POST*

*a prefix, meaning behind, after, later, subsequent to, posterior to, occurring originally in loanwords
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from Latin ( postscript ), but now used freely in the formation of compound words (post-Elizabethan; postfix; postgraduate; postorbital). POST* is a forthcoming exhibition of work by finalyear students studying on the BA (Hons) Art & Design (Interdisciplinary) degree at Leeds College of Art. Over the duration of the course students 2

have all formed very individual practices and processes. POST* aims to show finished works, whilst also exposing some of the developmental content that precedes them. In conjunction with the final show an earlier workin-progress event - PRE* - was held at Enjoy, Leeds in late April 2012. PRE* was an exposition of live practice and discussions that served to inform and 3

expand on the work of participating artists in anticipation of POST*. The idea was to expose the often hidden, creative process of thinking and making in the creation of art & design works. During the event the ensuing dialogue and discussion between peers and an invited audience contributed to this process. The hermeneutics of process

raised interesting questions on the position of art, design and craft and the possible links / distinctions between differing practices. Adam Cluley (Level 06)

POST*

Artist Staments
Katie Broadleys practice tends to incline towards traditional art techniques but has a contemporary nature to it that merges with digital elements. As an interdisciplinary artist, it consists of various directions, combined with a range of medias and techniques. Experimenting with concepts and incorporating these with several methods, she develops a resolved piece. Although she has a broad range of skills, she has advanced her knowledge in digital, woodwork and metal processes. She is inspired by fairy tale, myth and feminism.[1] As a British Indian artist, Varsha challenges ideas around beauty and feminism. Many aspects of her Indian heritage have been reflected through her work and she looks at how westernisation of beauty has become homogenised. She is inspired by her personal experiences as well being influenced by close relatives and friends. Her visual ideas are demonstrated through interdisciplinary methods however using a needle as a tool further conceptualises her work. The act of stitching itself mirrors surgical procedures as well as representing the female craft of sewing.[2] Questions. One question can spawn many more questions, it can open up discussions, and it can also succumb to ridicule, but a question will almost always enlighten. Adam has always retained a critical outlook on everyday life, and this is reflected in his practice. As an interdisciplinary artist, his work tends to take a more conceptual approach that is realised in a variety of media including photography, video, publications, drawings, collaboration, and occasionally 3D forms. Adams work commonly deals with ideology and utopia and is focussed towards a questioning of the everyday - more specifically space, how we relate to it, and how we participate within it.[3]

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. April Comer questions the institution of art exploring repetitive process and perception of environment using existing visual connotations of space, context and materials within the public realm. Subjecting natural and found materials to the conditions and processes of manufacture, Comer questions the value of the art object and its origin through the process of three-dimensional manipulation, reproduction and repetition. Porcelain slip casting is a process that she frequents, utilising the fragility and translucency of the material, whilst subverting understandings of meaning through the perceived value and purity of white. Her current practice follows the consumption of art from its interfacing relationship with everyday life, to exhibition, documentation and re-sale of the simulacra. Exploring the spaces in which we encounter art, and how space and context affect the receipt of meaning, site-specific documentation provides the materials that fuel the illustration of the Chinese whispers effect of repetition in art.[4] Through her practice Sherelle Davis explores elements of race, culture and identity, which sees the vast majority of her work focuses on society and the varied notions surrounding issues of identity. \ The objectives within her work are to bring awareness to different subject matters which are often unspoken about, yet those which are of great interest and evoke curiosity and often tension within society. She deconstructs societys ideas of social themes and personal experiences to explore issues of self awareness and personal identity whilst experimenting with a range of materials and processes to best compliment her work.[5] Document/Collect/Play. Each of these words relates to Kats styles of working. Her interests lie in gathering information and documentation of the process undertaken as visual evidence. Developing collections of images/things very much like a detective. Creating assortments and series of objects that can tell stories and project the principles of their origins.[6]

[1] [2] [3]

Katie Broadley Varsha Chouhan Adam Cluley

[4] [5]

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[6]

