SbM



Sara Hughes, 'Digital Mosaic', 2003-4 at the Hocken Library, Dunedin

I recently finished a series of sessions with ex-offenders and volunteer artists that I led at Southbank Mosaics, Waterloo.  We have been working on large scale artworks for the public realm, including a panorama of the Old London Bridge at night.  We also led participants through the NOCN Art and Design Award.  Unfortunately, due to new teaching responsibilities in the Media department at Richmond College, my sessions are now going to be taken over by the lovely Naomi Hope and Jo Thorpe.  I will still be working on a consultancy basis to SbM for commissions and training for staff.

The community interest co-operative offers and provides a constructive and productive route in which to offer skills and boost confidence whilst, learning from your peers in a creative environment.  Whilst working there, I have met so many interesting people from all walks of life. The most inspirational is SbM's Artistic Director David Toothill whose upbeat optimism and tenacity is a very refreshing breath of fresh air. May Southbank Mosaic continue to receive continued support in order to thrive and expand.

Future Everything Festival Proposal - Site Map

Future Everything - Home



Future Everything - Submission Guidelines




Future Everything Submission Guidelines




Future Everything Festival - 2011 website

 

Future Everything - Home

I have been working on drawings for a proposal for the Future Everything Festival Art Submission to exhibit works alongside the 2011 festival in Manchester.  My proposal is a three dimensional installation that physicalises the the architectural forms of the Future Everything website, as it grows over the period towards the festival next year.  Above are initial drawings from the site, from which I would develop a three dimensional installation using drawing and three dimensional construction within a site used by the festival for the events.  The site-specific installation of website will limit the number of users by the physical size of space as opposed to the online site which allows limitless visitors. 





Perspectives Paper, BodySpaceTechnology Journal 2010

The 2010 BodySpaceTechnology Journal is now online, and my perspectives paper 'The D Factor' at Manchester FabLab and the Future Everything Festival, 12-15th May 2010 can be viewed here.

Chongqing Residency 2011, 501 Artspace and Chinese Arts Centre

I was delighted to be notified last week that I am one of the selected artists for the programme of artists for a month long residency at 501 Artspace in Chongqing, China, co-ordinated by Chinese Arts Centre, Manchester.  Over the month long residency, I intend to develop my series of 'Fenestration' Drawings in response to local inhabitants use of digital space as well as a three dimensional installation work.  I also hope to be able to explore relief wood printing at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.  Thanks so much to the selection panel for accepting my proposal!

Conversation Piece, Art by Offenders, Royal Festival Hall

'The Cards I Was Dealt', HM Kilmarnock Prison,

'Conversation Piece', HM Prison, Arlington, Bronze Award for Sculpture

Several of the works in the current exhibition 'Art by Offenders' were of strong quality and insight in a range of media from needlepoint to mixed media sculpture.  The exhibition was curated by a group of victims of crime which were sourced by Victim Support, and trained by the Southbank Centre and the Koestler Trust, in conjunction with the former Turner prize winner, Jeremy Deller.  Highlights from the expansive collection of works from Offenders, Secure Patients and Immigration detainees from units across the United Kingdom included the mixed media sculptures 'The Cards I was Dealt' from Kilmarnock, HM Prison and 'Conversation Piece' from an offender in Arlington, HM Prison which received the Bronze Award for Sculpture.    The three dimensional sculpture of a card table was constructed in card, paper, paint and wood, and sadly signified the prisoners birth into a family that was consumed by drug misuse.  The artwork that was featured on the cover of the promotional material was a mobile  of conversation bubbles that was informed by a disagreement that the prisoner witnessed in her art class.  I was interested in the artists direct use of speech bubbles to signify the tenuous and ephemeral nature of the conversations held.  The style of the bubbles were very reminiscent of conversation bubbles in my recent installation, 'Digitas Communitas'.

'Art by Offenders, Secure Patients and Detainees' runs at the Royal Festival Hall until 14th November 2010.

