SHAPING THE FUTURE conversations with the artists
Today is the final day of our Shaping the Future exhibition which has taken place from start to finish under lockdown. We asked Alice, Chloe, HoJung and Will to share their experiences and thoughts during these strange times and how these have influenced their working practice.
W I L L C A LV E R Will Calver’s first ever show has coincided, unexpectedly, with lockdown. We speak to him to ask how he is finding isolation in his studio.
Will, tell us about your studio, and what you love about it. My studio is in the garden of my family home in rural Kent. It is a repurposed, small building under an old Kent peg-tiled roof covered with wild roses and clematis, and is very much part of the garden. Inside the studio I have my easel, a table, a platform for setting up objects and a multitude of bottles, paint tubes, canvases and equipment, as well as a family of wrens in the rafters. The studio is arranged to suit the daylight that gradually moves around the room. It is a very quiet environment, but for the stirrings of the various animals that live in and around the building. The sheep and lambs that inhabit the adjacent field are a favourite feature of mine in springtime.
How do you typically work, and is your work conceptually or process led? Whilst I have a love for the symbolic, evocative nature of objects and the emotional potential of paintings, it is the process of painting that I am most passionate about - it is within the process that meaning seems to unfold. I generally work on one painting at a time, but sometimes I work on different paintings at different times of the day, to suit the changing daylight.
Is the lockdown influencing how you work or what you are making in the studio? The experience of painting in the studio - being quite a solitary pursuit - has not been greatly influenced by the lockdown. In fact, for me it has been a time of introspection and reflection, an opportunity to focus more on my work in the studio. I have found myself re-evaluating objects that we have around the house as potential subject matter.
How do you feel about holding your first solo show at the height of the crisis? It is a great privilege to have my paintings on show in New Craftsman, and even more so in these times. One of my favourite aspects of painting is that the representational illusion can cause the viewer to meditate over quotidian objects that might otherwise be overlooked. In times like these, I think that many might be more attuned to the value of simple, everyday forms. It has been encouraging to be involved in an online exhibition and to see how quickly people can adapt to circumstances and engage with the work in a different way.
CHLOE BELL Chloe Rosetta Bell’s work connects to the landscape and specialist food producers, at a time when lockdown is making us appreciate them more than ever. We talk to her as she works in isolation at her studio.
Chloe, describe your studio. How is it organised and what do you love about it? My studio is in a little village outside Winchester, in farm stables that have been converted into artist studios, with these beautiful wooden beams and farmhouse doors. I’m quite passionate about curating the space I am in, and at the RCA I was known for rearranging my studio space and bringing in new materials, drawings, magazines and books: I am very connected to the space I’m in. My studio is full of things that are necessary to projects past, current or future, but organised so that the most prominent project has focus. At the moment my shelves are full of oyster shell glaze tests and notes, and there are the drawings for my collection for the New Craftsman on the wall, alongside colour studies I took at Porthilly Oyster Farm. There is also a kitchen/dining area in the studio where my ‘seconds’ are used, as I want a space to welcome guests into. How do you typically work? I work on site-specific collections. It is important for me that I have a defined research project laid out. I am driven by learning about people, their landscapes and how I can record that in some way. I will spend time in the landscape absorbing the colours, forms, and learning about the livelihoods that depend on it. Then comes a period of research, where I study what materials are in the landscape and pull out any narratives found there. There are often secondary visits, where I go back to the landscape and collect materials or meet people who are critical to the research I’ve carried out. The rest of the work happens in the studio, developing glazes, refining clay bodies and developing forms. I draw a collection as a whole from the beginning, looking at how forms speak to one another, and then add to the collection as I begin making. Each project is very considered - I want to document the landscape in the most meaningful expression that I can in order to communicate and offer that narrative to others.
How are you working during lockdown? Is it influencing your practice? I was at home on the Isle of Wight when the lockdown began, so I spent a month there with my family before the ferries allowed me to travel, self-isolated, back to my home on the mainland and to the studio. I feel thankful to have been on the Island for that month. I began ceramics because of my own connection and passion for the land that surrounds my family home. I think that the landslips that surround us are some of the most beautiful wild and untouched landscapes I have ever seen, and I wanted to be able to express that in a tangible way. I really valued the time to run along the cliffs, swim in the sea and have the space to wind down, to write, plan and collect new materials. I realised I need to develop my collection based on the Island, and that will l be a continual project in my practice.
How do you feel about your work being on show at NC at the height of the crisis? Since travelling back to the mainland I’ve been completing work for the exhibition, which I feel so thankful to be able to focus on. I am concerned about the effect that the pandemic will have on young artists like me who are starting out. It is hard to imagine your work is necessary or relevant in such a difficult time. Showing alongside my peers at a beautiful gallery has been such an encouragement, and to see the work of HoJung and Alice developing reassures me that all we can do is keep making and give something beautiful and meaningful in these difficult times. There is a quote that I am always taken back to, by Esther Leslie on ‘Traces of Craft: Walter Benjamin’, which I feel is particularly relevant during this time: “The true collector loves things, fondles them as emblems that promise memory and knowledge about circumstances of production. Searching out the origin and durational existence of things, the collector, Benjamin tells us, knows about them in a way that appears archaic in an age of mass-reproduction.” I hope that my objects take people away from current worry to my studio, where I am drawing, throwing and testing glazes, or to the shores of Porthilly Farm where I am walking with Oyster Farmer Tim Marshall. I also hope that in the future, as people look back at this exhibition, they will recognise the great support from collectors, galleries and other artists that is keeping craft – a vital part of society – alive during these unprecedented times.
