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en masse explained En Masse magazine was created to provide a platform for creative work. Similarly to an exhibition catalogue the publication showcases work from artists, designers and creatives from all backgrounds and disciplines in one place.
everyone fits a certain category and nor should they have to. By providing such freedom, the hope is that the role of the editor is passed onto the reader and you are given the opportunity to decide for yourself how you feel about a piece.
It provides a diverse and honest snapshot into the industry as it is today by taking submissions from all over the world, from established artists to people who consider their practice a hobby. The contributors have not been hand picked, they are real people wanting to share their projects. All submissions are treated equally and given the same amount of space within the magazine.
Hopefully, the publication will encourage people to share their work, help readers to discover new techniques or practices and help connect people to form collaborations or open up potential job opportunities.
The idea came from noticing most art/design magazines are aimed at a particular discipline and during my time on the MA I have noticed that not
Most importantly, En Masse wants to create a community of creative individuals that can share work, offer advice and bring people together. Sara Barnes
En Masse
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Alexandra Jordan Textiles
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Faisal Koukash Illustration
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Amy Louise Davis Embroidery & Textile Sculpture
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Francesca Hadley Textiles
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Chevy-Jordan Thompson Film & Photography
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Helena Gregory Graphic Design
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Chloe Beecham Fine Art & Textiles
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James Mathews-Hiskett Fine Art
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Chris Curry Illustration & Design
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Pippa Jones Knit
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Clare Soutter Art
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Siân Leyshon Drawing
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Emma Whiston Fine Art
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Vanessa Lam Textiles
En Masse
TACTILE BIOLOGY ALEXANDRA JORDAN
Winchester Textiles in Practice alexandrajordandesign@gmail.com alexandrajordandesign.com
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have always been inspired by nature, looking at fungi, lichen, cacti, plant cells, crystals and bark in particular for this project. After completing a couture level internship, I felt I had found my ‘niche’ within the textile industry and focused on creating ‘delicious’ looking textures for my graduate collection that would make the viewer ‘want to touch’ simply out of compulsion. Throughout my education I have developed an interest in fashion but after a Foundation Degree I realised it is the tactile surface texture of a fabric that holds the real fascination for me.
in agate crystals and fungi. Throughout my degree I have come to understand my working process more clearly – noticing a distaste for plain grounds and a gravitation towards creating almost sculptural-like surfaces. This has resulted in my graduate collection, entitled ‘Tactile Biology’, a combination of print, embroidery and embellishment techniques, both contemporary and traditional, fusing new technologies and hand-made processes. Carrying on from my degree I intend to complete a Masters in Art Psychotherapy and qualify as an art therapist, using my knowledge and enthusiasm for the arts to help those in need to express their issues in artistic ways that conventional therapies do not cater for.
With this in mind, I have created ‘alternative couture’ samples that detail three-dimensional beading and embroidery to capture the abstract and undulating nature of my inspiration. I have found that when working creatively, colour is of great importance as it allows me to find links between different parts of my inspiration. For example, the colours found in lichen can also be found
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Q+A What’s your most indispensable tool? As a creative individual I would say my most indispensable tool is the confidence I have in my work and creative processes. If one doubts oneself one is unlikely to create and will fear failure. I no longer see ‘mistakes’ as failures, but as exploratory ideas that allow me to critique my work and move forwards creatively. What is your next project? My next project is centered around the idea of mental health and the emotional connotations of colours and shapes used within a creative process. How would you define the word creative? I would define ‘creative’ as any thought process that seeks to explore, question and challenge everyday life. I do not exclusively associate being creative with art as I feel things such as dance and poetry, for example, also allow a person the freedom and expression art does for
me. I think that the word creative describes anything an individual has created as a result of feelings, taste and inspiration. What inspires you? I have always found inspiration in nature, often using it as a starting point for colour inspiration and drawing research. The reoccurring patterns found throughout nature also fascinate me and allow me to broaden my sources of inspiration. I have always had an interest in fashion but in the past four years of study I have come to appreciate I am more interested in the surface and texture of a garment rather than its shape and construction. Following on from this, I aspire to create heavily embellished textures like those found in the couture collections of designers such as Alexander McQueen, Iris Van Herpen and Givenchy in my work and have explored multiple techniques on this theme throughout my degree.
