tra, home maker, butterfly effect, cosmic, chaos, future, crafted, borrowed, guts, creature, slop, balance, slick, comic, carved, reuse, profile, swir pressive, aesthetic, burrowed, movement, scratchy, dark, textured, influencer, body-horror, faceless, soft, graphed, sober, meditative, robotic, politic vision, linear, void, rusty, knotted, gross, strung, crazy, minecraft, snore, alien, moody, decay, optical, object, reflective, shiny, worm, messy overwhelmi xture, crusty, line, stream of consciousness, portraiture, pale, dotty, death, slurry, spongey, human body, space, division, vein, dissolving, digital, snak ngle, slick, mum, guts, profile, graphic, strong, void, soft, meditative, limbs, crazy, sex, poo, complicated, multiple, fluid, ethereal, snore, cellular, funn lebrity, drape, orgy, division, flat, line, chunky, retro-futurist, reflective, memory, dissolving, corridor, radioactive, darkness, sparkly, knotted, collaborativ yered, sublime, accordion, storm, lumps, opacity, warmth, transformation, betty, pixel, manipulated, dusty, replica, hair, tangle, collar, joy, text, face pressive, identity, influencer, impression, strong, found, pop, ephemeral, sound, defecate, trickery, bent, mono, crisis, extra, home maker, butterfly effe smic, chaos, future, crafted, borrowed, guts, creature, slop, balance, slick, comic, carved, reuse, profile, swirls, expressive, aesthetic, burrowe ovement, scratchy, dark, textured, influencer, body-horror, faceless, soft, graphed, sober, meditative, robotic, politics, division, linear, void, rusty, knotte oss, strung, crazy, minecraft, snore, alien, moody, decay, optical, object, reflective, shiny, worm, messy overwhelming texture, crusty, line, stream nsciousness, portraiture, pale, dotty, death, slurry, spongey, human body, space, division, vein, dissolving, digital, snake, tangle, slick, mum, guts, profi aphic, strong, void, soft, meditative, limbs, crazy, sex, poo, complicated, multiple, fluid, ethereal, snore, cellular, funny, celebrity, drape, orgy, division, fl e, chunky, retro-futurist, reflective, memory, dissolving, corridor, radioactive, darkness, sparkly, knotted, collaborative, layered, sublime, accordio orm, lumps, opacity, warmth, transformation, betty, pixel, manipulated, dusty, replica, hair, tangle, collar, joy, text, faces, impressive, identity, influenc pression, strong, found, pop, ephemeral, sound, defecate, trickery, bent, mono, crisis, extra, home maker, butterfly effect, cosmic, chaos, future, crafte rrowed, guts, creature, slop, balance, slick, comic, carved, reuse, profile, swirls, expressive, aesthetic, burrowed, movement, scratchy, dark, texture fluencer, body-horror, faceless, soft, graphed, sober, meditative, robotic, politics, division, linear, void, rusty, knotted, gross, strung, crazy, minecra ore, alien, moody, decay, optical, object, reflective, shiny, worm, messy overwhelming texture, crusty, line, stream of consciousness, portraiture, pa tty, death, slurry, spongey, human 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gross, strung, crazy, minecraft, snore, alien, moody, decay, optic ject, reflective, shiny, worm, messy overwhelming texture, crusty, line, stream of consciousness, portraiture, pale, dotty, death, slurry, spongey, hum dy, space, division, vein, dissolving, digital, snake, tangle, slick, mum, guts, profile, graphic, strong, void, soft, meditative, limbs, crazy, sex, po mplicated, multiple, fluid, ethereal, snore, cellular, funny, celebrity, drape, orgy, division, flat, line, chunky, retro-futurist, reflective, memory, dissolvin rridor, radioactive, darkness, sparkly, knotted, collaborative, layered, sublime, accordion, storm, lumps, opacity, warmth, transformation, betty, pix anipulated, dusty, replica, hair, tangle, collar, joy, text, faces, impressive, identity, influencer, impression, strong, found, pop, ephemeral, sound, defeca ckery, bent, mono, crisis, extra, home maker, butterfly effect, cosmic, chaos, future, crafted, borrowed, guts, creature, slop, balance, slick, comic, carve use, profile, swirls, expressive, aesthetic, burrowed, movement, scratchy, dark, textured, influencer, body-horror, faceless, soft, graphed, sober, meditativ botic, politics, division, linear, void, rusty, knotted, gross, strung, crazy, minecraft, snore, alien, moody, decay, optical, object, reflective, shiny, wor essy overwhelming texture, crusty, line, stream of consciousness, portraiture, pale, dotty, death, slurry, spongey, human body, space, division, ve ssolving, digital, snake, tangle, slick, mum, guts, profile, graphic, strong, void, soft, meditative, limbs, crazy, sex, poo, complicated, multiple, flu hereal, snore, cellular, funny, celebrity, drape, orgy, division, flat, line, chunky, retro-futurist, reflective, memory, dissolving, corridor, radioactive, darknes