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Falmouth
Fine Art Graduate Feature (2016)
Selected, photographed and compiled by 'Field Notes'.
Angus Grantham
How has being in Cornwall influenced or affected your practice?
Cornwall has influenced my practice because I have learnt to make art in
accordance with the place and use the light that I believe can't be
found anywhere else in the UK. The space itself was the only
encouragement I needed to create abstract depictions of waves and
vessels by the sea. Inspiration from this lead me to make pieces such as
the blue Absence print alongside the two yellow tiles, on the wall, and
the coffee cup stack encased in a bottle portraying a balance of
vessels.
What leads your practice - an idea, a material, an audience or
something else?
I am lead by an idea or a word which I can associate with a material
that I am using. When I paint I depict the space found in or around an
object or subject, and usually only paint when I think of a picture with
layers to the composition. Ceramics gives me a more sculptural way of
making and I think of words such as rolling, cutting and carving when I
put clay shapes together whether they are abstract forms, like the tiles
on my wall, or representational, functional objects like the coffee
cups.
Which interview/webproject/feature from ArtCornwall would you
recommend and why?
I am interested in a lot of ArtCornwall articles but the feature that
stood out for me is Ian Massey's article on Sandra Blow. I really enjoy
her paintings as they depict her abstract sense of place and positioning
through the forms that she paints in faded, monochromatic colours which
are juxtaposed by her bold exploration of bright colours which I think
positively isolate and, therefore, bring forward certain areas of her
paintings allowing them to have a "spatial lightness".
http://www.artcornwall.org/features/Sandra_Blow_Ian_Massey.htm
Robert Davis
How has being in Cornwall influenced or affected your practice?
Cornwall is such a beautiful and stimulating place to be and as a
result attracts a wide range of creative people. Creating a vibrant art
scene that has continued to inspire and develop my practice.
What leads your practice - an idea, a material, an audience or
something else?
Initially I grew tired of the boundaries and conventions of the
limitations of the canvas and my practice started to explore the notion
of expanding painting. My work is led by my inquiry and experimentation
of found materials that contain marks, scars and traces of human
activity.
Which interview/webproject/feature from ArtCornwall would you
recommend and why?
I would recommend the Art Cornwall feature that celebrates five years of
the Fish Factory in Falmouth. I have attended and participated in events
held at the Fish Factory and I believe it to be such an exciting space
that is accessible for anyone interested or inspired; the heart of the
Falmouth art scene.
http://www.artcornwall.org/features/Fish_Factory_Five_Years.htm
Maddie Broad
How has being in Cornwall influenced or affected your practice?
It's like being a medium-sized fish in a medium-sized pond; you can make
things happen here. This has something to do with Cornwall's size;
people talk to each other. In my first year at Falmouth I quickly
realised if I invited people to participate, an idea would become
reality. Naming an event would spark something in me to make it happen.
What leads your practice - an idea, a material, an audience or
something else?
A desire for people to meet each other, sometimes in playfully confusing
ways... And my work also taps into the 'little political' issues within
a place. For example in Falmouth there's an ongoing conversation
surrounding the controversial University Vice Chancellor Anne Carlisle,
and the repercussions her decisions have on those around me. I like to
work in subversive ways that make people laugh and think; I helped
organise a family festival protest against the Uni's profit-driven plans
for growth, and employed a VIP Red Carpet Facilitation Squad to remove
the lint from the clothes of invited guests at the Exclusive Preview
Night of my degree show. At the end of the day though, I think we all
just need a good boogie... so I modified a shopping trolley into a
glittering mirrorball extravaganza, put on a gloriously sparkly dress
and danced the whole degree show away!
Which interview/webproject/feature from ArtCornwall would you
recommend and why?
I'm going to read Jonathan Paul Cook on Footsbarn, communal living, and
rural theatre. I wrote my dissertation about Falmouth School of Art in
1971 compared with today, and Footsbarn Theatre was formed in Cornwall
in 1971, so there could be some interesting connections to be made.
http://www.artcornwall.org/interviews/Jonathan_Paul_Cook.htm
Ed Burkes
How has being in Cornwall influenced or affected your practice?
Spending three years in the sunny south west has given me the time to
really start to kindle my practice as a visual artist. It has acted like
a saucepan in which thematic concerns and ideas have had the time to
simmer and condense into tangible work. I have spent the vast majority
of my time in the Woodlane studios and have been able to create a
considered body of work which reflects my curiosities as a painter.
Casual conversation and reflection with tutors and fellow students have
been the crux to this.
What leads your practice - an idea, a material, an audience or
something else?
My work is concerned with the framework of identity and is sparked from
a commonplace drawing or situation: a friend drinking coffee, a buddy
pulling up his socks, a pretty girl in the fruit and veg section of
tesco express. Through the process of painting these sources begin to
wobble to a point where their distinctiveness as a primary source is not
present. Introducing the possibility for my work to breath its own
originality.
Which interview/webproject/feature from ArtCornwall would you
recommend and why?
