Last Thursday night saw the opening of this exhibition, which continues from today until Sunday 23 February, so you'll need to be quick if you want to see it.
I've got Watermark installed as a four channel video installation and I created Migrate: Free Movement of Workers, a drawing using rubber stamps and a projection live on Thursday night at the opening event. Take a look at my website for more pictures from the performance and don't forget that you can download the Drawing Project publication, which includes two essays on drawing by Sophie Preston and Lewis Cornish from the website.
The Drawing Project
Castlefield Gallery, 2 Hewitt Street, Manchester, M15 4GB
14 - 23 February 2014
Wed-Sun 1-6pm
During the autumn of last year I was working with two secondary schools in Halton as part of the Inspired Responses programme. Inspired Responses is a mini artist residency programme where an artist visits a secondary school, sharing their practice and passing on the skills that they use, before the teacher develops work with the students during the term. The artist returns at the end of the programme to advise on presentation of the work in an exhibition at the Brindley Gallery.
The exhibition is currently showing at The Brindley until 22 February 2014.
With the Heath School we looked at the jet-washed drawings that I have been making recently. We went on a walk around the school
photographing and drawing signs, and the students felt as though all of the
signs in school were negative, telling them not to do something, or not to go
somewhere.So working with their teacher
Mrs Wade they have designed signs that are positive actions that can be carried
out in school.They developed these
designs by cutting stencils from paper and experimented with layouts by
painting them onto banners.
The students designs have been turned into digital files
that can be cut out on the school's laser cutting machine.Using a sturdy plastic we have created
stencils which have been jet washed onto both the school playground and onto
pavements around the Brindley. Here's a video of the designs being installed:
The after-school club at the Grange looked at a selection of
my works about movement and chose the 'One Minute' drawings on paper to be
inspired by.These works are about how
people move around spaces as viewed from the top floor of a building.The new building that houses the Grange
school is sleek and modern, with curving balconies and staircases where pupils
pass through, much like the places in my 'One minute' drawings.
We took a walk through the building, taking photographs and
videos to record the movement and the shapes of the architecture.Using pencil, graphite sticks, graphite
powder and stencils cut from paper the students experimented with making marks,
photographing their drawings at a number of stages to create a selection of
short animations.Learning from these
initial experiments, each student has created their own graphite drawing
inspired by moving through the school, taking the ideas and techniques that
I've shown them and making the work their own. I'm really pleased to see such
an interesting range of techniques in their works - I might borrow some of
their ideas for my future works.
Inspired Responses 9
The Brindley
High Street
Runcorn
WA7 1BG
18 January - 22 February 2014
The Gallery is open: Mon – Fri 10am – 5.30pm, Sat 10am – 3pm
Closed Sundays & Bank Holidays
I'm currently making a new piece of work which will be shown at The Drawing Project at Castlefield Gallery this month. It's a piece of work that I'll create live on the opening night that involves projection, rubber stamping and migration. It's all under wraps at the minute, so you'll have to come to the event on Thursday 13 February between 6-9pm to see how it all comes together.
In the meantime, go and have a look at all of the other wonderful artists who use drawing who will also be part of the exhibition: http://thedrawingprojectnorthwest.wordpress.com/