arkly, knotted, collaborative, layered, sublime, accordion, storm, lumps, opacity, warmth, transformation, betty, pixel, manipulated, dusty, replica, ha ngle, collar, joy, text, faces, impressive, identity, influencer, impression, strong, found, pop, ephemeral, sound, defecate, trickery, bent, mono, crisis, extr me maker, butterfly effect, cosmic, chaos, future, crafted, borrowed, guts, creature, slop, balance, slick, comic, carved, reuse, profile, swirls, expressiv sthetic, burrowed, movement, scratchy, dark, textured, influencer, body-horror, faceless, soft, graphed, sober, meditative, robotic, politics, division, line id, rusty, knotted, gross, strung, crazy, minecraft, snore, alien, moody, decay, optical, object, reflective, shiny, worm, messy overwhelming texture, crus e, stream of consciousness, portraiture, pale, dotty, death, slurry, spongey, human body, space, division, vein, dissolving, digital, snake, tangle, slic um, guts, profile, graphic, strong, void, soft, meditative, limbs, crazy, sex, poo, complicated, multiple, fluid, ethereal, snore, cellular, funny, celebrity, drap gy, division, flat, line, chunky, retro-futurist, reflective, memory, dissolving, corridor, radioactive, darkness, sparkly, knotted, collaborative, layere blime, accordion, storm, lumps, opacity, warmth, transformation, betty, pixel, manipulated, dusty, replica, hair, tangle, collar, joy, text, faces, impressiv entity, influencer, impression, strong, found, pop, ephemeral, sound, defecate, trickery, bent, mono, crisis, extra, home maker, butterfly effect, cosm aos, future, crafted, borrowed, guts, creature, slop, balance, slick, comic, carved, reuse, profile, swirls, expressive, aesthetic, burrowed, moveme ratchy, dark, textured, influencer, body-horror, faceless, soft, graphed, sober, meditative, robotic, politics, division, linear, void, rusty, knotted, gros rung, crazy, minecraft, snore, alien, moody, decay, optical, object, reflective, shiny, worm, messy overwhelming texture, crusty, line, stream nsciousness, portraiture, pale, dotty, death, slurry, spongey, human body, space, division, vein, dissolving, digital, snake, tangle, slick, mum, guts, profi
GROUP STATEMENT
“Doesn’t that just look yummy yummy” was an interesting description to be
presented with on our first day (thanks Jack), along with staring very awkwardly at one another for a solid two minutes before really saying hello. Fast forward three years and we would not even bat an eye lid. There are numerous memories we share; the study trips, sharing about 3 heaters between 30 of us in second year, telling Richard his mother’s painting was awful (sorry!), the last minute panics before hand-in’s and the constant panic whenever Rob went up a ladder! There have been a few disagreements along the way (let’s not mention ‘the wine rant’) but there has always been unity. There was always a helping hand if we needed one, a helpful comment and the sharing of knowledge. We became a community. We became a friend. Covid19 saw our final few months in the studios come to a premature end, bringing with it upset and uncertainty. But we did not let it stop us. We are Artists, and Artists adapt. More Zoom meetings that can be counted saw the biggest amount of encouragement between one another. It also saw people turning up on time! Artwork continued to be made and discussions were only a facetime away. Our catalogue became even more important and everyone went above and beyond to make it happen. The story does not finish here, it has only just begun.
#ClassOfCovid19
ARTISTS Sam Bates Bella Bradford Lucy Burgess Ashley Chadwick Heather Christie Ellen Courtney-Thompson Angharad Day Bibi Dean Eye of the gLiTCh Samantha Farrell Levana Hall Sophie Hirst
Tash Hodgson Jeyaruby Jeyapalan Kimberly Kounce Amy Lafford Scott Leslie Rob Mackie Samuel Pegg Megan Pierson The Tree Trio Chloé Tosh Paul R.White Weronika Wisz
Sam Bates My practice is a close expression and representation of my own identity as a bisexual woman living with chronic health issues. My artwork is predominantly voicing the portrayal of personal experiences, primarily through the use of textiles and sculpture, but also incorporates the wider field of queer culture and history. My practice also taps into the relationship queer culture shares with feminism and I continually explore ways of finding unity between them through language, symbolism and trinkets. I am also influenced by domesticity, objects and home and have been exploring these themes in more depth given the coronavirus pandemic and my prolonged selfisolation as a result of that. Working through reimagined imagery and memories, which are somewhat influenced by video games, allows me to examine space in an unusual way.
i @vintagenemoart vintagenemoart@gmail.com
The Comfort of Coming Out [WIP], (Details) (2020), Mixed media textiles. Size Variable.
