'Environmental Outwear' will involve photographing a selection of city and landscapes which will be screen-printed onto fabric and made into different cloaks. These cloaks will then be worn in their original settings and a further set of photographic prints will be produced. The cloaks as fashion, protection and identity will merge the model eerily into society, the environment. By blending in, she will stick out, by fitting in, she will not adhere.

'Redrawing the Past' will consist of a selection of photographic images of my hometown, Folkestone, onto which I will sketchily add images of what was there. I would like to use the exhibition of this work to set up a workshop with teenagers to create the same process of works but adding what they would like to see there in the future. Folkestone as a town has undergone a lot of loss in the past few years and positive regeneration and outlook is in need.

Working creatively using a wide range of materials and techniques, what I make and do is constantly evolving. The visual form comes before any conceptual idea or statement and I tend to act as both author and audience to my work. Recurring themes and connections are apparent within the art I create and it seems to quietly echo notions of social and political significance. Symbols of strength, support and light frequently occur.

S-Capecoat-blank canvas by Karen Barnes. Photo the artist.