At the end of the first semester of final year in December 2024 I, alongside a very talented final year artist Eve Barraclough, curated and exhibited two immersive installations collectively; bringing together pieces which both work with light and take over the surrounding space- creating an environment for audiences to immerse themselves in. Being able to exhibit work collaboratively, provided great insight into how artworks can synergize in a space and further, how audiences can interact and respond to the work. Overall, the opportunity to exhibit my work, was a starting point which enabled me to start generating ideas of ways to create an environment for the viewer and reflect on what worked and what didn’t- ultimately carrying me through to the degree show.
Overall my work explores expanded painting, focusing on the language and certain conventional aspects of painting such as colour, movement, mark making etc. I abstract these elements digitally using digital software and projection to create an immersive experience for audiences. To achieve this, I project digitally manipulated photographs of my own paintings with an abstract aesthetic onto sculptures which reminisce the characteristics of brushstrokes. I use a range of photoshop techniques to layer and blend multiple images of my close-up paintings together- creating a range of digitally manipulated images which reflect the abstract nature of my practice.
The projected images digitally “paint” the sculptures and become further abstracted by the uneven, curves and folds of the hanging forms. Ultimately, I was interested in dissecting an art form as traditional as painting and combining it with digital software and technology; something which is growing and advancing rapidly in the 21st century art scene.
During the first semester of final year, I solely focused on abstracting every element of my mixed media installations- enabling the works to become almost unrecognisable as painting altogether. Whilst I wanted my installations to be abstracted, I also wanted that familiarity of painting to be exposed and experienced too.
Since then, I have greatly improved my skills when using a range of digital software such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Illustrator and Premiere Pro. My work now achieves a more, though still subtle, presence of painting; focusing more on the conventions of the painting language such as the movement, fluidity and disruption within the process of painting and translating this digitally.
Further, I have also expanded my knowledge and skills when working with projectors and coming up with ways to extend the projection to fill the entirety of the space; allowing me to create an environment of dynamic imagery, sound and immersivity.
Below is a video which shows the relationship between the projection and the hanging sculptural forms; how the projected content becomes further abstracted by how it digitally “paints” and “smears” across the surface of the fabric forms.