Bella Bradford Humanoid sculptures are personified in terms of their titles, aesthetics and existence in a space. Human actions taken on by the sculptures work to aid the anthropoid-like presences. Layering of multiple materials works to inform the viewer of the rhythm in the creature’s skin, further highlighting its creature-like qualities. I intend my sculptures to defy gravity and use the materials involved truthfully. Challenging the act of impossibility and allowing accidental failures, results in my work standing as monuments to humans. I aim to find balance between humour and hostility exercised through practice and experimentation in a playful and humorous manner.
Slinky Bois, (2020) Wood, Wire, Card, Paper, Plastic, Glue, Textiles, Acrylic Paint. 30 x 40 x 40cm
i @bellamjbradford bellamjbradford@gmail.com bellamjbradford.wixsite.com/website
Bendy Wendy (2020) Cardboard, Paper, Plastic, Wood, Plastic Pipe, Scaffold Pole. 240 x 270 x 120cm
Lucy Burgess My practice explores the relationship between visual and auditory translation, represented through the conversational exchange between sculpture and sound. My compositions derive from my ongoing interest in serialism music and has evolved through several years of examining this structured and constrictive form of composing. I am drawn to the dissonant and atonal nature of this style of music and through my art I explore these harsh and disconnected sounds from an analytical perspective. My sculptural work discards a need for colour as sound acts as its informer, meaning that if colour is used it is only a tool to aid translation. Black perforated metal is often my preferred material to sculpt with. I feel it has a sense of ambiguity and a perfect simplicity to it in contrast to the sound it is often mirroring. The conversational premise of my work allows me to view music as an extension of my art, always intending to create a seamless flow between the physical and the auditory. Sound and sculpture inform one another through concept, process and formal physical qualities. The nature of serialism music lends a challenging process, of which I am always aiming to question through interrogation and exploration. i @blr_art_ burgesslucy@aol.com burgesslucy.wixsite.com/blr-art
A conversation between structures, featuring Compressed Grid Tone and Wrapped Grid (2020) Metal. Sizes Variable
A beginning (2020) Acrylic, Metal Mesh, Cotton. Sizes Variable
Compressed Grid Tone, 2020, Biro, Paper. 28.5 x 21cm
Ashley Chadwick
Falsification and dissimulation are the key links within my varied practice. The relationship between the physical and the digital encounter allows each work to exist twice, delivering distorted encounters which contradict one another. What you see is not what you get. A study of Roman architecture and the perceptual system evolved my interests in illusionistic space and the discrepancy between expectation and reality. Photography can restrict the element of dimensional illusions or reverse them entirely, which led to an inquisition into depth reversal through three-dimensional works that present themselves as two-dimensions. I am also stimulated by scale manipulation through anamorphic installations, incorporating architecture and nonconventional spaces directly as if the canvas itself. Illusion is a game. The apposition between secretive language and modern-day adaptation allows for a conflict between distortion and clarity. I derive pleasure from misdirecting others, departing viewers from the correct or logical path and guiding with nonsensical questions. Painting with an out of focus quality adds to the chaos of confusion, or is that what I want you to think? A common denominator in my practice is colour, exploring the characteristics and behaviour between tone, value, purity, saturation and hue. Colour brings its own layer of illusion when exploitation is present, and only feeds into the supposition of foolery.
i ashleychadwick.art ashley@ashleychadwick.art www.ashleychadwick.art
N.A.F.F. M.S. & N.A.F.F. J.N. (2020) Acrylic on Canvas. 150 x 200 cm
True Form Cubes - Variation 12 (2020) Acrylic on Wooden Construction. 46 x 43 x 7 cm
Heather Christie I paint intuitively, using my senses, memories and feelings as guidance. I have a Romanticised relationship with art, it being a personal form of expression. My practice originates through the study of landscape paintings. Artists past and present have such separation in their artistic style, yet their intentions speak as one; to understand what it means to be human in the context of nature, which resonates with me deeply. I was generously inspired during my travels in Bali, collecting masses of visual and emotive inspiration for my practice. It led me to a shift from painting landscapes to creating abstract landscapes of paint, using Bali’s energy, colour and vibrancy to inform each work. I aim to deconstruct my memories Baby Bintang (2020) Oil on canvas. 25 x 25cm of Bali’s landscape by painting only the most vivid aspects, such as how I felt, the colours, the sounds and textures around me. In doing this, I can see an emerging relationship between memory and painting forming. I aim to see if this new way of painting a landscape can be just as monumental as the Romantic period. I want to find if it is possible for my viewer to experience the same sense of awe and wonder; to visualise what I saw without me utilising a literal style.
