PARADISE : EXHIBITION

Wednesday 5 August 2015

Tuesday 28 July 2015

RACHAEL DOCHERTY is about to embark upon joining 2nd year Sculpture and Environmental art at Glasgow School of Art. She has proclivity towards wood and natural materials in her practice with work playing strongly on the idea of conceptual minimalism. Using building mediums for aesthetic, Docherty creates ambience through site specific pieces which cause interaction on a physical and emotional level with the viewer.

There are more female artists/designers than male in the exhibition - do you consider this an important statistic?

No, I don't really believe in gender. Gender is just another constraint that society enforces on us to ensure people conform. I don't think me being female makes my work intrinsically different from that of a man so it doesn't matter in my opinion.

How do you think your minimal style will work alongside the exhibition's mix of fine art and design pieces from a range of backgrounds?

Well I can't be entirely sure how the work is going to look side by side. We all have very different styles which could very possibly clash. However, I think the shared theme and where we chose to display the work could help combat this. My work does tend to be quite minimal and I'm hoping it doesn't get lost among the louder pieces. We'll just have to wait and see.

In the past your minimal style has highlighted traditional and natural materials, some would say speaking louder than more modern material based works due to its strong sense of form. Why do you choose to work this way, is there a particular influence which encouraged this?

Well I'm really interested in structures and boxes. Always the boxes. I've been trying to work out why. I think maybe because they're so obvious. They're like an original form, stripped back and so completely man made but they're so common that they appear almost natural. This interest in structural forms obviously influences the materials I use. If you want to construct something structurally sound you need to use materials that will hold their shape. This is why I tend to use less malleable materials, like wood or metal.

Would you say that your work is based around the theme of form rather than exploring a personal experience or idea in the style of perhaps, Richard Deacon? Or do your structural explorations look into structure in society/your own life?

Certainly, form is very important in my work but there's always more to it than that although I wouldn't say it's about purely personal experience. Possibly personal opinions that aren't completely formed. I think that saying I'm concerned with structure in society is accurate. And of course, society has an impact on my life which causes my work to be personal to some extent.

Can you share some of what ideas/topics you are exploring for Paradise?

I've been thinking about the idea of "paradise" and the thing that comes to mind for me is the impossibility of it. Society can't ever function well enough to create a paradise. I suppose the only paradise that could ever exist is one excluding the human race. It seems to me that in a utopia everyone would be happy and contented with their existence. This is impossible of course as; in our world one person's happiness relies on another's misery. I guess that's just the way humanity functions. I watched a documentary a few months back called "The Galapagos Affair: Satan came to Eden" which made me think in this line of thought. The documentary is about a few individuals who traveled to one of the Galapagos Islands in the 1930s, which was unpopulated at that time. They went there in search of a "paradise" and to escape general society. Of course, the venture ended badly, for some more than others. So this is all feeding into my work for the exhibition. I'm looking at the futility of the idea but also the hope that drives people to continue striving for perfection.

Learn more about Rachael Docherty by following the link to her page and visiting her social media outlets. You can also continue to keep up to date with the exhibition by following our instagram @paradise_exhibition and the blog

Article by Emma Hislop

Wednesday 22 July 2015

UTOPIAN DISCO

Next week Paradise opens to the public with an after party for those who seek enlightenment.

Join the minds who created Paradise for a utopian disco.

Sounds to be heard come from

KYLE WEBSTER + LEWIS MORTON

ENSOUL

https://www.facebook.com/ensoulsmoothcasts

ROBBY BROWN + ADAM McCAFFERY

RENEGADES OF FUNK

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Renegades-of-Funk

RYAN SHYBANI

Free yourself from the cycle of rebirth

and join us in Paradise

Friday 3 July 2015

FREYA WILSON : POETRY

Sunday 28 June 2015

ARTIST SHOT: LORNA POLLOCK

LORNA POLLOCK works in graphic textile design breaking the boundaries of stereotypical use. She employs everyday materials to inhabit space in a way that draws the viewer in to be left wanting. Pollock is going on to further her work with Glasgow School of Art's textiles department.

Coming from working within Tramway, how has the cultural history of the building and its place in Glasgow's arts community influenced you/your work?

Studying within Tramway was a constant source of inspiration. It taught me to appreciate and see the potential in my working environment. From the exposed peeling brick walls to the tram lines still engrained in the floors it was impossible not to incorporate these features into my work. The exhibited work at Tramway was a physical reminder of what I wanted to achieve and pushed me to work harder. The individuality of the work gave me the confidence to pursue my ideas with a sense of excitement over fear. To remain curious.

How do you feel working on an exhibition with your peers from VAS that come from a range of design and fine art backgrounds and what impact does it have on your work?

It's very exciting. From sharing a studio space together I think we were all naturally inspired by each other's work and were always keen to see what everyone was going to do next. Working in the same space as fine art students, especially those interested in sculpture, influenced me to stop restricting my ideas to two dimensions and to carry out work in the outdoor environment.

Would it be accurate to say that the viewer will experience some evidence of this for ‘Paradise’? Tell me more about how you push the boundaries of conventional design.

I would like to continue the style of work which I developed at VAS, so the environmental influence will definitely be there. However for 'Paradise' I would like to focus on a more traditional use of print. I'm often influenced my artists which practice a different specialism to myself and so the early stages of my work are always very varied. During development I think it is important to explore all lights of an idea and to not discard a possible idea because it is not traditional to my specialism. I think this method of development aids me to producing original work.

What brought you in your interests and influences to choose textile design as a specialism? Are there any obstacles you have faced from this medium?

Although I love to explore the workings of varied specialisms I find my talent lies in print. It has taken me a few years (and a few courses) to confidently decide what I want to pursue. I think it was simply through trial and error that I came to my decision to study Textile Design. I think my biggest obstacle is knowing when to choose a final design. Initially I often struggle to fling myself into a new project. However when I become engrossed in the new work I'm doing I find it difficult to decide on a final outcome because I don't want the project to end.

Do you think that a project has to end? Or that it can continue on and develop, being continually renewed or can it remain the same?

I do find comfort in knowing that I am able to return to a project if I wish. However I think it is important to try new things and develop as an artist and I think moving on from project to project changing subject matter, materials etc is vital to this.

Thinking about how you hope you will grow as a designer and as an individual, what are your plans for the future? Can you share what you may have already outlined?

Over this summer working on Paradise has really helped me work independently away from a studio space and I'd like to continue practicing individual work outside of education. For example I'd like to explore selling my work online via Etsy, Art Rookie etc. However I'm really looking forward to beginning my studies at GSA in September. My time there will definitely influence and improve my work as a designer. I currently see myself specializing in Print in the future but I'm open to that changing, I'll need to see where class projects and opportunities take me.

Learn more about Lorna Pollock by following the link to her page and visiting her social media outlets. You can also continue to keep up to date with the exhibition by following our instagram @paradise_exhibition and the blog