#middlesbroughdegreeshow

[art-ificial-tees]

Introducing Lin! Who is exploring the medium of sound to raise the subject of mistreatment in the Christian Church.

‘The Institution of the Christian Church has long held itself up as the paragon of morality and virtue in Western society but increasingly we see the Church being publicly held to account for its closeted atrocities. Revelations of current and historic child sexual abuse cases within its institution are ever more frequent and as a result a real dichotomy in the Churches public identity is emerging. This growing catalogue of failures in its safeguarding processes and its apparent inability to bring the perpetrators of abuse within its number to justice has seen the Church repeatedly headlining in the media for all the wrong reasons.

Using the medium of sound, my installation exposes some of the heinous crimes in the faith sector and highlights the suffering of children who were abused. The audio is accompanied by transcripts taken from the accounts of abuse victims involved in The Truth Project and is presented clinically in homage to the scrutiny and investigation these cases should have triggered when first reported by the children.’

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Introducing Alex, who is working digitally to portray and explore the amygdala nuclei.

‘My works often challenges reality, depicting a mix of fact and fantasy. Through experimenting with three-dimensional modelling and animation, I’ve began to reimagine the visual portrayal and characteristics of scientific subjects such as amygdala neurons.

Such topics usually arise from personal relevance or a desire to enhance my understanding of an issue. The amygdala, for example, is a cluster of nuclei responsible for processing emotional memories, which are thought to play a role in anxiety disorders. A topic that hits close to home.

I find the process of manipulating points in virtual space fascinating as there are a multitude of pathways to create the most unusual of forms, and experiment with textures which result in imagery that can appear strange and almost alien.’

[art-ificial-tees]

Introducing Alex, who uses latex to explore painting and sculpture, he questions the history of latex !

‘Working with latex as canvas my work aims to bridge the gap between sculpture and painting. With a long standing and deep love for Fine Art I enjoy playing with centuries of tradition, pushing the boundaries of “Painting as sculpture.” Using latex, clay, plaster and wood I create “stuffed” canvases of distorted body’s and phallic entities which have been used since antiquity.

I explore the formal elements of colour, shape, tone and texture. Utilised and distorting the traditions of the nude, the body and sexuality and its depictions. The forms I create push free from the restraints of their square, portrait and landscape-less prisons, unsure if coming from within the painting or wall behind them, stretching their shrouding covers to the point of rupture.

I embrace the ephemeral, I use none archival materials that change and degrade over time, in contrast to the great friezes and marble goliaths of ages past. My work changes and ages rapidly through the use of materials, effected by their surroundings, light, temperature and touch all playing a part in the patina and story of my work. Almost self-destructive in its mere existence. Not unlike the deep routed ideals of painting and sculpture, latex has become synonymous with an empowering and escapism use in fetishism to its life saving role in medicine. Colour means a great deal to the work I create and its visual impact on the viewer. Shined black phallic entities are quickly whimsical. Alabaster demands a moment of pause and appreciation like finely worked stone. Black latex is sexy like red is danger, while aged and browned latex is repulsive.’

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Introducing Nikita! 

Who is focusing on the change of journeys through time with photography.

‘I am interested in the idea of the journey. I use photography to document and detail the walks that I make within the landscape. My most recent work has retraced the walks from my childhood. Re investigating places that in some cases have been transformed beyond recognition. Roads and houses have appeared but also I have noted other subtler changes. The scale of the spaces and objects I encounter appearing slightly smaller than I remember.

Within my photographs I experiment with layering information, testing out and juxtaposing key moments within the walk, bringing them together within a single image. Here time is condensed, the start and finish of each walk are brought together. Within these images the pathway or road is a prominent feature. This recurring element I employ to be suggestive of a continuing journey, a journey beyond the familiar.’

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Introducing Jonathan, who challenges the physical aspects of projection and space through digital art.

‘What I consider to be the fundamental value of my work is the use of layers, layers ranging from the collage work I project to the installation I set up. The collage work represents space rather than being represented by images that I have chosen, the images selected have little inherent significance conceptually. However, they serve for two things, they present my attentions and the images I use are great for opening a new space because they are easily distinguishable from one from another.

Projection is a vital aspect of my work because of the nuance it has when presenting on to subtle textures, one material in particular which I find fascinating is cling film. An everyday material like cling film when projected on creates an abstraction of my work, this lingers on the surface of the cling film but it also projects through, creating this blurred but still distinguishable quality.

The installation itself is to me the most playful stage of my process because it allows me to understand my work when presenting it and the space it inhabits. The many possibilities due to the flexibility of projection means I am able to experiment with the positioning of the projector and the tangible elements.’

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Introducing Aimee, a digital artist, focusing on the effect of the internet.

‘Aimee Suggitt explores the place of art in our digital society and how artists have adapted with the progressed technology and what developments will be expected for the cohabitation of artists and technology in the future.

She addresses the conflicting subjects surrounding our physical present as human beings in the realms of reality and our current involvement within the online world.

As a result, the rapid development in technology leaves open the question surrounding the effects this is having on our psychological, physical and social structures. Some may say that it has accelerated so rapidly that we have become unaware of the social and political effects 

Aimee Suggitt will discuss and examine the involvement that technology has had in our everyday lives, and challenge our assumptions about it, our online behaviours and so-called freedom that it proposes, social and political issues that have been moulded into the online realms, and cross- examine the fine line between the digital domains and our physical realities. She will be investigating how these synthetic mediums challenge the industry standards, combating issues that are present within this technological world and researching further into the consequences of the rapid acceleration in our contemporary culture.

These platforms have been used as a way of expressing their theories around our dependence on technology, modern day surveillance and our involvement within the digital realms.’

Aimee’s Instagram : @aimeelouisesuggitt_

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 Introducing Dawn Ashley!! 

Dawn is a meticulous pencil artist, focussing on the line.

‘I start my drawings by assessing the space in which I am working, the size of the paper and where on the paper the mark can begin. I adopt a methodical approach where a circular template is used to establish a geometric shape through the application of lines. The lines I make are drawn over and over, history repeating itself with various grades of pencil, creating a texture for the paper to absorb. Sometimes the surface is so dense, that the support can no longer take the graphite, I then move on to another space to start the process over again. I consider the space between each structure and sometimes overlap the shapes to let the work evolve naturally, the geometric structure morphing into something much more organic.

This is a process of adding and removal. The memory of the form is present in the traces left behind that play an important role in the journey of the drawing, from template to less predicted form.’

Dawn’s Instagram: @cordawn44

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