MIRROR | SEEDBED
SEEDBED
16 October–11 December 2026
MIRROR
Chantal Powell
Chantal Powell presents SEEDBED, a solo exhibition exploring cultivation, transformation and renewal through ceramic and glass, drawing on alchemy, ancient rituals and Jungian psychology.
MIRROR presents SEEDBED, an exhibition that transforms the gallery into a site of cultivation and experiment. Through a framework she calls Vegetal Alchemy, Powell reworks alchemical imagery, ancient incubation rites, and myths of bodily fragmentation and renewal, placing them in dialogue with Jungian depth psychology.
The new works combine ceramic with blown, flameworked and cast glass. Across the exhibition, bodily fragments sprout, laboratory forms become organic and symbols fold into one another. Visitors are invited into this shifting seedbed and asked what the encounter might set in motion within them.
Powell’s practice considers how symbolic imagination can function as a form of knowledge, bringing relationships between psyche, matter and the living world into focus. In SEEDBED, growth, decay, incubation and regeneration become symbolic models for psychic and material change, creating an environment in which materials, forms and ideas appear to be continually transforming.
Chantal Powell (b. 1977, UK) is an artist-researcher based in West Dorset with a PhD in psychology. Her interdisciplinary practice draws on Jungian psychology, alchemy, mythology and historical source material to examine relationships between psyche, matter and the living world.
Across making, curatorial and collection-based projects, writing and public speaking, Powell explores archetypal imagery alongside the symbolic life of objects and materials. Her research has led to the development of Vegetal Alchemy, a framework centred on growth, decay, incubation and regeneration as symbolic models for psychic and material change. She has presented this research at Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo.
Powell has exhibited nationally and internationally. Upcoming institutional exhibitions include the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter, and the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich. She is the founder of Hogchester Arts, a contemporary arts residency programme in West Dorset, and host of The Red Book Club, an international speaker and book programme exploring Jungian psychology, contemporary art and symbolic thought.
Find out more about Chantal Powell
Events accompanying SEEDBED
A programme of events will accompany the exhibition, offering opportunities to meet Chantal Powell, explore the ideas behind SEEDBED, and consider its wider themes through talks, conversation, film and an exhibition tour.
Preview event: SEEDBED
Thursday 15 October, 5pm–7pm
MIRROR
Join Chantal Powell for the preview of SEEDBED. The event is free and open to all, but advance booking is required.
Book tickets for the preview event
Artist talk: Chantal Powell
Friday 30 October, 6pm–7pm
Plymouth Arts Cinema
Chantal Powell discusses her practice and SEEDBED as part of the 2026 Making Futures International Conference at Arts University Plymouth. Free and open to all, with advance booking required.
Book tickets for the artist talk
Online in conversation: Chantal Powell and Ben Tufnell
Monday 16 November, 7.30pm–9pm
Online
Artist Chantal Powell is joined by writer and curator/editor Ben Tufnell for an illustrated conversation exploring SEEDBED, symbolic thought, and the relationships between psyche, matter and the living world. Free and open to all. Advance booking is required.
Book tickets for the online conversation
Film screening and artist talk: To Die into a Bird by Anna Kushnerova
Monday 23 November, 6pm–7.30pm
Plymouth Arts Cinema
A screening of Anna Kushnerova’s To Die into a Bird, followed by an in-conversation between Kushnerova and curator and researcher Orjana Rudeloff. The film explores death, transformation, ecological memory and relationships between body and landscape. Free and open to all, with advance booking required.
Book tickets for the film screening and artist talk
Closing exhibition tour with Chantal Powell
Thursday 10 December, 2pm–4pm
MIRROR
Join Chantal Powell for a tour of SEEDBED, with insights into the artworks and the creative process behind the exhibition. Free and open to all, but advance booking is required.
Book tickets for the closing exhibition tour
MIRROR is a free public gallery, events programme and online resource based out of and supported by Arts University Plymouth. For other upcoming exhibitions and events visit mirrorplymouth.com.
Opening times:
Monday–Thursday: 9am–5pm
Friday: 9am–4.30pm
Saturday: 9am–1pm
Sunday: Closed