Coda Exhibitions
Hand & Earth
Imogen Charleston
This winter, ceramicist Imogen Charleston takes up a residency at Coda, bringing the theme of play into the gallery through clay, fire, and shared making.
Using local materials and reclaimed bricks, Imogen will work with participants from local schools and SEN groups. Together, they will explore sensory clay experiences, outdoor firings, foraging, and sound-making experiments.
Visitors are invited to meet Imogen in the Coda gallery throughout the winter, discover her work, and engage with her ritual-inspired practice rooted in clay, fire, and community.
Open from mid-January - March 2026
Free to visit
About the Artist
Imogen is a ceramicist and arts educator based in Christchurch, Dorset. In 2015 she founded Moon Studio Ceramics, a studio and teaching space dedicated to creative exploration and community learning.
In 2020, she returned to her own practice through a commission from BEAF, beginning a research project into Dorset’s native clay and ceramics heritage. In 2021, she became artist in residence at Poole Museum, further developing this research. Over the following years, Imogen explored wood firing through community kilns in Upwey and at Oxford University - a process she describes as “true alchemy,” combining her passion for natural materials and sustainable practice.
Building on five years of materials research, Imogen will use her Coda residency to explore both alternative and traditional firing methods, working with locally sourced clay and waste materials. Her practice continues to delve into the connections between landscape, process, and community.
For Imogen, clay is a material that bridges people and place. Through her residency, she invites others to experience the tactile pleasure of working with raw clay, rediscovering a sense of rhythm with the seasons, and celebrating the transformative nature of fire.
Winter Residency 2026
Imogen’s residency with us at Coda recognises the deep links between tradition, community, and nature. The residency will culminate in an outdoor firing event in Coda’s meadow - a joyful gathering around the warmth of the kiln where creativity, ritual, and transformation come together beneath the winter sky.
Throughout the residency, Imogen will also explore the creation of sound-making ceramic objects - whistles, rattles, and totems -decorated using traditional techniques and fired in a wood-fuelled outdoor kiln.
A key part of the project involves designing and collaboratively building a simple updraft wood-fired kiln using reclaimed house bricks. Together, participants will research, construct, and fire this kiln, transforming discarded materials into tools for creativity.
Upcoming Shows
Lightscapes
Tom Winter
Tom Winter is a Dorset-based artist whose work is grounded in a lifelong commitment to observation, craftsmanship, and the expressive possibilities of light.
His portfolio spans landscapes, portraits, and still lifes, each piece reflecting a sensitive engagement with atmosphere, form, and the play of illumination that inspires much of his practice.
Exhibition opening end of March 2026…
Past Shows
Staging the Self
Will Hargreaves
An exhibition exploring art, identity and resourcefulness through the recreation of artist’s selfies through the ages.
Sept 8th – Dec 19th 2025 (Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm)
Free admission
What do a paper lampshade, a bathrobe, and a potato masher have in common? In Staging the Self, they all become part of something unexpected - imaginative recreations of famous self-portraits using everyday household objects.
This playful and inspiring exhibition was born during lockdown, when artist and designer Will Hargreaves turned his home into a studio and started restaging iconic portraits with whatever he had to hand. What began as a fun experiment soon became a powerful exploration of art, identity, and creativity.
From ruffs made of lampshades to turbans fashioned from blankets, each piece combines humour with homage. These colourful, theatrical self-portraits show how everyday items can be transformed into something extraordinary - and invite you to do the same.
Performative Artist Talks & Workshops
Dive deeper into Staging the Self with our playful series of performative artist talks and workshops. These sessions offer an accessible and informal way into art history, bringing Will’s unique exhibition to life.
Step Into the Frame
Try it for yourself! Our dressing-up station lets you create and photograph your own self-portrait using materials inspired by the exhibition.
About Will Hargreaves
Will is a theatre designer with over 30 years of experience creating bold, imaginative productions across the UK and beyond. He’s designed for theatres from the National Theatre to the West End, and brings a passion for storytelling, sustainability and education to everything he does. Currently Course Leader at Arts University Bournemouth, Will is also a trustee of Ecostage and co-editor of the student Theatre Green Book.
With Staging the Self, Will encourages us to think differently about art, and invites us to become part of it.
Hampshire
Open Studios
August 16th–25th 2025
Come and explore the vibrant creativity of Coda’s resident artists during Hampshire Open Studios.
Artists Hayley Potter, Tracy Dovey, Gabriella Cohen, Maddison Collymore, Kate Smith, Sally Ovenden, Nancy Beardall and Rachael Williams will be opening their studios and exhibiting an exciting mix of paintings, textiles, ceramics, printmaking, jewellery and installations.
You’ll also have the chance to try something yourself, with a range of fun and friendly taster sessions giving a flavour of the workshops we run throughout the year.
