Welcome
to the twenty five artist/designer/makers from the Applied Arts Department of the University of Wolverhampton
Dan Bailey BA
I am the human magpie; I spend my free time in nature, exploring the woodlands, arable lands and long lost traces of human activity within the landscape. Whilst exploring I have the uncontrollable urge to seek out and gather artefacts and fragments of man-made objects that have been lost to Mother Nature and Father Time. Once consumed by the earth, nature and time transform glass and metal, denaturing the materials by altering their colours and surfaces, eroding away mans perfection replacing it with organic beauty. This provides a basis of inspiration which feeds into my creative practice as an artist.
I work with hot glass and metal to create blown pieces that are constricted by copper bands and bowls creating original forms inspired by nature. This union of two seemingly juxtaposing materials creates a dynamic tension within my work. Colour and texture are dominant aspects of my practice and I strive for surfaces that are reminiscent of erosion and age.
Laura Crosland MA
In my work I take inspiration from nature exploring the forms, surfaces and colours of flowers, leaves, reptiles and the female form. I create one-off pieces which are both functional and decorative. Exploring the relationship between function and decoration is an important element of my creative process and I aim to develop compositions which address the juxtaposition of functionality and ornamentation. Many of the ceramic pieces I make are decanters with decorative floral carvings.
Justyna Kaczmarska BA
For me space and form are inseparable. I aim to challenge the preconception that something heavy and strong cannot also be weightless and create light and open space. I aim to open a dialogue within my sculpture between weight and weightlessness, between empty and full space, between negative and positive.
I use two materials glass and ceramic. The one depicts empty space the other solid occupied space. On the one hand my work can be anchored like gravity on the other hand it can be interpreted as light and free. For me space is endless and there are endless possibilities of filling it, changing it, separating it and rearranging it.
The idea of an evolving, changing process of thinking through making with no fixed beginning or end fascinates me and often results in minimalist geometrical forms. My scale is domestic but my work also has the potential to work on an architectural, monumental scale.
http://cargocollective.com/justyna_sarsari
Betül Katigöz MA
I am interested in creating handmade objects through which I can communicate my innermost feelings. My vessels explore the relationship between fragility and strength, logic and emotion. Touching the clay enables me to convey these feelings through the repetitive actions of developing hollow forms. I use very rough brick clay to create my work which for me represents the physical state of the human body. However my forms are delicate and petit representing my emotional state.
I am fascinated with 'clay' as a material that has been extracted from the Earth as rocks and strata and it is this feeling which I wish my own work to embody. As a form, I am drawn to the Tulip as it has cultural significance to Turkey where it is considered the embodiment of perfection and beauty. My forms reflect the quality of the tulip, both metaphorically and physically. Just as the rock brings strength into my works so the tulip evokes a fragile and ephemeral state.
My practice continues as a voyage of self-discovery as new influences immerge and combine to form my artistic practice.
Jaice E James BA
As a maker with a multicultural background; Indian, Kuwaiti and British I am passionate about exploring deeply into the many facets of my own cultures, traditions and identities. My greatest influences are the traditional potteries of India; the Islamic vessels and their forms, colours and surface textures.
My specialist material is clay and I use a combination of terracotta, brick and stoneware. I am interested in the tactile quality of my pieces developing work which projects a desire to handle and touch. I have created a multitude of surfaces such as crawling glazes which give dryness to the look and feel, oxides which create natural tones and describe the landscape and unglazed grogged, textured surfaces. When I work with textured clays I like the feel of roughness in my hands.
Bill Swann MA
Balancing Act.
The play of light changing throughout the day upon glass produces shadows and reveals deeper layers within the work and is my current focus. Experimentation and development of ideas have always been at the forefront of my work in glass, and the circle as a symbol began to appear following the exhibiting of my work in Japan visiting many Buddhist and Shinto temples and shrines.
The circle as a symbol is used in Celtic, Shinto, Hindu, Pagan and many other world religions and philosophies to depict completeness and wholeness. My pieces ask the viewer to stop and reflect on the internal images and to be drawn into and begin to discover the quiet power of seeing beneath the surface.
My latest series of work arises from developing both blown and cast hot glass whilst studying for my MA in Wolverhampton University.
The sculptural works relate to the relationships and communications between people that we all encounter each and every day. Balancing conversations and attitudes with those we interact with family, friends other glassmakers. Each encounter entails a balancing act.
Bethan Stanley BA
My work explores the contrasts between the natural and the manmade. My sculptural pieces represent life and comment on the way the manmade is considered to be the destruction of our natural world. The essence of my work explores the way natural elements are still able to grow off these fake, manmade 'nutrients'.
I focus on the paradox of using two very different materials concrete and ceramic and my inspiration comes from two different sources; architecture and rock formations. The geometric forms inherent within architecture inform the structure, design, shape and colour of the concrete. Rock structures inspire the layering and marbled effect I create with the ceramic elements of my sculptures.
My use of materials; concrete and clay, signifies the manmade and industrial juxtaposed against the organic and the raw.
http://cargocollective.com/bethan_stanley
Matthew Watson MA
My work is a personal response to Wolverhampton and the surrounding area and it rich industrial and historical past. I use maps and photos, past and present of Wolverhampton and the surrounding area and focus on the changes that have occurred through the years, i.e. the market place or the high street. My varied pallet of glazes are used primarily to add definition, colour and surface tension to my pieces but they also act as a barrier between two narratives, defining the work on a personal and humorous level but also giving context to the strong sense of place present in the work.
Lucy Sullivan BA
My work is inspired by the genre of Science Fiction films about aliens and monsters such as 'Alien'. I interpret these films within my work developing large scale wall installations and one-off sculptural pieces which reflect the monstrous yet light hearted nature of the film contents.
The tacky unintentionally humorous affect these films have on me inspires me to create brightly coloured work, based on organic forms. I transform the shapes I observe and draw in plants and fruit into impressions of monsters. Working on features which vaguely represent human and animal characteristics I aim to give an impression of high intelligence.
The bright colours and tacky, humor present in Kitsch also inspires my work. I work in ceramics, hand building and throwing as this allows me to mimic the textures and essence of he organic forms.
Emily Waugh MA
I am a mixed media designer/maker who is passionate about Japanese culture, and I express this through my ceramics. I combine thrown porcelain vessels with Japanese paper origami sculptures painted with porcelain slip, for use as tea and dinnerware. Origami fascinates me as a craft where a simple, unadulterated flat surface, using only precise folds, can become an amazing delicate 3D object. The challenge of the complex making process and the impermanence of the paper makes the outcomes appear completely improbable. I take inspiration from the work of Robert Lang and Suzuki Satoru. I also like to work in a variety of media, taking inspiration from everything from mechanics to macro images of plants. If I could model myself on anyone, I'd want to be the next Da Vinci!
http://www.emilyroseinspired.com/