Unleashed Devices, Watermans Art Centre/TINT

'Unleashed Devices' is the current exhibition (1st September - 22nd October 2010) at the Watermans Art Centre, Brentford, that was co-curated by the new media arts organisation TINT.  The extensive exhibition which spans the upper gallery, stairwells and lower foyer presents over 30 artworks from artists or hackers that explore digital and open source networks within their practice. I was familiar with a handful of the artist's practices before attending; the design group Tinker and the collaborative group Owl Project - mainly through their exposure through the FutureEverything Festival 2010.  A large proportion of artists/hackers that also exhibited were graduates of Goldsmiths College's Department of Computing, which was one of the funding bodies supporting the exhibition.

A collection of the artists/hackers work sought to engage the audiences physical body through tracking devices, such as the Haunted Typewriter by Neil Mendoza and Anthony Goh.  As we moved around the plinth where a 'old fashioned' typewriter sits upon, a tracking device activates the key pads of the typewriter to produce the written word on paper.  This work seemed to approach one of the issues at stake here - are these items just gadgets and experiments, or artworks? Indeed, the crowded exhibition layout  involved the audience to walk to each object to investigate its potential rather than be impacted visually by aesthetics or form.  Despite the clear intention to use the digital as a tool to involve the audience, instead of remaining an onlooker, we become part of the artwork,or act as a catalyst per se.

As an artist that does reference the digital, but particularly the architecture that forms the space in which we occupy, I gained a sense of clarity and focus with regards to my own practice.  My own art practice uses non digital processes to explore the intangible space that we daily occupy.  I have often been given feedback, if you are referencing digital space, should you not be using digital technologies to engage participants in the work? Without being able to pin point exactly, I have a strong sense that my exploration should be through non digital processes and constructed by the handmade.

The Big Draw Exhibition, Centrespace Gallery, Bristol

Facade (Interface), 2010. Vinyl, pen and pencil on paper.

One of my recent drawings, from a series of 'Fenestration' drawings, has been selected for the Big Draw exhibition exploring contemporary approaches to drawing at the Centrespace Gallery, Bristol which opens this Friday 8th October, from 6pm - 9pm, and runs until the 14th October.

The series of drawings ‘Fenestration’, considers the changing facade of an institution or organisation.  ‘Fenestration’ is the traditional name for the placement of windows upon architectural structures; usually in a symmetrical manner, and the scale and amount of windows placed were often closely linked with status and social history.  An impressive architectural structure previously exhibited the status and power of an institution and housed its employees or users.  However, the companies interface is now the first point and contact and we navigate services and possibilities through a series of tabs and windows, processing transactions and communications without physically moving.  Digital ‘Fenestration’ is practiced by interface designers, as they carefully select scale, colour and style of frame.  

I began the drawings by sketching out the original facade of the architectural structure, and create a series of preliminary sketches from the institutions website.  I then consider how these forms can combine.  Facade (Interface) (2010) is generated from the facade of renowned department store Selfridges, and its detailed window features are drawn from icons and graphics from their website.  The drawings use the materials of pen and pencil, as well as a large proportion of adhesive vinyl, a common material in shop window advertisements.

The Big Draw Exhibition, Centrespace Gallery, 6 Leonard Lane, Bristol, BS1 1AE

Opening 8th Oct, 6- 9pm. Runs 8th - 14th Oct, open daily 11am - 5pm.

100ft sq, Arts After Dark, ArtEgg Studios, New Orleans, 23rd Oct - 29th Oct

A small recent drawing, 'Digitas Mundae' is going to be exhibited in the 100sq ft exhibition, as part of the Arts After Dark exhibition at the Art Egg Studios, 1001 S.Broad St, New Orleans, LA 70125.  The opening is on the 23rd October from 6.30pm - 8.30pm.  If you happen to be there, please come along!

Digitas Mundae, 30cm x 30cm, pen and vinyl on paper