Departure
Allen, Glenda
My artwork is based on my interest in the properties of the mundane materials I work with and the ways in which I can best exploit those properties. I like to use mass produced, inexpensive, non-art materials, preferably recycled or found and then make them into something special. Simplicity, tension, contrast, repetition and the unexpected all play a part in my work. While the materials usually influence what I make, I draw inspiration from a wide range of visual references usually focusing on the intimate detail rather than the whole.
Brautlecht, Janette
My work deals with the concept of being caught between cultures. I seek to offer a look into my personal experiences from my previous year abroad and how this merges with my everyday experiences from living in a modern multicultural society.
My project consists of experimentation with my collections of objects and a series of images associated with my travels (i.e tickets/ beermats). Influenced by artists Zineb Sidera, John Stezaker and Layla Curtis, I have experimented with map collages and photo montages, exploring the human elements of the maps ( e.g. the road lines as veins).
I have also projected images and collages onto different objects, in a way of exploring the differences between different cultures, but also finding the unusual similarities.
Brazier, Charlotte
My work is primarily based on imagery from Marrakech and Doha. I try to create a city atmosphere by encompassing the viewers’ eye with layers of texture and merging imagery. By bombarding the eye with multiple images it cannot initially focus on one thing – this is the sensation us get when you visit Marrakech. The collaboration of two different cities highlights the political and social contrasts between them. Doha developed quickly and has lost some of its heritage. Marrakech is now growing just as fast through tourism and business development.
My painting is done from photographs and the relationship between painting and photography is something that always intrigues me. In taking a photograph which has specific time/place attachment and making it into a painting, which is a much more drawn out process, I feel it juxtaposes the two timeframes, creating something which is both instantaneous and lasting.
Brown, Kirsty
The exploration of Native American tribal identity and culture has become the core of my practice over the past year. As an “outsider”, my aim is to seek understanding of mythological imagery on a personal level before passing this on to an audience whose knowledge is most likely limited to the stereotypes of Westerns. I find traditional tribal textile crafts particularly intriguing, which have been passed down through generations and, along with tribal customs, should be preserved to maintain its identity and protected from dilution by outside influences.
To visual raise these issues, my artwork takes the form of sculptural textiles using traditional methods, recently quilting and bead weaving juxtaposed with present-day materials, including manufactured plastic play-balls. The idea of protecting, and in doing so possibly suffocating the creativity of the imagery and techniques, is illustrated by my manipulation of some textile pieces to form enveloping, reassuring yet restricted spaces.
Briggs, Rachael
In the past, cross-stitch was completed for recreation and the act of creating it was often more important than the result. I wanted to explore whether this traditional medium can be used to create Fine Art, relevant in the 21st century.
Today, we are bombarded by an array of mass-produced graphic media intended to convey a visual message. My work juxtaposes traditional needlecraft with the signs and notices we encounter daily. By changing the placement and materials, the context is fundamentally altered. I aim to challenge the perception of the viewer to interpret the mundane as art.
The functionality of the subject matter and the need for its large-scale production suggest that it should be created using modern manufacturing methods. The practical objects have the potential to become whimsical when created in cross-stitch as the painstaking nature of the medium defies convenience and makes it unsuitable for reproduction in quantity.
Bull, Louisa
The predominant issue explored in my work is the monogamy of daily life and the concept of being stuck in a constant routine. This is explored by French Knitting, whereby the repetition of this process creates hollow structures which have a metaphorical function of emptiness and superficiality. The forms explore felicitous space and subsequently reflect upon the preliminary concept of being trapped: mentally, physically and emotionally.
Additionally, these pieces are created by knitting with shredded shirts, thus exploring the issue of clothes, and the implication of the memory that work shirts are associated with. The formal anonymity, as well as the “male” depiction of the shirts is challenged by the “female” stereotype associated with knitting and domesticity.
Bullen, Joe
A Different Angle…A Different View
The most recent work by Joe Bullen shows a mixture of mood and tonal contrasts. The work challenges the viewer about not only what they are looking at, but what the image is portraying, and why it has been taken. As well as engaging with angles and reflections, the work continues to look at the mundane settings, and what can be hidden and revealed within an image. The series also encaptures the bright, bold colours and textures found within the specific location. The vibrant contrasts found in many of the photographs enhance the juxtaposition of illusion vs. reality
Catherall, Laura
My work is based on nature, I have been looking at seascapes, the shapes of waves and what lies beneath the sea. I have created dramatic paintings of the waves based on photographs I have taken. Recently I have looked at oceanography and sea creatures, creating drawings and glass pieces based on these findings. The likeness of the glass to the way the sea looks I find amazing, that there is a material I can use to create exactly what I was trying to represent. Laura Catherall
