Go, See, Share Trip: Part 2
Pigment Organic Dyes polytunnel and outside growing space
The second part of our trip, supported by Creative Scotland’s Go, See, Share fund, involved travelling to Devon to meet Sophie Holt, the inspiring person behind Pigment Organic Dyes. Sophie started her business, which is a social enterprise, in 2021 and moved to her current site at Baddaford Farm in 2022. Baddaford is home to Riverford Organics and hosts four other agricultural businesses as part of the Baddaford Collective. Each business is different in terms of their output but they are united in terms of their ethos and values, which feels much like the relationship between myself and the Dye Garden has with Sculpture House and its team of artists. Sophie describes their shared ethos on her website as ‘to make a small part of the world more like the world we want to live in. We share resources, find synergies and collaborate as much as we can’. I think it’s a great way to explain the importance of building your community and Sophie’s business feels like such an authentic example of that.
Inside the polytunnel where hollyhocks, scabiosa, marigolds, zinnias and more are growing
As a social enterprise, there’s a joint focus on Sophie’s farm growing flowers and dyestuffs commercially using regenerative and organic farming methods, alongside providing training and support for adults and young people with additional support needs. There’s an inspiring balance of commercial endeavours with a therapeutic business model and like many creatives, Sophie’s route to where she is now has evolved over many years of education (a textiles degree, a business degree and a qualification in social and therapeutic horticulture) combined with practical and life experience.
This is only Sophie’s third season based at Baddaford Farm and yet the studio and outdoor space are well developed. Sophie’s studio is a perfect example of someone making the most use of their space with items like a bespoke drying cupboard and a table that can be raised to the ceiling when not in use. Outside, the vast polytunnel and growing space is impressive, especially when you realise it is just Sophie, occasional volunteers and members of her groups that help her with growing tasks and harvesting. She keeps the number of participants small to enable her to offer the support she feels others need and since the project is still in it’s infancy, much like our Dye Garden, aims to keep her own workload manageable. Sophie was as generous and warm in her welcome to us at Baddaford Farm as George was at Bailiwick Blue, and so I can’t thank them both enough for sharing their inspiring practices with us. There’s much to think about and process after this trip and it would be great to share more with anyone interested coming along to our free event at Sculpture House in real life on Monday 28th October. Details below…
The Sculpture House Dye Garden Go, See, Share Event
Charlotte Linton, Laura Aldridge & Laura Spring in Conversation
Monday 28th October
6.30pm - 7.30pm
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