing the metaphorical cloth through their movement and presence. Selected works from Warp were later exhibited at Queen’s Hall, Hexham.
Helen’s approach reflected a sensitivity to material history, process, and community. Through her inventive reuse of discarded materials, she encouraged viewers to reconsider the value and beauty of the everyday, connecting local craft traditions with contemporary sculptural practice.
Helen’s residency placed strong emphasis on participation and collaboration. Her November Open Studio attracted many local visitors, followed by a lively Make Your Own Kaleidoscope Family Day before Christmas. In March, she organised Dark Skies Day with a Woolly Twist at Tarset Village Hall — a celebration of Northumberland’s Dark Sky Park status and the area’s sheep farming heritage. The event included felting and weaving workshops, star-themed activities, and music inspired by the stars of Tarset, Helen’s community artwork. Over 100 people attended the evening programme, which featured poetry, astronomy, and ceilidh dancing under ultraviolet light.
Helen also worked with local schools, hosting visits from Thomas Bewick School and collaborating with artist Karen Rann on creative outdoor activities. Later, she partnered with Percy Hedley School to design and build a sculptural feature for the school’s entrance, further extending her commitment to inclusive, material-led, and community-centred making.
