In her work Valérie explores humanities’ interaction with the world and during the residency she focused on a variety of issues experienced in the human condition, including waiting, tension, traction, resistance, escape and emptiness. These issues were expressed in video recordings, photographs, paintings, installations and performance art that were encapsulated in her work ‘Each Day Matters’. A garden within the campus was a formative element in inspiring the performance and instigating the final piece. The garden functioned both as a gallery and as part of the completed artwork which caused the College community to reflect on our understanding of what a garden can be. The residency was part of the Essex Picardy Arts Exchange programme funded by Essex County Council.