April Comer Sherrelle Davis Kat Grant

Lisa Haiths practice is responding to projects in the public realm, where the environment is less constraining than the white cube and provides an encounter for the unintentional audience. The work she produces has specific use for events and festivals, collaborating with organisations to propose relevant art works, which acknowledge the negotiated intentions of the client. Lisa can adapt her range of skills to suit different situations, but has developed her knowledge specifically in plaster casting and ceramics.[7] Charlotte is a craft based artist who works with traditional craft methods to create her pieces. Processes such as: knitting, sewing, embroidery and crochet. These methods of working have developed from Charlottes main focus and on-going themes within her work, themes such as nostalgia and the concept of sentiment and objects. In the third year of the course Charlottes work has been mainly driven by the concept of thought process and how herself and others log their own thought processes and daily life, both majorly personal to minor trivial emotions, feeling and everyday tasks either through diaries, photography etc. This has now developed into a more in-depth study of the brain as a personal object rather than an organ.[8] Elisa Heikkil is a visual artist, whose current practice is concerned with the maternal how womens lives are affected by questions of maternity; the expectations of women who have not had children, and the experiences of those who have. The theme has arisen from her own conflicted emotions on the subject. Her working method often incorporates the use of clay, photography, experimental drawing and writing. A personal narrative of either the artist or an advocate is often found at the core of her work. Contact with mothers is essential to both her work and personal development. This is reflected in the work through the process of observation, academic research and analysis of conversations with mothers. Her work often takes the form of sculpture, but lately it has evolved into both installation and 2D-based work.[9]

James is primarily a ceramic artist with a passion for hand building pieces. He draws on nature and the evolution of mankind in todays society as influences. He was originally interested in illustration until the chance to produce works in 3D became too appealing, starting small with ceramic craft pieces, combining found objects and natural resouarces with traditional art forms before developing into installations that question the human hand in art and processes that could soon be forgotten in place for new technology.[10] Laura uses a hands-on material based approach to making, which is constantly evolving. She explores nostalgic themes through paperbased works, including book art and installation. Laura has a passionate interest in recycling second-hand items. She is fascinated by the capabilities of everyday materials and objects, investigating and transforming them to give them a new lease of life.[11] Patrick Kirk-Smith has spent a year setting himself up as a oneman theatre group under the title Open Set Theatre. Open Sets focus is to create one-man productions that focus on the creative process behind that production. Along with writing scripts for live performance, the project has explored film and sound installations, all with a focus on the writing by recreating space. This culminated at the PRE* show in April 2012 with a live performance spanning two days and ending in a 12 page script and experiments with limitation, including four (140 character) #TwitterPlays and five 100 word solo scripts.[12] This is how space begins, with words only, signs traced on a blank page. Working with the boundaries of contemporary art, Zoe aims to question the common function of art as it stands. Working with sound, installation and text, items that are associated with different disciplines are used to provoke a response from the participant that they would not necessarily have in a usual gallery setting. Highlighting the space around text and appreciating the banality of text is an on-going campaign in Zoes work, to create something inspiring from something mundane.[13]
[11]

Lisa Haith Charlotte Halstead [9] Elisa Heikkila [10] James Hirst
[7] [8]

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Laura Holmes Patrick Kirk-Smith [13] Zoe Moyden

[12]

This body of work explores the relationship between the virtual reality and the physical reality and all those that exist between. Through extracting snippets of reality and exploring the banalities of life that go unnoticed to build a representation of the organised chaos that exists within our network of trajectories. Will physicality no longer be accepted as the reality that Modernity deemed it? In what ways will this seemingly inevitable shift in consciousness take form?[14] Constantly inspired by her surroundings, Claire Selmans practice draws upon everyday encounters and works within existing architectural scenarios. A fictional element runs throughout Claires work, often projecting a playful narrative on what could be considered the ordinary. The emotional relationship to the built environment, embodied by the term place, is a key source of material for Claires practice as she explores how the work she produces can enhance this connection.[15] Marianne Slater is an interdisciplinary designer/maker with a passion for patterns, handcrafts and traditional skills. Her work focuses on the ideas of nostalgia, object and memory, combining the three to create prints; illustrations and textile pieces that tell stories, and facilitate a pleasurable thought process. Although fabric is her main area of exploration, she also combines this with drawing, ceramics and paper-based media to create a range of work.[16] Within the hyper-reality of todays culture society is becoming disengaged from the physicality of the real. Rather than bring us closer together our thirst for gratification through the virtual world is creating a more disconnected association. Childhood experiences are what influence us as adults and it is these profound memories of making, playing and interacting with the materials that nature provides that drives Carols practice. The tensions experienced when working with organic matter can generate an understanding that brings us closer to the natural environment and our own individual sense of belonging within the world. Through the physical manipulation of these materials Carol challenges the virtual world and societys lack of association with the physical.[17]
Lauren Robson Claire Selman [16] Marianne Slater [17] Carol Sowden
[14] [15]

