Harriet Hammel
Soft Sculptor
Harriet Hammel has been a sculptor of soft sculptures for over 40 years. More recently she is better known for her larger pieces and installations, such as her complete Kebab shop interior for the E17 Art Trail in 2007 and her soft life-size motorbike.
She likes to create soft sculptures of objects that are hard or 
aggressive. Her range includes everyday items like jars, bottles, cigarettes, ashtrays and pencils, through to computers, crash helmets and jackets.
Her work has rarely been exhibited in public in but since 2006 her work has started to go on show in Brighton and London. See the online gallery of her creations.
The News
Gaddafi's Golden Gun. - Embroidered ("engraved")with the name "Muammar" on both sides, it measures 20cm x 15cm and is made of gold-coated material stuffed with polyester fibre. Price £200.
Rev! Mother rides in - I took part in the E17 Art Trail in a group show in St Saviours Church, on the weekend of 10-11 September 2011. As our church is one of the churches where the priest and most of the people have "moved over" to the Ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church, we Anglicans who remain are enthusiastically rebuilding a congregation. We have opted out of the Forward in Faith movement, which objects to the ordination of women. So I made a woman priest, riding the Softuki in the porch!
40 Years on - On 25th August 1971, I made a soft violin during the night, to present to my father on his birthday, the next day. I then made another one, to put into an exhibition. The person who bought that one found me through my website recently and sent it back for repairs, which I did on 25th August, 2011! I also made a soft bow to go with it - I didn't have the expertise to do so 40 years ago.
Coming Up
From January 20th toFebruary 5th 2012
"Refresh for 2012" at ink-d Gallery, Brighton.
Next May, 2012, I will be showing work in the Artists Open Houses, Brighton, in the house of Janet Brooke, printmaker, and her sculptor husband. The stick of Brighton rock was inspired by this. 