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En Masse
A Badge a Day AMY LOUISE DAVIS
Stoke-on-Trent Embroidery and Textile Sculpture Tumblr: aloudavis.tumblr.com/ Instagram: a_loudavis Twitter: a_loudavis
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mbroidery to me has become the exploration of material in the broadest sense, where the interconnection of such materials enables me to challenge traditional preconceptions connected to stereotypical fabrics and threads through a sculptural means.
and very gradually begin to deteriorate. Whilst this is unfortunate, I have always seen my works as exhibitions pieces or as tactile objects, which are predominately used for their decorative and tactile appeal and are not about durability or life span. My intentions have never been to sell sculptures due to their temporary nature, but since people were asking why I don’t sell, the encouragement spurred me on to create something that I could. For example, the initial Badge a Day project was where the whole ‘sculpture as product’ concept started to evolve and I could start to think about material lifespan and durability a little bit more. This was a project which ran for fourteen days throughout January 2016 and gave me the chance to experiment with sculpture formations as a means of surface pattern through small commercial accessories.
At the end of 2015, it could be said though that sculptural formations started to somehow divert away from what I’ve become so used to over the last couple of years. Whilst I then started to develop works using more traditional techniques such as digital embroidery, I also started to take into consideration the use of traditional fabrics such as Calico, whereas previously I would have always tried to challenge them. My reason for this diversion? I really started to take on board the views of people taking an interest in my work. I had been asked on numerous occasions why it is that I don’t put my work up for sale. My reasons for this? Sculptural ideas are usually temporary
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Q+A What inspires you? I subconsciously seem to be drawn to organic formations such as flowers but I’ve also just recently become very interested in the painterly aesthetics of street art and graffiti based murals and patterning. Where do you work best? I like to work in the studio, a place where I can transform my ideas into a reality. How would you define the word creative? To me the word suggests having the freedom to be playful and curious about material. What’s your next project? Looking at bacteria, mould and fungi and finding a way to interpret this through the means of embroidery/surface pattern and textile sculpture.
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En Masse
Narcissus CHEVY-JORDAN THOMPSON
Manchester/Derby Filmmaker/Photographer/Beat-maker chevyj.thompson@gmail.com chevy-jordan.blosgpot.com vimeo.com/chevytmedia
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rimarily I’m a director and cinematographer for short films, adverts and music videos, though, I often shoot portraits and street photography to study light and composition. Only recently have I felt good about how I look, I was one of those people that used to hide their face when someone was aiming a camera towards them. Narcissus came about wanting to express a more personal side of myself something that I’m used to doing through music. I wanted to see how I’d do this through imagery. Narcissus is what I came up with, rather intuitively might I add. It just seemed so right, I thought, “Which space would be the best place to show vulnerability?” and proceeded to shoot a series of images in that space. I’m really inspired about spaces, it’s something a try to really make stand out in my work, whether directly or indirectly.
There is a stigma around the idea of black men wanting to present themselves to appear vulnerable, weak, homosexual, or feminine. It’s something a lot of black people disagree with. I believe there is a time and place for everything, and we as black artists in the 21st century should be able to represent ourselves a freely as we like, be us, gay, straight, introverted, or extroverted. The freedom of self presentation is something that needs to be more widely practiced, the fact that throughout history stereotypical negative images have worked against our people to create a single, common ‘world image’ of the black male as if we’re a monolith with a single framework that should be conformed to should be enough to pursuit a diverse look into ourselves. 19th century social reformer, abolitionist, writer and orator, Fredrick Douglass was a strong advocate for the strength of image representation and saw its potential to help liberate a blind world of its ignorance – ... ... having this to say in this 1883 oration ‘Pictures and Progress’. “A very pleasing feature of our pictorial relations is the very easy terms upon which all may enjoy them. The servant girl can now see a likeness of herself, such as noble ladies and even royalty itself could not purchase fifty years ago. Formerly, the luxury of a likeness was the exclusive privilege of the rich and great. But now, like education and a thousand other blessings brought to us by the advancing march of civilization, such pictures, are placed within easy reach of the humblest members of society.”