i @heatherchristietattoo heatherchristietattoo@gmail.com
Octave Peaks (2020) Oil on canvas. 100 x 79cm
Ellen Courtney-Thompson My practice explores patterns in obscure places. I am interested in installational art and its ability to immerse an audience within a piece of work, whereby their interaction becomes integral to the work. My work explores crowd psychology, specifically Freud’s theory, where he theorises that when one joins a crowd our super-ego (moral centre of consciousness), is displaced and allows it to be replaced by a charismatic leader. I have looked at Communist and Nazi party rallies and their leaders, Charismatic Leader (2019) Acrylic pen and abstracting these as the source for my patterns. Alongside this, Emulsion on Wall, Size Variable I have researched crowd movement technologies, focusing on enfilade corridors that were historically used in grand European architecture. These structures not only control the movement of people, they are a defined hierarchical social structure; the further you are permitted to enter, the higher your status. Developing the connections between these technologies and my research into crowd generated patterns has evolved my experimental and immersive installational practice, through the use of scale models and drawings. Being conscious of finding new ways to present and interpret Displaced (2019) Pen on paper, 30 x 42cm these patterns has given me the opportunity to create unique canvases with challenging shapes and forms that react and compliment the distinctive patterns derived from my crowd-based work. This realigns the view of the work, challenging the perception of the original source material, and for the observer to engage with patterns originating from unlikely places that would prove challenging to many.
i @ellenct_art
Overcrowded (2020) Acrylic and Emulsion Paint on MDF, Size variable
Angharad Day My practice explores the relationship between body image and detrimental stereotypes, using language as a means of emphasising this. Society demands and assumes an idealistic vision of beauty, portrayed by social media and the fashion industry which is extremely narrow minded. Not meeting this given criteria leads to a bombardment of negative words and phrases, which is the platform I use within my work. By working through installations, I create an impact that is unavoidable. Using the negativity of specific words and phrases, and taking ownership over them, invites people to rethink and revalue the throwaway comments they make and the damaging impact they can have, demonstrated by the phrase:
Untitled (2019) Wire. Sizes Variable
“You have to think before you read, so you should think before you speak�. To mimic the variety of shapes and sizes we come in, I produce abstract sculptural words which have subtle physical differences. This combination represents our unique individuality we share as humans.
angharad.day@mail.com
Meddwl (2020) Wire. Sizes Variable
Think (2020) Wire. Sizes Variable
Bibi Dean A key focus of my practice is the exploration of machine-like repetition and human inconsistency. Machines are able to produce perfect like-for-like replicas, yet I am interested in human error and the imperfections made when producing the same image in such a way as a machine would, but through the use of a human hand. Through drawing, painting and digital animation, I encapsulate the essence of repetition involved with mass production. Starting with an original image, I produce copies of each image that precedes the one before it. This allows me to embrace each imperceptible imperfection and expose the differences the human hand and eye made during this replication process. This introduced the notion of movement between imagery and discrepancy, leading to my digital animations which aim to magnify the miniscule changes made from one image to the next. It also One (2020) Acrylic on Canvas Board. 21 Ă— 30cm replicates the movement or imperfections involved with human repetition but through a machine that is not capable of the same. bibidean@mail.com
1 (2020) Fineliner on paper. 21 Ă— 30cm
01101111 01101110 01100101 (2020) Still from Animation. Size Variable
Eye of the gLiTCh
Kirsty Cresswell, Sophie Lydon and Brogan Teggart Eye of the gLiTcH is a collaborative group, where we work in a variety of ways in order to produce unique results. Currently, our work uses augmented reality to bring our traditional and digital work together innovatively, using the digital element to allow viewers to interact in multiple ways. Our work is often that of a political, subliminal and criminal nature. Photography is integral to our work and is used for a variety of different purposes; from reference for artworks, the base of a digital edit to documentational, it allows our practice to constantly develop itself and gives inspiration for future works. The intention is to create an extreme overload of sensory information, particularly visually, to reflect the media and the information it rapidly churns out. We keep up to date with current affairs and continually reflect and adapt our ever-changing work to mimic the fast-paced world around us. Layering is a crucial and constant process used throughout our practice, acting as a way of covering our tracks. It mirrors the behaviour of the media which produces many articles, words and images to mask important information. More recently, our practice is concentrated on the idea of investigation. We decided to explore this both literally and metaphorically, focusing on the idea of our work being a criminal investigation that is interactive.