A L I C E WA LT O N Alice Walton’s truly unique work is on show at our gallery in truly unique circumstances. Here, she talks about the (suspended) joy of sharing a working space and the inspiration she finds in her daily commute.
Alice, tell us a bit about your studio. My studio is based in an old foundry in south Bristol. I share with three other makers, which I love for the sharing of ideas, technical discussions and friendships. We have two electric kilns and lots of storage space for my plaster moulds and slow drying work, and we can come and go at any time of the day, which I like as some pieces need to get to a certain stage in one day. There is a large communal table that we can spread out onto if our project requires more space, and at the end of the day, we clear away our work onto our own shelves and clean the space ready for the next day. How do you typically work? My making is greatly influenced by my drawing, and my drawing is inspired by my repetitive journeys to and from the studio each day. I cycle or walk the thirty minute commute, and make sure I look at my surroundings. I notice certain street objects or see how weather and light can change the look of something that I pass by every day. Once I arrive in the studio, I draw from memory. This break in time allows me to remember certain aspects and forget others, bringing the important factors of shape, form or colour to the page. I then begin making directly from my drawing. This takes my sculptures away from the literal point of inspiration and into a landscape of abstraction. My repetitive, decorative techniques are very important to the process and allow me to reflect on what I am making. They can take weeks or months to complete, and I love spending this time, listening to podcasts or just in the quiet of the day. How are you working during lockdown? During lockdown, I am lucky enough to have a spare room with laminate flooring, allowing me to continue to work at home. Just before lockdown I went to the studio and collected some bags of porcelain and other materials, so I have enough to continue for a few months. I have spent the time thinking more, spending time in the garden, and planning pieces in between making. I have also used this time to create a new colour blend surface for my pieces. How do you feel about your work being on show at NC at the height of the crisis? I am so glad we’ve been able to go ahead with the show. There has never been a more important time to surround yourself with objects that make you happy and bring you joy, and for me , there has never been a greater time to seek out readings, or to research what is out there and to learn more.
HOJUNG KIM Since she was not able to make the journey back to the UK as planned before the exhibition, HoJung has spoken to us from her Seoul studio.
Describe your studio. Where is it, how is it organized and what do you love about it. I have my studio in London and Seoul. My studio in London, which is located in Vanguard Court, was organized in May last year with other artists during my study in the Royal College of Art. I enjoyed working in my studio because I liked to be surrounded with beautiful sunlight coming through a set of big windows in front of my work table, and with various artists and people with craftsmanship. And, my studio in Seoul is solely owned by myself. The space, where I have used for about 8 years, was originally a garage, but arranged by my father as a space for my work, and transformed into my studio. I like the feel of warm encouragement from the space I feel familiar, while I am working in my Seoul studio. Having a studio both in London and Seoul have been a tremendous opportunity for me to widen my sight and continuously challenge for better work.
How do you typically work? By series? By instinct? Is your work conceptually led or process led? My work originates from the concept. However, I do not confine myself in the initial concept. I am open to the inspiration I get from drawing a sketch, working on the clay, and refining my work in the process. Therefore, in usual times, I am trying to stay keen to my surroundings, such as environment, people, etc, in order to train myself to become more sensitive to the possible inspiration I can have in building the concept, or throughout the process. In my collection, ‘Flow’, you can find the general form as a vessel. However, you can also find spontaneity in texture and set of colours which can be considered from unexpected inspiration in the process.
How are you working during lockdown? Is the crisis influencing how you work or what you are making? In fact, I had a plan to go back to London in March to prepare for NC’s exhibition and Ceramic Art London. Since lockdown from March, my flight to London has been canceled and CAL as well. I have recently started rearranging my studio in Seoul to keep up with my work despite situation and I have gotten a lot of opportunity lately to converse with other artists for future work. Therefore, I am having unexpected inspiration from engaging in conversation with various people, working on sketches, my studio etc. Also, mountain hiking near my house and taking photos for drawing and writing have been a necessary refreshment for myself.
How do you feel about your work being on show at NC at the height of the crisis? Do you think that will affect people’s response to your work, as buyers now or as historians in the future? This exhibition at the NC was my first group show after graduated at the Royal college of Art. I am truly pleased to be selected as emerging new comer by NC. Though the online exhibition in this crisis, I have received a number of emails from people taking interests not only in my ceramics, but also in my stories, culture and etc. Most memorable conversation was with one of the collectors who has a profound knowledge in Korean ceramics and eastern culture. Though I could not meet him in person due to the situation, I could feel his passion in ceramics and his interests in my work and culture as well. It was such a great feedback and encouragement I received from this show. I sincerely hope I could continuously give inspiration to people with my authentic work and philosophy.
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