Date: 2017
The Cuts, 2017 – HD Video loop (15′). This was screened at University Centre, Taunton in Somerset. A lamb being expertly butchered, in reverse. During the Prospectus project “making space in time: an art school without a building” I was within a group of artists, thinking of the body as a collection of organs, the evolutionary process of life forms into multicellular organisms. I was driving past a huge abbattoir to and from work and I was thinking of artists, how they can collaborate, or not. Wondering about my role as an individual as part of a collective and about our project as a provisional organ, a metaphorical placenta, existing for a specific short lived purpose.
Paper Cuts, 2017 – inkjet prints, 3 prints in a set, print size 99 x 85 cm, Edition of 50 (to link to SHOP). Paper Cuts were presented in Falmouth Art Publishing Fair 2017 – FOMO and the Speculative Art School @ UoG Arts Festival, Hardwick Gallery in Gloucester. A series of drawings and text making up 3 ordinance Survey sized “maps” were gleaned from the artist’s notes made during meetings and conversations. They were created with photographs, ink, watercolour, drawing and collage, using a smartphone camera and a desktop printer. Wholly subjective as a document, the work reflects the fragmentary voices in a collective process and the scattering of ideas, as words or images and migrate to and flourish in another person’s mind.
Credits
Delphine Jones Graphic Design
David Colman Butchery
Commission
Prospectus: Making space in time: an art school without a building.
This was a commission to make a pilot, alternative form of art school, something for the dispersed art community of rural Somerset, Somerset Art Works. The project brought together artists and explored how a cohort is formed over time, how allegiances develop, collaborations evolve as well as how individual practices are strengthened by peer support. In the rural context we created a resource of audio materials (listening/learning) to share and absorb collectively, whilst apart, and also whilst travelling by car. We wanted to set something up where artists could exchange teaching skills for use of facilities in regional art schools, to put on enriching, educational lectures, workshops etc local to us, and have an online presence to share info together. I was commissioned as lead artist on this project, working with Natalie Parsley, Fiona Hingston, Sue Palmer, Jenny Graham, Jon England, Isobel Adderley and Zoe Li.
During the art school project, our conversation had revolved around the splintered and separated nature of being a dispersed cohort, as well as current austerity and its affects, the influence of the internet on material practice and face to face gatherings. The video loop was a literal metaphor of dissassembly, in this case the skilled butchering of a lamb’s carcass. The Cuts (15″ Loop) and Paper Cuts a series of notes and sketches from collective conversations were exhibitied in University Centre, Taunton, as part of SAW Open Studios 2017
The drawings and text were gleaned from meetings and conversations, and whilst reading material around the subjects that arose, as a group. They were created with photographs, ink, watercolour, drawing and collage, using a smartphone camera and a desktop printer. Subjective as a document, they aim to reflect the fragmentary voices in a collective process and the scattering of how ideas, words or images travel and flourish in another person’s mind.
They are assembled as a set of 3 Ordinance Survey map sized prints in an edition of 50. View here – Map 1 pdf, Map 2 pdf, Map 3 pdf.
The art school – occupying an existing institution…
Combining our knowledge and connections, we invited artists and professionals from around the UK to create a dynamic programme that reflects our interests in current ideas and approaches in contemporary arts practices.
Artist Talk: Florian Roithmayr, SAT 30 September, 6 – 7.45pm / Artist Talk: The Art School and the Culture Shed by Matthew Cornford, THUR 12 October, 6 – 8pm / Artist talk and workshop: Louise K Wilson & Stephen Felmingham, SAT 28 October, 10:30am – 4:30pm
Public Lecture: Journeys of Lactic Abstraction by Melanie Jackson, THUR 9 November, 6 – 7.30pm / Public Lecture: The Neurobiology of Beauty and Its Implications by Professor Semir Zeki, THUR 23 November, 6 – 7.30pm / Public Lecture: Mary Evans artist, THUR Dec 7th 6 – 7.30pm
Credits
The Prospectus 2017 artists, visitors and organisers. Further thanks: David Coldman (butcher), Clive Sage (lamb), James Price (camera and audio), Carol Carey + Somerset Art Works, Mary Caddick, Neil Chapman + FOMO Falmouth Art Publishing Fair 2017, Force 8 Bridport, Alexa de Ferranti, Eastville Project Space, Huish Episcopi Academy, Stephen Ives, Delphine Jones Design, Emily Joy, The Osbornes, Helen & Naoise Sargeant, Rona Lee, Molly Rooke + University Centre Somerset, Martin Wooster.
Funded by Arts Council England, through Somerset Art Works.
Project Website Prospectus.