i @eyeoftheglitch eyeoftheglitch@gmail.com eye-of-the-glitch6.webnode.co.uk
Neon Handprints (2020) Digital Edit. Size Variable
Subliminal Investigation (2019) Digital Edit. Size Variable
Ransom Investigation (2020) Digital Edit. Size Variable
Eye of the gLiTCh (2019) Mixed Media on Canvas. 31 x 41 cm
The Aftermath (2020) Photography. Size Variable
Samantha Farrell Within my practice I often use my immediate surroundings as my subject matter, which most commonly features people and nature. Through my artwork I am able to respond to the environment I am in more personally and with sincerity, recording what I see and feel through drawing, painting, collage and photography. I make a conscious effort to directly respond to my senses in order to understand the sensory experience of the world around me. My practice also responds to the topic of personal faith. Faith is the complete trust within a person or a thing, which everyone carries with them in one way or another. There are a variety of ways this may be, having faith in a God, a political system, a place or in a particular person. However, faith is not something easily visualised and there is so much that is unseen concerning it. I have been carefully examining how faith can be made visible which is what informs my practice. I use my own personal faith as a Christian through The Seen and The Unseen (2020) Pencil, Acrylic and Gold Leaf on the seen and unseen aspects of my faith and Fabric. Size Variable Opposite: Washed by His Blood (2019) Pencil and Acrylic on give it life through my work. Wood. Size Variable
i @samanthaaliceart f @twotenstudio samanthaaliceart@gmail.com / twotenstudio@outlook.com
Levana Hall Colour acts as the main premise and influence within my art practice. Stepping away from the traditional and figurative, I instead have been exploring a path of abstraction and distortion that has led me to the work I am currently creating. Exploring the freedom of pattern and colour, I developed my practice to allow for a level of unpredictability and uncertainty. Doing so brings an outcome of uniqueness, departing control away from me and allowing each work to inform itself. While my central focus is the abstract realm, I have also recently been focusing on simplicity through fine line drawings as well as abstract pieces focusing on gestural strokes; when viewing the unplanned patterns serendipity comes into play and enables me to enjoy the little things in my work. These incorporate a quiet yet direct quality to the work where I am commanding the retention of control and developing a relationship between the two.
levanahall@gmail.com levanahall.artstation.com
Top: Sapphire (2019) Acrylic on board. 30cm Left: Violet (2019) Acrylic on board. 30cm Right: Sunset (2019) Acrylic on board. 30cm Opposite: Fern (2019) Acrylic on board. 30cm
Sophie Hirst My work is delicate and detailed; I carefully examine my subjects, often being personal friends and acquaintances, to then paint their portraits as a means of conveying their personalities. My practice also focuses on my interpretation of colour connotations, having the same value to my work as the figures I depict. The visual medium of painting and colour is used to express something that is invisible by translating how the subject makes me feel through the appropriate colour. My current work aims to subvert the traditional fine art notions of portraiture by using nontraditional art surfaces such as concrete and plaster, inspired by the streets of Berlin. I find ways to reconcile language with traditional portraiture and street art by testing the materials of a wall’s surface, to then reconcile that surface with an image that does not naturally lend itself to be painted on.
Cariss (2020) Plaster canvas and Acrylic, 30 x 40cm Opposite: Bold (2019) Plaster, Mixed media and Acrylic, 30 x 40cm
Through this action, I see my work as a contemporary version of renaissance portraiture, inspired by Fresco walls, and the incorporation of cracked, weathered surfaces. When thinking about the association between contemporary surfaces and fresco walls, I am reminded of urban spaces which I aim to fabricate through plaster and concrete.
i @sophirst.art sophiehirst.art@hotmail.com sophirst.wixsite.com/artist
Tash Hodgson I take influence from the Ecofeminist movement and the idea of women being close to nature, which I believe reinforces the notion that both women and nature are open to subjugation. I also mean to produce work that has a fantasy motif, using the four elements Earth, Air, Fire and Water to represent the unimagined bounds that are often overlooked in both the current climate and in a woman. The reason for this connection comes from the term micro/macrocosm conceptualised by Pythagoras, who saw the cosmos and the body as a harmonious unit. The way in which my work can be displayed reflects the progressive contemporary technological world, intentionally created to be viewed in various forms; a 2D image, a projection, on a screen or in a virtual space. My work subverts the traditional idea of portraiture using digitally manipulated moving imagery, disrupting the natural forms of the facial features and incorporating various abstract references to the features of the natural world. Throughout my practice I tackle difficult current topics such as feminism and climate change. I manipulate my imagery gradually, merging the face into a background which I also fabricate, where this female figure can sit within the unknown bounds of nature. In a surreal world where the mythology of goddesses and the personification of the vast landscape of feminism can become one, it is possible for anyone to view the women for their rightful power.
