The
latest instalment of our artist discussion series on Tuesday evening was sadly
the last with our host Glenn Adamson, who is leaving London to take up his
position as the newly-appointed Director of the Museum of Art and Design in New
York. We are sorry to see Glenn go as he has provided us with tremendous insights
into our gallery shows over the years and wish him the very best in his
exciting new role.
It
was certainly a discussion to remember. Our main gallery exhibitor Dawn Youll
spoke about her new body of work and the influences and techniques involved,
with some fantastic communication from the audience. Her show ‘Locale’ is a response to her new environment of Knightswood in Glasgow but also to
the rituals, rhythms and functions that happen in any urban environment. She
explained that she looks at an object as a pattern of a lifestyle, how routines
are established and plays with those perceptions. And as Adamson remarked, in doing so, she creates an imaginary
landscape on the gallery plinth. An audience member questioned whether there
was a commentary within her work about British suburbia, to which Youll agreed
there was – an underlying climate of UK/worldwide suburbia as well as the tiny
issues that take place behind closed doors.
After
Adamson commented on the influence of Richard Slee in her work, Slee- who was
in attendance- piped up from the audience to say, “she influenced me”, and admired Youll’s remarkable way with texture and colour.
Youll
went on to speak about the scale of her work and her love of the ceramic slip-cast
tradition. Richard Slee once more spoke from the audience regarding the
‘British sensibility of making something for an interior’ as Youll mentioned
that the ornamental scale of her work is very important and that the
‘table-top’ size of her pieces is fully intentional. Youll finished by speaking
about how much she enjoys the control she has in the slip-casting process and through the practice of glazing, can then control the display of each piece.
The
discussion then moved down to James Thompson’s show ‘Expanding Spaces’ in the
Project Space.
Thompson
began by introducing himself and his work; speaking about the nine months he
spent recording the features of a cell in a former psychiatric asylum (High
Royds) in West Yorkshire. Thompson felt drawn to this area as he grew up close
by and remarked that it had previously been ‘out-of-bounds’. Upon discovering
that the compound was going to be developed into luxury apartments he felt
inspired to record the asylum environment before it was gone forever.
Adamson
commented on the execution of the work as Thompson had, while working there,
inhabited the space like the previous inhabitants of the cell did and in doing
so, created a real narrative charge within the exhibition. He also went on to
praise the use of both analogue and digital processes in Thompson’s work and
remarked that the multiplicity of media within the show (kinetic sculpture,
casting, digital-sculpture, film) generates different sensations within the gallery
space. Thompson took this point further by remarking that in harvesting
different elements from the environment of the cell the work is anchored in a
real relationship with the space.
Marsden
Woo Gallery artist Carol McNicoll asked if any former inhabitants of High Royds
had seen the work. Thompson replied that no one had but it would make for a
very interesting conversation if they did!
Thompson
went on to discuss his background in product design, and as well as wishing to
create a record of the cell before it was redeveloped, much of the work he has
created for this show has an element of functionality and can act as furniture.
‘The space can have another function than the one it holds currently’, he
concluded.
Once
again, a huge thank you to Glenn Adamson, both artists and our fantastic
audience for such an engaging and fascinating discussion!