In the case of Narcissus, it’s indirect, but when people view the pictures they can get a grasp of where that space is due to how ‘me’ (the object) is presented in it. Just a few weeks after I shot and released this set (June 2016), broke up from a two year relationship with my then girlfriend, ironically she was the first person who made me feel beautiful, her admiration of my features that are often seen as subpar or unprofessional gave me a confidence I’d never experienced before. So unashamedly I have her to thank for giving me confidence in shooting this series.
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Q+A What inspires you? Virtually everything and anything. Though I’d like to make it known that inspiration isn’t always something for which you should act upon, sometimes something will inspire me not to do something. Where do you work best? Well, this depends on the type of work I’m creating. For music: I work best being alone for a number of hours. I need the solidarity to test and try out ideas. For film: Working within a busy environment is the most effective to my craft. A lot of the essence that we see in film is down to the spontaneity that occurs on set. Sometimes preplanned ideas work perfectly, sometimes not so much. Sometimes an opportunity may present itself at the right moment that will enhance that scene ten fold. For photography: This one is a mix of the prior two. Sometimes I like to work on people photography
projects that just capture life and allow myself to explore new places. However, on the other hand working within a studio setting with models, make-up artists, designers and such is also very interesting as you’re now syncing your ideas on to what each of the other artists involved have produced. How would you define the word creative? I believe there are two different essences of creativity. There is creativity for the sake of creating, and there is cognitive creativity. The latter being focused not only on the creation of a thing but also the disassembly - or deconstruction of a thing. A true artist may only consider what they created only after the fact, some before. The thing is that they at some stage, before or after, ask themselves why they’re doing (or did) what they have. What’s your next project? My next project is a tapestry/panoramic inspired piece that showcases the virtually unchanged actions of police brutality against blacks within the last 100 years.
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En Masse
In Utero CHLOE BEECHAM
Lincolnshire Fine Art/Textiles www.chloebeecham.co.uk Instagram: chloebeechamtextiles
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his work is about the way a mother and child are separate beings, yet are intertwined and bound together in some ways that are visible, and some that are hidden. I am also interested in the lesser talked about side of the maternal relationship which can be toxic to either mother, child or both. This work references the guilt a mother can feel for having feelings of ambivalence towards her child, or the guilt that comes from any conflict in the relationship.
build a relationship (of sorts) with his parents where he is able to be physically close to them, if not emotionally. The work aims to engage the audience, but in a way that is not particularly embracing. This aims to represent the dynamic of an Anxious/Avoidant relationship. My practice in general references issues that affect women, such as restriction and oppression. As my background is in Textiles, I am interested in using traditionally female crafts such as embroidery to convey these themes. I am interested in line and texture and aim to create site-specific installations with a drawn quality.
This project is based on the attachment style Fearful or Anxious Avoidant. In this attachment style, the child learns that his parents are not emotionally responsive, so develops a (false) sense of independence. He learns from an early age that any display of emotion will more than likely be met with rejection, so becomes closed off in order to avoid this rejection. This allows the child to
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Q+A What inspires you? I am inspired by spaces, particularly dead or unused space What was the last exhibition you saw? I saw Yayoi Kusama’s All The Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins & Chandelier of Grief at the Victoria Miro Gallery, and Louise Bourgeois at the Tate Modern. How would you define the word creative? To me, being creative means being constantly inspired and looking for new ways to do things. What’s your most indespendsable tool? I’d say my hands are my most indispensable tool as a lot of my work involves physically manipulating materials.
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En Masse
Starting a T-Shirt Company CHRISTOPHER PAUL CURRY
Yarm Illustration/Design t-arc@outlook.com Instagram: tarcclothing
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ne year out of university, as a fine art graduate, I decided to make the jump from artist to company owner. With no prior knowledge and without any help, I set about launching my own clothing brand. The twist being, while working full-time, I wanted to have a fully automated process with everything up and running in four weeks. Automation being key to my company’s business plan! As an artist, photographer, marketing manager and designer, I pulled together all my work and set about launching T-ARC.
One by one I found the answers to each of these questions, but without good designs, it would all be for nothing. My approach to designing often starts with a photograph or shape, which I build upon using my own creative intuition. As my collection grew I began to experiment with images of my old artwork; which I never thought I would look at again. This recycling process taught me to not just see something as it is, but see it for the potential of what it could become using Photoshop. There is no guarantee that T-ARC will be a success but I am determined to make it work. Most importantly, I am not afraid of failure.