i @tash_hodgson_art tash_hodgson_art@btinternet.com www.tashhodgsonart.wixsite.com/website
In the White Cube (2020) Photography and Digital Manipulation. Size Variable
Iris (2020) Photography, Digital Manipulation and Video Stills. Size Variable
Jeyaruby Jeyapalan My practice incorporates handmade sculptures enshrined with subliminal layers, each holding a density of imposed meaning. I handle these sculptures as if my life depends on it during their creation; surrounded by a nurturing aura like a mother would her child. Their fragility demands my care and attention whilst they evolve, until reaching maturity as a sculpture. The arrangement of ‘White Casts’ reveals each sculpture’s naked authentic self, further withdrawing the humanness they hold. By taking away a comprehensive reality, I explore the relationship between meaningful and meaningless. Away from the mothering nature of creation, there is a transition into the realm of disregard and remorse through arrangement. The display of my work is essential to communicating that transition phase, imposing a darker tone like that of a horror scene. There is a juxtaposition between individual beauty and emotionless conflict that I try to impose on my viewers, mimicking the world around us and a feeling of uncertainty.
i @Jeysartworld jeysartworld@hotmail.com
Lifeless (Series 1) (2020) Plaster, Modroc, Wood. Sizes Variable
Lifeless (Series 2) (2020) Plaster, Modroc, Wood. Sizes Variable Opposite: Please Sir Can I Have Some More (2020) Plaster. Sizes Variable
Kimberly Kounce I have a keen interest in exploring the relationship of ornamentation and abstraction. I examine this through a systematic method which focuses on control and repetition of gesture. Apple’s act as a motif which I use to connect my paintings to the history of art. I am not creating abstract paintings of apples, but instead using an apple as a tool within my pattern design process, arranging fragmented distortions of an initial drawing. This allows me to deconstruct a painting so that I can use form to explore and find unity through colour and composition to explore the flatness of painting. I try to emulate the relationship that scale has in comparison to the body, alongside process and the effects of multiples as ornament.
Pommes After Cezanne (Deconstructed) 2020 Gouache on Paper. 274 x 183cm
i @k.kounce f @kim.kounce kimkounce.com
Pommes After Cezanne (South East) (2020) Oil on canvas. 201 x 150cm
Amy Lafford My practice is methodically based; building an image systematically in order to create a distorted view of its original self. I set out to emulate an atmosphere of what would generally be considered a trivial act or activity. When watching a movie, playing a game or becoming immersed within a fictional environment, you subconsciously become a part of it. The technological aspects of modern popular culture allows for a complete submersion into a different world, creating an escape from your own self or life. My work visualises this escape into the form of pixelated portraiture, creating portraits through individual squares of solid colour, distorting the image into a highly electronical abstraction of reality as it grows. I enhance these limits by fluctuating the sizes of pixels to further decrease the essence of reality. My paintings reflect the loss of identity and escapism, and I simulate this concept through my sculptures. This invites my viewers to experience this transition for themselves, allowing them to pixelate their own image into a computer screen, fabricating the experience in a different format.
i @amylafford.uog_art
Noise (2020) Acrylic on canvas. 183 x 122cm
Ambient Intelligence (2020) Computer Monitor and Mirrors. Sizes Variable Opposite: Pervasive Technology (2020) Acrylic and pencil on canvas. 122 x 76cm
Scott Leslie My work merges folklore, mythology, perception and scientific research with cartoon imagery, animals and the human figure. My practice is interdisciplinary in nature, working with a variety of media, such as drawing, painting, collage, and sculpture to present an alternative reality occupied by the creatures of my creation. The blurred line between fantasy and nonfiction has often been a point of interest for me. I look at the way alternate realities are constructed, and how seemingly unrelated components serve to enrich the greater canon of an imagined universe. My Captivity (II) (2019) Matboard and Gouache on Wood. 11 work investigates the role of a singular object within x 11cm a constructed world, and how much it can reveal to the viewer about its origins. This constructed world is populated by a race of dog headed individuals; they serve as an avatar for myself, as well as a sympathetic non-human entity that uses both the expressiveness of the human figure and the emotional complexity that humans project onto animals. Formal, museological, and early scientific display techniques and visual languages are ever present in my work, as I am interested in what specifically makes an artifact appear genuine. In this world, two dimensional Please Don’t Touch the Animals (2020) Gouache, Paper, and characters are preserved and taxidermied as if they are a genuine article, life-size silhouettes accompany Perspex. 10 x 10cm the displayed works and occupy the viewing space, questioning the authenticity and the intended audience.