Definitely Lucy Stein on the group show Unstable monuments at the Old
Bakery. I know Jesse Leroy Smith was heavily involved with the curation
of the show. He is an absolutely fantastic tutor with endless enthusiasm
and drive. Conversations with him have been vital to the development of
my work!
http://www.artcornwall.org/features/Lucy_Stein_I_love_Dick.htm
Tanya Cruz
How has being in Cornwall influenced or affected your practice?
Cornwall is brilliantly idiosyncratic! It can feel very insular, in the
most magical (and sometimes not so magical!) way. I have lived here
since I was about three, so it has no doubt shaped both the nature of my
work and who I am. I have spent a bit of time studying in Finland and
also in Berlin, but Cornwall’s ‘metropolis’ is totally unique. Often
what it lacks actually sparks productivity and little bubbles of energy
that are rich with creativity and ambition. Spending four years in
Falmouth has given me the time and space to discern the roots of my
practice and nurture it whilst simultaneously developing a collaborative
practice with Keiken Collective.
What leads your practice - an idea, a material, an audience or
something else?
My practice is an agency for daydreams; liberated thought is governed by
fascination, whether in the process of creation or through the
experience of the work. I am led by a want to open time and occupy a
space in which reality dissolves. The work acts like a Haiku, alluding
to a dream and nostalgic for something unknown, it relies on the
viewer’s engagement to be fulfilled. With the inference of the viewer’s
own context I hope the work can proliferate. Harnessing an experiential
and immersive dynamic between audience and work is something that has
really manifested in my work, to challenge or maybe just delve into our
perceptions of reality.
Which interview/webproject/feature from ArtCornwall would you
recommend and why?
‘Wise Old Woman’ by Linda Straehl is an incredibly beautiful and
powerful piece, there’s an essence of cosmic nature, and moments of
ritual, humour and vitality.
http://www.artcornwall.org/webprojects/Linda_Straehl_Wise_old_Woman.htm
Isabel Ramos
How has being in Cornwall influenced or affected your practice?
In Cornwall I felt being part of a small close knit community where
dialogue, collaboration and exchange thrives has exponentially developed
my practice. Through being here I’ve forged many on-going
collaborations, firstly in a collective, Keiken made up of 4 graduates
of BA Fine Art, and then with choreographer Tasha Farrell and sound
artist ‘Oh Mr James’. Additionally, in Cornwall’s less fast paced nature
it feels like there is more time and space to reflect and experiment; as
an emerging artist, this setting, I believe was perfect for my
development.
What leads your practice - an idea, a material, an audience or
something else?
Through my degree it became emergent that my work was reliant on an
audience. I am a multi-disciplinary artist working predominately in
performance and with an interest in the nature of encounter and
interaction. Although my work manifests in installation, performance,
interventions and video installation, the progression and testing of my
work needs an audience. However, my materials of objects, video, space,
time, performers and audience are conjunctive; the dialogues between
elements are imperative. Research and ideas to drive my practice; to
create experiential works which disrupt automated patterns of behaviour
and make the audience focus more on the present moment. In response to
our oversaturated digital age, the work is interactive, sparky and
seducing. I attempt to create similar mesmerising energies that are in
digital entertainment but in real physical space in live and lively
mediated works.
Which interview/webproject/feature from ArtCornwall would you
recommend and why?
I loved the Swarm Pecha Kuchas feature. Having been at Swarm, it was
great to re-watch all the exciting Pecha Kuchas from a range of artists
and artist-led organisations in Cornwall and Devon (and other parts of
the South West). These short presentations are a perfect way to quickly
obtain knowledge and realise the locus of activity going on in the South
West. By bringing the artistic community together it created
conversation, exchange and potential collaborations. Having the Pecha
Kuchas documented online captures, maps and showcases all the energy and
activity going on, securing this element of the event in a more
permanent space to re-watch or come across first time. I think it’s
really important to encourage, support artist led activity in the region
and have this documented and brought together.
http://www.artcornwall.org/features/SWARM.htm
Ella Caie
How has being on Cornwall influenced or affected your practice?
There is a slowness and a calm beauty in both the Cornish landscape and
lifestyle that I love and has in recent months hugely affected my
practice. Within my work I aim to cultivate a sense of 'oneiric' time,
dreamlike and unhurried, however editing with an aim to do this can be
difficult, especially when there is a lot of great footage you'd like to
cram in. Taking breaks from editing to walk along the coast (Kynance to
the Lizard being my favourite escape) is a good reminder of the
richness that can be found when spending time to absorb and breathe in
an experience. I've also found that a dip in the sea can be the perfect
way to wake up after a long day in the studio!
What leads your practice - an idea, a material, an audience or
something else?
Based around the notion of therapy through reflection, my practice is
often lead by my current personal experiences. Using art as a reaction
and documentation of personal circumstances and emotions, my practice
follows this journey and evolves alongside it. Part of the way I create
also focuses on the audience as I aim to encourage the viewer to partake
in the processes and rituals I adopt whilst immersed in my practice.