First things first, I needed to figure out: 1. Which e-commerce platform was I going to use? 2. Does this company provide a dropshipping service? 3. What image do I want my brand to convey? 4. Who is going to be my ideal customer? 5. How will I design 25 t-shirts?
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Q+A What was the last exhibition you went to? Fashion & Freedom at Manchester Art Gallery. Really interesting! It was an exhibition inspired by the women of WW1. When all the men left to fight in Europe, the women had to go to work for the first time. Despite war being a horrible thing it gave women a new opportunity and important responsibility. It changed fashion forever. Where do you work best? This is a huge cliché but I work best on weekends, in small coffee shops. There’s enough background noise to keep me focused, without being too distracting. Studio spaces can be too quiet sometimes; I like to be where things are happening. What inspires you? There are so many things that inspire me! Going to different cities is a great way to gather inspiration. Over the past year I have visited Rome, Barcelona and Lisbon. I would recommend them all!
Creative and intelligent thinkers also inspire me. It’s their way of solving problems and seeing things from a different angle that gives them the edge over the average person. Most times these are the people who aren’t afraid to fail and don’t quit when something gets tough. What’s your most indispensable tool? The first is Photoshop, without a doubt! What an incredibly versatile tool! I use to do everything from the very basics to the advanced stuff. It took a while getting used to, but once you understand how things work you can do anything on there. The second is Google Analytics. It’s a free tool that Google provide which I have used to help me to understand and identify problems on my site, along with gathering useful information about my customers buying journey. Yeah, at times it might make your brain want to implode, but it’s so useful. I love digging into the analytics and making informed decisions based on what I have discovered.
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En Masse
197 CLARE SOUTTER
Manchester Artist csoutterart@hotmail.com clare-soutter.co.uk
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y work focuses on the process of creation; I see myself as a material and colour based artist, looking at different ways to create a painting. When considering materials, in this particular instance wax, I want to experiment with the endless possibilities that wax can do. I want to understand its properties, I want to push it, I want to change it and I want to challenge it.
I’ve been exploring the field of expanded painting, and asking the question “What is a painting?”. A painting can be defined as “the art or process of applying paints to a surface such as canvas, to make a picture or other artistic composition”, what I find interesting about this quote, is the type of paint is not fully defined and the neither is the surface, nor whether the work is 2D or 3D. Yet traditionally, we see oil paint on a canvas as a painting. By having no definite definition, can my work still be considered a painting due to its unique use of pigment and surface despite its 3D qualities.
Colour can awaken different responses in the body; whether it an emotional response or a nostalgia to the remembrance of the past. The colours in my work are carefully chosen, to evoke either emotions or nostalgia that are different to each individual. It is not my intention to force these emotions onto to the person, but rather allow the viewer to experience for their selves.
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Q+A What inspires you? What inspires me the most is a material, I become obsessed with the material and have a compulsion to understand it and see how I can change and alter it. I can spend months learning about the material and going forward and backwards with experiments. Once I understand the material I then begin to think what I want to create and show in my work. Sometimes it is obvious, but other times I have to then research, which can take the form of papers, books, essays and artists. Colour is also a massive inspiration to my work; I am constantly trying to evolve my understanding of colour and the meanings it can represent. I believe each person has a personal response to colour in both his or her body and mind and this is something I wish the viewer to see and feel within my work. I am constantly researching into Colour Theory and testing colours in order to have a greater understanding of this. What’s your most indispensable tool? I would say my hands, with them I can feel the material and they allow me to manipulate the material. It is from them, I am able to start creating and to start thinking about creating work. My eyes are also very important when it comes to my understanding of colour. I look at colour as an emotion and feeling and without these, I would not be able to have the same understanding as I have now. They allow me to test out colours, whether they compliment each other or how they portray particular emotions.
Where do you work best? Overall I work best in the studio, I keep my completed work and ongoing working around me and as a result, I am able to see links and connections between the works. By having the work around me, I can pay full attention to the material, understanding and manipulating it. It also works as motivation, if something hasn’t worked, I want to find out how why, and I want to work out how to make it work. Whilst I work best in the studio, I realize that sometimes I need to spend time away from my practice. Having this time away not only allows me to have fresh eyes on the work, it allows my thoughts to be settled and time for my questions to be answered. How do you define the word creative? The dictionary refers to creative as “relating to or involving the use of the imagination or original ideas to create something.”. What I find important about this specific definition is that it does not define creativity to one particular field. There is creativity in everything, whether it is in creating a painting, finding out what happens when you mix a chemical with another chemical, or baking and decorating a cake. Innovation, I believe is also an element of creativity, by either evolving the methods for something to work better or look better, it is a creative process that you are undertaking.