i @wheezles / scottleslie86@yahoo.com / scottleslieart.com
Dog Person Views an Art, 2020, House paint, MDF, Plywood, Acrylic. 213cm-tall figure and 46 x 61cm painting
Rob Mackie My practice emerges out of materials that are deliberately useful yet affirmatively useless. The subject of my work is quite simply the creative process. Humour is a vital ingredient and my creations both laugh at themselves as well as their viewers. My practice is not only a process of transformation and exchange, but that exchange as a transformation itself through laughter, conversation and materials between me and the world. My work can be bombastic as well as poignant in the first instance yet is generally short lived. Repurposing and reworking each piece I make is essential to its authenticity; it lives briefly before I then dismantle and reassemble it in reassertions of its former self.
400 and 20 Days (2020) Aluminium Foil. Sizes Variable
i @rob1mackie robandmackie@gmail.com robmackie.online
Hairy Black Balls (2020) Mixed Media. Sizes Variable
Still Life No.13 (2020) Aluminium Foil, Faux Fur, Glass Jar, Wooden Balls, Hair, Emergency Foil Blanket, Wood. Sizes Variable
Samuel Pegg My practice explores the natural phenomena which captures my eye in a single moment. Focused on the wonders of the world that are often taken for granted; I explore the facets of everyday beauty I see around me through several forms of practice. I am fascinated by the variety of ways to work and my artworks consists of many different techniques and mediums. Using both found and acquired materials I transform them into new purposes. My abstract paintings and sculptures invite my viewers to question what they see, as it is important for the viewer to play their own part within my work. I want the audience to decide what they experience for themselves, not to be told or suggested how to encounter it. Currently my practice analyses the movement of the sky, something in our daily life that we often overlook. Clouds above us forming the shape of the skyscape. A storm, so destructive and isolating yet astonishing and The Storm of a Pandemic (2020) Acrylic on Wood. Size Variable mesmerising from a distance. I aim to capture the beauty of a storm with the challenge to interact with movement, translating these storms to current situations, focusing on the ‘storm of a pandemic’. The qualities of a pandemic share a close attraction to the embodiment of a storm that I am continually exploring.
i @blumooseart f @twotenstudio blu.moose@outlook.com / twotenstudio@outlook.com
Interacting with Movement (2020) Duck Feathers, Metal, Plastic, Pump, Tulle and String. Size Variable
Megan Pierson My practice is largely inspired by the patterns found in nature, ranging from naturally occurring lines in the sand, textures on rocks to the growth of plants. These lines closely resemble drawings that follow the line across a surface making patterns and shapes. The concept of drawing is a prominent theme throughout my practice, and I have more recently been pushing the boundaries of conventional two-dimensional drawing by exploring it three-dimensionally. I use rope to symbolise line and form, which is a direct influence from my home county of North Devon. I am inspired by the tangles that fishing nets and ropes make, found within the seaside villages. There is something very delicate and beautiful about these tangles, the layers of such vibrant colours on the organic harbour walls, in the water or embedded within the sand. This stimulates direction for my practice. My sculptures create lines and forms whilst being suspended from the ceiling, allowing them to hang naturally and freely. They utilise the space around them, with the rope travelling through space like a pen across a page or a tree growing into the sky.
