Friends of University Art and Music Graduate Art Prize 2020

The ‘lumpenpack’, ‘lumpensammler’ and ‘lumpig’ within the German language allude to refuge and scraps, that which is wretched or worthless. These thoughts fuel my making as the materials utilised are largely ‘waste’. The current climate crisis and ecological emergency reinforced this decision, compelling me to consider how I might produce work without putting strain on our environment.

Certainly both former and current affairs demonstrate the severe ramifications of ‘lumping’ people together, whether on account of race, religion, sexuality etc. The damage caused by promoting generalisations is universally acknowledged, yet it seems that our awareness hardly lessens its presence and impact. My speculative practice aims to draw attention to that which often goes unacknowledged, to give value and attention to ‘lumps’ which are disregarded.

Beginning with an abstraction of the human form framed by architectural features of an interior space, I question the threshold between the painterly mark and the creation of an entire image. I explore materiality, specifically the application and interaction of paint upon a surface. By manipulating the viscosity and transparency of the paint, mark-making, materiality and complementary colours become the basis of my paintings.   

Thick coats of paint conceal, while light glazes and scratching reveal what is underneath, creating an illusion of depth through layering and drawing attention to the painting’s inherent flatness. 

Inspired by this, I draw on physical processes: I manipulate the shape of the canvas challenging the idea of a painting contained within a rectangular or square frame. I also extract and fragment shapes from the painting and extend them into space with materials such as painted cardboard. 

These physical processes create a partial visual block to the painting, engaging the viewer, and encouraging them to fluctuate between a passive observation of the entire piece and looking through, or walking around these visual blocks to view the painting in detail. My paintings, therefore, extend beyond their frame to inhabit the room as an object. 

The textured standing work tests the verb ‘To Expand’. These were created by filling calico sacks and balloons with plaster, exploring ideas of contortion and manipulation. 

The plaster alludes to the suppleness of the cloth, creating the impression of softness that obliquely references the body. They seem to defy gravity; this creates an uneasy feeling for the viewer as ideas of tension and balance come into play.  

My sculptures often employ an anti-form approach, particularly true of the sculpture 'To Squeeze’. 

The texture and form found in these works is determined by the relationship the material has with external influences such as gravity. This body of work explores the relationship between chaos and control.

All of the works embody a frozen moment within the process of creation. This enhances an illusion of fluidity not usually found in solid materials such as plaster. 

When looking at the work 'To Trace' this suppleness has an organic quality that reflects growth structures found in nature, such as a beehive. 

To create these pieces, balls of foam were dipped in plaster and stuck onto a frame. The foam was then burnt using a blow torch, leaving the interior residual form. The outcome points to ideas surrounding repetition, accumulation and memory.

'Symbiotic Systems' is a collection of work which incorporates the sculptures Mycelimite/s alongside the photographs, Emergence I, II, III, IV, V .

The form of Mycelimite/s stems from the concept of the intimate symbiotic relationship between mycelium and root systems, alongside studies of their growth structures which form expansive networks beneath the ground.    

In a continual process of mutation and accumulation the sculptures also take on human and animalistic characteristics held in a state of liminality, teetering on the edge of becoming ‘other’. 

I consider ‘touch points’ as nodes through which exchanges take place and networks are formed resulting in a unity which provides strength.

I invite the audience to consider our place in nature, the intimate exchanges we share with the natural world and ideas of interconnectedness in a digitally dominated culture.