Over the past few months Amy has gained, improved and consolidated existing skills and techniques within the area of sewing. Her practice has expanded from writing her thoughts in a journal to creating sewn art works. Letting the stitch tell the story, expression is key: the more stitch is used, the more emotion is shown. Amy records her work predominantly through the use of photography. Screen-printing is another process she uses, whether its image or text, they are then altered into a range of mixed media fabric art works reflecting extracts from her journal.[18] Gina is a contemporary interdisciplinary artist who primarily works within digital media, photography and sculpture. Her work is concept driven and is mainly concerned with how the human mind works, mental health and female identity. Through the manipulation of objects and imagery, Gina addresses taboo subjects that commonly occur within society yet we are reluctant to talk about. Her practice is influenced by her personal experiences as well as her fears and expectations and uses these emotions to create thought provoking work.[19] Having experimented with various art mediums throughout the years, Ccilia turned to photography as a meditative tool.By slowing down and taking the time, Ccilia wishes to develop a different way of looking at the myriad of details around me, which a busy life cannot perceive. Ccilia is especially interested in artistic processes and encounter, either with a medium, with another person or with my environment. She is currently exploring semi-abstract photographic representations of the world, going beyond recordinggoing about looking and seeing a detail, a portion of our world, a moment in time and space, and capturing it. It is about exploring the synergy of (and playing with): intersecting lines, lights, colours, shapes, tones, patterns, reflections, to offer a unique composition; inviting the viewer into a poetic abstraction, beyond their rational world.[20]

[18]

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Amy Steele Gina Stockwell [20] Cecilia Tuvo

[19]

Katie Broadley katiebroadley@googlemail.com www.katiebroadley.co.uk

Lisa Haith lisahaith1@hotmail.com www.lisahaith.co.uk

Varsha Chouhan verny100@hotmail.com www.varshachouhan.com

Charlotte Halstead charlottesarah90@hotmail.co.uk www.charlottesarahart.tumblr.com

Adam Cluely ac@adamcluley.com www.adamcluely.com

Elisa Heikkil contact@elisaheikkila.co.uk www.elisaheikkila.co.uk

April Comer april7000@msn.com www.aprilcomer.co.uk

James Hirst hirsty78@hotmail.com www.jameshirst.co.uk

Sherelle Davis sher.davis@hotmail.co.uk

Laura Holmes lauraholmes01@gmail.com www.laura-holmes.co.uk

Kat Grant katgrant@hotmail.co.uk www.katgrant.co.uk

Patrick Kirk-Smith patrickkirk-smith@hotmail.co.uk www.opensettheatre.com

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Zo Moyden zoemoyden@gmail.com www.zoemoyden.co.uk

Gina Stockwell gina.stockwell@gmail.com www.ginastockwell.com

Lauren Robson lauren.robson@googlemail.com www.extract-reality.tumblr.com

Ccilia Tuvo ceciliatuvo@hotmail.com www.ceciliatuvo.com

Claire Selman claireselman1@yahoo.co.uk www.claireselman.co.uk

Marianne Slater marianneslater01@aol.com www.marianneslater.co.uk

Carol Sowden cmsowden@aol.com www.carolsowden.com

Amy Steele steeley_07@hotmail.com www.dressedbyamy.co.uk

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