i @meganpierson.art
The Drawing (2020) Rope. Size Variable
The Drawing (2020) Rope. Size Variable
The Tree Trio
Rob Mackie, Juliet McKelvie and Nicola Wilson Our collaborative group formed through chance when stumbling upon an image that resonated with each of us individually yet collectively. It appealed to our imaginations and sense of curiosity and we found ourselves drawn to one another. Our work has evolved into an ongoing specific project, gradually progressing through a series of thought processes and manifested physical changes. The exploration and journey of the artistic process has been more significant than the product. Our work consists of a combined interpretation, which can be summed up by the following collage of words:
Memories reflection unconsciousness reminiscence remembrance recollection thought wit fantasy imagery unreality mindfulness visualization notion invention hanging conception awareness illusion flight fanciful verve vision refuge imagination childhood space unreachable inaccessible playful levitation kinetic movement scale orientation colour absurdity cosy comfort warm glowing luminous iridescent playful humorous light fun evoking cube hidden transformation transparent joy design laughter collaboration inspiration
i @rob1mackie / robandmackie@gmail.com i @juliet2designs / juliet.mckelvie@sjpp.co.uk i @nicola.1.wilson / nicola@impies.co.uk
Collection of Inspirations (2020) Images. Sizes Variable
ChloĂŠ Tosh Eliciting a feeling or emotion through physical form, specifically discomfort, is the main premise of my practice. The pieces I create mirror imagery I have come across when researching Trypophobia, the phobia of clusters and patterns of bumps or holes. While my work is an investigation into eliciting feelings and emotions, it is also an exploration into taking something used in the everyday and altering it to give it a completely new perspective. I take these mundane items and morph their appearance into seemingly alien like forms. This creates uncertainty between the familiarity of the original object and the unpleasantness of its new unfamiliar nature. I want the forms I create to have a somewhat organic presence, as if they are growing and spreading but never alluding to what they are. The fear of the unknown is a common feeling which resonates with me personally and I aim to evoke that same response from my audience. Bathroom (3-piece Installation) (2020) Spray Foam, Toilet, Bathroom Sink, Wood, Paint, Cotton buds. Sizes Variable
chloetosh@yahoo.com
Paul R. White As an artist my intent is not to portray what I see, but through my seeing and feeling, to attempt to convey an experience of that emotional journey. Through considering the conceit that life and art at its fundament is a melancholic journey, a journey within which all is, without exception, ultimately lost - that everything decays, my current work puts forward the notion of ‘what of this experience remains’? In a universe without god, without return, what place solace and hope, joy and desire, loss, fear and pain? Our relationships through life are complex and contradictory and my practice sets out to consider my own. ‘All that Remains’ is a personal journey, navigating the emotional impact of the loss of my parents, and how where are we now (2019) Canvas, Acrylic, that has left me feeling lost and confused, sometimes 60 x 91cm nostalgic and sometime enraged. How do I consider all Opposite: Saturn & The Deluge WIP (Detail) (2020) Rust, Metal, Gravel & Acrylic. Size Variable this when ‘I love you – I miss you’ seems to say nothing at all. Within this, and through it, my hope is to tap into the universal and create a presence that feeds into and connects with others. My practice to date could be considered to be painterly and abstracted, but increasingly I have been drawn to bring more of the world into my work. The world that never remains pristine, that decays and degrades, rusts and spoils, yet still contains beauty and the profound.
i @paul_r_white paulrwhite.uk
Weronika Wisz My practice entails the ideology of social standards of beauty. I am drawn to people with an ‘unusual’ appearance that society would deem as ugly or unattractive. I explore the correlation between imperfections and perfections, features that define someone as beautiful but are different from others, enhancing and celebrating their unusual characteristics. I strictly use raw canvas, as it holds qualities I see within a person’s true self. The painting’s layers upon an organic base translates to that of a person’s appearance and personality, uncovering the truth about their portrayal. Each surface built up within my paintings remain apparent. I explore the relationship between each of these layers; surface, pattern, portraiture and translucency and develop an essence of balance. There are also relations between the linear and the realistic, the flat and the sculptural, the basic and the detailed that I try to uncover.
Chris (2019) Oil on Unprimed Canvas. 30cm x 30xcm
i @thisisronie / weronikawiszart@gmail.com
Robin (2020) Oil on Unprimed Canvas. 30cm x 30xcm
Roos (2019) Oil on Unprimed Canvas. 30cm x 30xcm
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion and successes of our final year could not have been possible without the Universities’ course leaders, staff, facilitation and support. There are so many whose names may not all be enumerated however their contributions are sincerely appreciated. The group would like to express their direct acknowledgement to the following:
Andrew Bick Sarah Bowden Jessie Brennan Matt Fredrick Abbie Glover
Lisa Lavery Johnathan Parsons Jack Southern Hannah Still
We would like to give a special thank you to the following individuals for the significant impact they have had on our university experience as a whole:
Olivia Bax Ashley Benson-Wilson Bob Davison James Fisher Kim Furrokh
Freya Gabie Stewart Geddes Paul Muncaster Nick Pride Richard Salkeld
We would also like to thank anyone who has supported by donating, sharing and promoting us through our GoFundMe and Kickstarter pages.
SPONSORS None of this would have been possible without the generosity of our contributors and sponsors:
Bit Brain Software ltd Andy.hodgson@bitbrainsoftware.com
Tom Bradford Volvo 01242 230374
Cheltenham Arts Council chair@cheltenhamartscouncil.co.uk
The Janet Trotter Trust 01242 714700
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