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En Masse
Fundamental Existence EMMA WHISTON
Congleton/Manchester Fine Art (Collage + Print) efwhiston.wix.com/artworks e.f.whiston@hotmail.co.uk
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hen working with collage I initially start out skimming through a number of publications; National Geographic, CRACK magazine, NME, The Skinny, Metro and The City Talking, cutting out imagery that I find interesting. Each composition is made up of these images, which I then disfigure by cutting them up, intersecting the images, overlapping and combining them with contrasting imagery
I chose these particular words because they talk about needing to be consciously aware that whatever we are doing it is valuable and important, despite how uncertain we feel about our lives. These words had a large impact on the way I chose to combine imagery in my collages; I wanted each one to have a surreal and dreamlike quality to them. My work is also heavily influenced by the ideas of fake reality and iconoclasm, the act of breaking up the image and I used these influences to make each piece as visually engaging as the words they are representing.
This creates an unusual focus point, for example, a man with monkeys for eyes, or elephants walking through clouds, so that each compositions has a very different perspective from the images original context. For this particular project I was heavily influenced by the words of Alan Watts, an American Philosopher, and his ideas on the concept of fundamental existence. Watts speaks about how we dream of alternate lives for ourselves, however given the chance to start over, in a dream life, we would inevitably make many of the same significant decisions and end up exactly where we are now.
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Q+A What inspires you? I am predominantly inspired by surrealism and views on fake reality, how our own personal realities can be questioned, maybe that other peoples realities can be significantly different, and if one is more real than the other. I like work that distorts my view of the world and makes me look deeper. What’s your next project? I know that I want to experiment with print in new ways. I have been thinking about producing one large piece of work out of lots of smaller prints, each one with its own unusual imagery, I want my next project to be a challenge. How would you define the word creative? I would define the word creative as the ability to reimagine the way something looks/works, or being able to see alternatives when everyone assumes that there aren’t any. I think the that being creative means being resourceful, inquisitive and open minded. What’s your most indespendsable tool? I think the tool i use most often is my scalpel. It allows me to control how I break up the images I collect and create the compositions I have in my head to act as a spring board for each of my projects.
En Masse
Culture of Colour and Resistance FAISAL KOUKASH
Merseyside Illustration faisalkoukash@outlook.com nablus.wix.com/nablusart
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y project is mainly about the heritage and culture of Palestine. My aim with this project is to not only raise awareness of the brutal occupation that the Israelis are forcing the Palestinians to live under, but to introduce people to what our culture means to us (Palestinians). I feel, as a Palestinian artist, it is my duty use what talent I have to show people the beauty of what our culture holds, as well as use my artwork in showing the tragedy we, as Palestinians had to go through since 1948.
I love to experiment with different forms of media, including acrylics and soft pastels, both of which I have used extensively for the majority of this project. I mainly use photo references, from friends who have been to Palestine, and make my artworks based on those photos. The work I am currently doing now under this project will be exhibited to the public in Liverpool in a Lebanese restaurant called Damas, but I do plan on taking this exhibition to Manchester around October, and then move on to my next project.
Doing this project is not only something exciting for me to do, it is also really nerve-wrecking, as I have never done a solo exhibition prior to this one. All the exhibitions I have taken part in were done in an educational context i.e. 6th form and University, with plenty of help, so for me to do this all by myself is pretty insane and challenging, and I’m not even exaggerating.
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Q+A What inspires you? Pretty much anything can inspire me: colour, landscapes, landmarks, people, emotion, sounds and films. I do love Tim Burton and earlier Kanye West works. What was the last exhibition you went to? The last exhibition I have seen is part of this year’s biennial in Liverpool. It was about refugees and it is exhibited at FACT Gallery, where I volunteer. How would you define the word creative? Even for me it’s a difficult word to define, I’m not even trying to make it seem like such a special word or anything like that, it’s just I’m terrible at English. But I’d define it as someone, who I guess is talented artistically and not afraid in pushing themselves to be better artists. What’s your most indispensable tool? My most indispensable tool would have to be my imagination; what’s a drawing without imagination eh?