Which interview/webproject/feature from ArtCornwall would you recommend
and why?
I would thoroughly recommend reading Rupert White's interview with Tim
Shaw at his studio in Mabe back in 2010. I am always fascinated by an
artist's approach to a project and especially how a work can change and
develop over time. Reading about Shaw's work with the Eden Project and
how his work has changed and been influenced over the years was really
interesting.
http://www.artcornwall.org/interviews/Tim_Shaw.htm
William Thomas
How has being in Cornwall influenced or affected your practice?
Having lived in London my whole life, I’d decided to escape the rush and
coming to university in Cornwall was an immediate (and welcome) change
of pace. There is a really exciting community of artists, that feels a
lot more accessible than the potentially overwhelming scene in London. I
guess the University and the tutors have (obviously) been the biggest
influence on my practice, but the greater sense of community that you
feel in Cornwall has also helped. Living in Cornwall for the past three
years has given me the time and space to really slow down and really
think about my practice, something I don’t think I would have had living
in a city somewhere.
What leads your practice - an idea, a material, an audience or
something else?
Many things! My practice is currently concerned with the increasingly
foggy space between the physical and the virtual. How do we as
individuals and communities situate ourselves in the ever-increasing
virtual/digital world in which we are finding ourselves. I’m interested
in a 'real’ experience, as well as a fabricated one. Food has been a
point of access for me, it’s so common and everyday to so many people. I
play with it: I digitally recreate it, placing it in glossy virtual
environments; I re-appropriate it, plastic cheese singles are
particularly interesting; and I share it with an audience,
‘ByoBreakfast’ is an ongoing series of happenings in which I invite
spectators to join together for breakfast at a particular place and
time, this was most recently held at ‘Follywood’, an event set up and
hosted by the talented Mr Tom Stockley and Miss Maddie Broad.
Can you recommended an interview/webproject/feature from ArtCornwall?
Having shared a studio with him in my second year, I’m probably biased,
but you should check out Sam Rump’s work ‘Scrivere’. It’s a good read!
http://www.artcornwall.org/webprojects/Sam_Rump_Scrivere.htm
George Stone
How has being in Cornwall influenced or affected your practice?
Living in Cornwall has been an essential part in my practice. My methods
of working have evolved and Cornwall has given me the perfect
environment to make artwork. I work around tutors and friends at
Falmouth Uni who are always encouraging. Friends such as Maddie Broad
and Tom Stockley produced collaboration spaces such as Space 37 and The
Dartington Society. I always thought Cornwall was a place to create
something, back at home there was relatively little enthusiasm for the
arts. My practice has begun to concern identity in relation to social
culture, in particular I have been interested in about how Cornish
ancestry connects to the expressions of folklore.
What leads your practice - an idea, a material, an audience or
something else?
I am interested in a plethora of ‘things-and-stuff’, tacky stuff,
theatre, elitism, transiency, bad fabrics, awkward-nesses. These are
particular shapes that identify the work; I investigate intertwining
identity markers of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, location,
language and culture through personal and social reflection. Questions
of deep-rooted superficiality are predominant themes that lead my
practice at the moment, but I tend to be influenced by anything and
everything.
Can you
recommended an interview/webproject/feature from ArtCornwall?
I really love work by Stacey Guthrie. It’s so fun and exciting but there
is a melancholic isolation of art making. So I’d recommend Disarmed And
Ever So Slightly Dangerous. I’ve never quite grasped her work and
ArtCornwall introduced me to her work.
http://www.artcornwall.org/webprojects/Stacey_Guthrie_Disarmed.htm
Jack Paffett
How has being in Cornwall influenced or affected your practice?
Cornwall has had a huge influence on my practice. The paintings evolve
from natural forms and imagery from the cornish landscape, whether this
is from the rock pools on the beaches or the incredible plants that the
local gardens display. My sketchbooks are full of imagery that reflects
the environment and I see these studies as reference points for the
paintings.
What leads your practice - an idea, a material, an audience or
something else?
My practice has evolved to be lead by the application of paint. The
paintings evolve through the application of paint on the canvas, I am
constantly reacting to my previous brushstroke. My sketchbooks have
become more of a book of references from which I draw ideas for the
paintings. A painting may be influenced by one drawing at the start, and
then mutate to include sections of a number of other drawings by then
end.
Which interview/webproject/feature from ArtCornwall would you recommend
and why?
Daniel Sturgis on Abstract art and The Indiscipline of Painting. This
interview displays a lot of the questions that I am asking about my own
work. I particularly found the idea that abstract paintings are now
representational in the way they represent paintings of the past, how as
contemporary abstract painters we can choose to address the past or try
to move away from it. At the bottom of this interview Daniel Sturgis
talks about paintings being more than decorative objects, as an abstract
painter this statement is at the forefront of my practice. I want my
paintings to go beyond just paint on a canvas and become more of an
experience.
http://www.artcornwall.org/interviews/Daniel_Sturgis.htm |
