Nest is an experimental garment sculpture and performative intervention created for Chester Life Drawing as a special Spring/Easter commission. The piece featured a large nest-like garment, intricately crafted from foraged willow, birch, fresh blossom, wax flowers, and lime twigs. Woolley collaborated with a local taxidermist, Siobhan Megarrell, whose delicate bird specimens adorned the nest and appeared unexpectedly throughout the life drawing studio.

Participants engaged in drawing using Woolley’s handmade watercolors and inks, derived from tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and oak galls, while employing freshly foraged blossoms and feathers as unique drawing tools.

The event also featured a curated Spring and bird-themed playlist, accompanied by a live cello performance by the model, Anna Parkinson, who Woolley collaborated with closely throughout the process. Wearing the nest and other delicate natural objects such as butterflies, bees and thorns, the model embodied the idea of ‘becoming animal’, adopting various bird like poses.

Life Model: Anna Parkinson
Photography: Peter Davies
Taxidermy: Siobhan Megarrell
Commissioned and hosted by: Chester Life Drawing & University of Chester