"Every piece has a story to it – a bit of history, the memory of where you bought it, why you found it interesting. There is a reason we pick things up and place them in a particular way, with other pieces. They have a story of their own but end up telling a story about you."

In issue five, we continue our peregrinations, investigating the most remarkable stories from in and around Somerset. Here's a taste of what we have in store for you:

Creature Comforts
A Georgian house filled with treasures would have been enough to tempt me here; I didn’t need more. Oh, but there is more, because I’m at the home of Liddie Holt, supermodel, avid collector of vintage taxidermy, and maker of exquisite nature-inspired art.

Photo: Oxana Mazur.

Post Normality Reality Disorder
180 years after Edward Bulwer-Lytton suggested that ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’, it turns out that a brush, or palette knife, wielded by a skilled hand and a sharp mind, will give them both a run for their money. This is especially true when the hand and mind belong to Frome-based artist Jamie Gallagher. 

Photo: Damon Charles.

Richard Howell – The Reliquarist
I’ve always been fascinated by the crossover between art and engineering. It allows precision and an organic design process – like siblings of a dysfunctional family – into the same room, at the same time, and it always results in something remarkable. 

Photo: Oxana Mazur. 

Evercreech Jack in the Green
On an early evening at the start of May, a lone and unfamiliar, 9 feet tall figure, could be seen standing in fields on the edge of the village of Evercreech. 

Photo: Mark Pickthall. 

And that's just the beginning...

Banner photo: Oxana Mazur.