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En Masse
Work in Progress HELENA GREGORY
Manchester Graphic Design helenagregory.co.uk
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ork in Progress is about youth. After finishing university I realised that my adolescence was over, and in an attempt to close that period of my life I began to reflect on the experiences that helped shape me. I looked at how they tied into core emotions because even though the idea was borne from my own life, I hope to create something that everyone can relate to.
youthful and poignant portraiture photography; the two photographers whose work is featured in these images are William Eggleston and Hannah Starkey. I intended to use the images as a visualisation of each emotion. As a designer I am inspired by humans and stories, I focus a lot of my work on editorial design and with that I try to visualise the narrative in a way that will engage with the reader and the text. I enjoy the need for openness with editorial design, you must rely on creatives from other disciplines in order to make your work and that is something I have been actively getting involved in with my other project, The Academy. This is an online platform I have setup with a fellow MMU graduate that intends to present new perspectives on football, we are currently working with two other designers as well as photographers and writers on the project.
I was inspired by exhibitions but chose to present the project in the format of a book as I hope that readers will be able to not only reflect on the content but also add their own memories, images and thoughts to it. As a result, the pages intentionally have large amounts of negative space. The editorial content is sourced mainly from coming of age novels and classics as well as songs. Lyrics have become modern day poetry and when you are young, the music you listen to is one of the only things you have complete control over and because of that it becomes incredibly important to you. I coupled the text with
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Q+A Where do you work best? At the moment I’m doing a lot of designing and writing, as a writer I prefer to be alone as I often struggle to process my verbal thoughts in a coherent manner when I’m with others. When designing and getting new ideas I like to work with others so I can discuss things with them, it’s important to talk about your work and get different perspectives. How would you define the word creative? Someone who is more interested in exploring the shades of grey than accepting the black and white.
What was the last exhibition you saw? Vogue at Manchester Gallery, I got told off for taking a photo of a spread I liked. What’s your most indispensable tool? Probably my computer, I use it to contact the people I’m collaborating with and do the majority of my design work with it.
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En Masse
66540 mins JAMES MATTHEWS-HISKETT
Norwich Fine Art/Multi-Disciplinary j.mhiskett@gmail.com jmhiskett.wixsite.com/jamesmhiskett Instagram: jmbiskett
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f the creative act is viewed as a series of actions, processes and subjective decisions as Duchamp proposed, then my practice examines different sections of this journey. In different artworks, the labour of the artist, the act of making, or the translation of an idea to an audience, could all become the focus of the piece.
anxiety of the blank canvas. The mechanisms of making paintings become the physical outcome in many pieces. Deliberate absurdity, humour and futility are used as devices to approach ideas in my practice. This breaks down barriers between the artwork and the viewer, and allows for a playful critique of the validity of artistic practice.
The role of the artist is questioned by presenting different locations for both the artist and audience. The performance like nature of art making is explored, as opposed to making art that is performance. The tradition and form of monochrome painting is often used as a vehicle and visual motif to present ideas, dramatising the
66450mins (2016) represents a period of time the artist spent in continuing contact with a canvas. The photographic image captures one moment of this period. The canvas itself is also displayed, referencing the birth of the monochrome tradition.
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Q+A What inspires you? I am interested in trying understand the process of art making. I see the works I produce as experiments in highlighting different points along the creative process to see what effect they have on the artist and the audience. I am inspired by work where the artist acts as a facilitator to involve the audience actively in artworks, such as 1960’s performance art and contemporary groups like Assemble. I am also really inspired by modernist abstract colour field and minimalist painting. I am interested in the tradition of the monochrome painting and painting forms the basis for many of my projects. How would you define the word creative? Any act that involves producing something new, whether that is physical or not. I think being creative should also set out to find out something new or to make something happen that has never happened before.
What’s your next project? I am currently working a new set of repetitive line drawings. I am also working on a project that will develop the ideas of 66540mins, possibly involving clothing and wearing a monochrome. What was the last exhibition you saw? Prima Donna by Louise Giovanelli at International 3 in Salford. Louise is a past graduate of the art school and this show of her new paintings is really great. Earlier this year I visited the Barardo Collection in Lisbon too which was really inspiring.
