What are
the main themes you have explored in your work and why are they important to you?
My work revolves around a range of political,
philosophical, environmental, and social themes such as extinction, power,
ideological extremes, short-termism and apocalypse. I take inspiration from real world events, such as climate
change and the banking crisis and then put those themes into a separate
fantastical, satirical world where the normal rules don’t apply and everything
is ramped up to an extreme. I want the work to be subversive as well as provoking a reaction from the viewer, so I use animal
bones to create characters and structures.
I want my work to perform what I see as one of the
most important functions of art; that of cultural critique. Through the narrative driven events
taking place in this separate world I am keen to reflect, alot of the time
humorously, on the events in our own world. This is for my own enjoyment and to engage the viewer in political
theory which is often a switch off; important though it is to us all. The fantastical side of the work is
important to me because they are no limits to what I can create in a
fantastical setting; and for the audience it gives them a new world to explore
and engage with. I can let my imagination
run wild; while still making work that is politically and culturally relevant fulfilling
my two main passions and interests.
The two
final pieces I put into the degree show have very much been a whole year
project. Originally they were meant
to be part of the same larger city piece, but in the end due to time constraints,
and the fact that they both worked better as individual pieces they became
separate pieces. The building process for my work is a mixture of planning i.e.
a royal family photo shoot was planned well before I got to the point of making
it happen; and spontaneity. For
example during the building process I’ll see an empty space and I know that I
need to fill; though I strive to fit all characters and events into the over
arching narrative.
Failures
Shrine
Failures Shrine explores the ideological extreme of
unfettered Capitalism; in the words of the philosopher Slavoj Zizek the quest
to expand capital is like ‘a strange perverted duty’ anything can be sacrificed
‘up to our lives up to nature’. This
mindset is ripe for satire in a world where all things are ramped up to an
extreme. The piece focuses on a
large building that looks like a cross between a bank and a place of worship,
its raised above a waste land within which only a few live. Of those few remaining alive most of
them are trying to climb up the stairs to join the very people with the governing
ideology that has sacrificed everything in pursuit of material wealth and short
term survival; most do not make it.
The building its self references the banking crisis ‘too big to fail’,
and the scaffolding and repair work being done on the building deliberately
shows the propping up of a broken system.
The piece also references class in the form of a royal family photo
shoot along with various other political, ecological and philosophical
themes.
Impending desolation
Impending desolation is an extension of the waste
land you see round the edge of Failures Shrine. It explores a set of similar
themes chief among them short-termism and a man-made environmental disaster. It focuses on a tree which is the last
vaguely living thing in the world. Close on the edge of the hill an old character leaning on his
walking stick is reading a sign that says ‘Forlorn Hope’. Other than the connotations that come
with those words this sums one of the key aspects of my world, the layered or
hidden meaning, along with humour.
This is because the character who is reading the sign has the skull of a
mole and moles have incredibly bad eyesight. He can’t read the sign anyway; what little hope there is
will not be acted on.
Who's
work has been a significant influence on you?
Aesthetically the artist Tessa
Farmer has been influential in terms of both the content and form that the work takes. The
Chapman Brother's work has also had a big influence on my practice, partly because
of their models, but also through their use of shock, humour and
narrative layering to get political and social messages across.
The satirical cartoons of Steve Bell, Chris Riddell and Martin Rowson have also
influenced the humorous aspects of my work. Personally I find satire a much better way of engaging people politically
than preaching at them.
Contextually the writing and film
work of the philosopher and theorist Zizek, along with the humorous way he
often presents his thoughts and ideas, have been a big influence. Along with other theorists which include
Terry Eagleton, who pin points one of arts key functions as a cultural critic,
Louis Althusser writings on the Repressive State and the Ideological State
Apparatuses; to name a few.
What do
you think is the most significant thing that has helped you during your time a
UCA Farnham?
As mentioned above Tessa Farmer’s work
has been a big influence on my practise and during my second year I did a two
week internship with her at her studio in London. The help and technical know-how she taught me took my work from being rudimentary and crude to where it is today;
a major leap in quality and depth. As a source of information on the art world she was also extremely
helpful. At UCA Farnham the
critiques and conversations I’ve had with tutors and my peers have been very useful for continually pushing my work forward and the private views of the degree show
and the Facing Extinction Conference with Gustav Metzger, have also been confidence building.
What did
you learn from the process of producing your Farnham exhibition?
I need to
improve my estimation on how long my sculptures will take me to make. I
finished 'Failures Shrine' literally a day before the private view, but I’m glad
that a pushed myself hard this year to make my work more ambitious in scope. It is important that I keep pushing the boundaries. Team work was also important during the set up; we all had work
together so the work would be up in time. Outside advice on the placing of my
work as well ultimately the decision on where the work was placed came down to
me but without the advice and assistance of the technicians and lecturers, the pieces would have suffered
in their placement within the space.
What are
you planning next?
I would like to build on my experiences taking part in the Gustav Metzger Exhibition and Conference. I have taken part in 1 group show already in London as part of a collective we have formed and have another lined up at The Strand Gallery from the 21st – 27th of July. Also I have been applying for several
different open submission opportunities and competitions, including the Royal
British Society Bursary Awards 2014.
I have been looking at several different residency options for later
this year. In the longer term I’m
looking at the possibility of doing a Masters degree.
I am going to
keep collecting materials and keep making work; of all different sizes, pushing
myself both technically and conceptually to make the best work I possibly can and
exhibit it. You have to work hard to make it happen and I intend to.