En Masse
102 SIAN LEYSHON
UK Drawing Twitter: SianLeyshonArt sianleyshon.com sianleyshon@hotmail.co.uk
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y work is framed by drawing and making. To me, a drawing is a projection of the mind, as your brain moves your hand or body to create a line within the space of the material you are drawing on. It is a way of communicating and therefore a projection of life. As I draw I think about the scale of the objects and the space they exist in. By drawing a space there is a sense of control within the artist to make an approximation of life. Drawing is a way of communicating life and the wonder of spaces.
about space and drawing, beginning to think about atmospheres. Her work offers alternative worlds where the everyday becomes extraordinary. Inspired by the writings of Georges Perec (Species of Spaces and Other Pieces, 1997), I decided to draw my flat. I aimed to convey this by drawing a space that we could all recognise but question at the same time. I was viewing objects and interiors that I would not usually spend time gazing at. I want to question our way of life and ask how can an artist change it by depiction? I want to make our life seem extraordinary. Perec’s Species of Spaces and Other Pieces guided me throughout this period. His writing helped me figure out how to think about the space and the people living around me. I want my work to question and to realise, what is it that makes us who we are and how we live. My work is about making the familiar unfamiliar and the uninteresting interesting.
Researching into drawing techniques around this practice I was led by the artists Toba Khedoori, Andy Warhol, John Lennon and the etchings of David Hockney. Their styles have excited me in their different interpretation of the ordinary and the extraordinary, whether it is Toba Khedoori’s drawings that form spaces and atmospheres within paper, Warhol’s drawings turning the normal into the beautiful, amusing and bizarre line drawings by Lennon or Hockney’s complex graphic etchings and drawings. I applied Sarah’s Sze’s art to my research
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Q+A What inspires you? My peers. Where do you work best? A studio. On a wall or a tilted desk. Music. How would you define the word creative? Complication. What’s your most indispensable tool? A HB Staedtler Pencil
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En Masse
Coral VANESSA LAM
Nottingham Textiles Design vanessalam@live.com Instagram: vanessalamtextiles
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specialise in knitted textiles with a focus on creating highly tactile, 3 dimensional forms. My designs consist of very simple colours and aim to reflect the organic, flowing shapes in nature. Material exploration plays a big part in my designs as I am fascinated by the outcomes that can be achieved by combining material and technique. I am continually experimenting with new materials and different techniques to develop exciting surfaces and structures, which sparks curiosity and invites viewers to touch.
These are samples from a recent project inspired by the various intricate coral species exhibited at the Manchester Museum. My main materials in this project are monofilament, elastic and paper yarn as I found that these materials shaped together to form unlikely twisting and curling forms. I enjoy trying out materials, which have a special property and affect the shape or structure in a particular way. I love the contrasting qualities of these materials and how they move and shape against each other, resulting in unique sculptural forms.
Currently, I am interested in textiles for product design, so that textiles can be used with a purpose for everyday use, but also exhibit beautiful textural and structural qualities. I am very inspired by designers who have investigated and managed to create textiles that become solutions to problems that we face in day-to-day life.
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Q+A What inspires you? I get inspiration from seeing works of other designers-whatever they’re discipline, exhibitions, shops, blog sites/ media and more simply the world around me and what draws curiosity, questions or even a lack of. Where do you work best? I work best in a studio environment where I can solely focus on only my design work. I love this working atmosphere and even more so when I am in a studio with other designers so that we can exchange thoughts. How would you define the word creative? It is seeing things differently, expressing to the world what something can be and to enhance everyday life in this way. What’s your most indispensable tool? My hands are my most indispensable tool, they allow me to feel textures and shape my designs. It is my hands that investigate my samples for development. Whilst visual aesthetic is also important, I believe the tactile quality is very dominant in my designs.
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future of en masse Although En Masse was created during my MA, I would like it continue if there is enough interest. If you would like to get involved in any way, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you. Please also feel free to contact the artists from this issue if you have any questions, if you’d like to form a collaboration or if you’d just like to give some appreciation of their work. That’s what en masse is all about and it only works if everyone gets involved.
contact sara-barnes@hotmail.co.uk
en masse