Fresh Air Sculpture Show Highlights
Dates: 16th June – 7th July 2019
Location: The Old Rectory, Church Road, Quenington, Cirencester GL7 5BN.
The Fresh Air Sculpture show boasts a unique opportunity to see a creative mixture of traditional, modern and cutting-edge contemporary work in a stunning outdoor setting. As a grand biennale sculpture event, with over 11,000 recorded visitors in 2017. There will be a huge diversity of materials exploring a variety of media: from stone to textiles, ceramic to glass, sound to video, mosaic to metals, rubber to resin. Monumental pieces will sit alongside smaller works to suit every size of garden or outdoor space. The showcasing artists and works represent the breadth and depth of what Fresh Air Sculpture is all about- innovative work, varied range of materials, experimentation and supporting artists alike. The sculpture show is situated in a wonderful location, as well as platform to exhibit and through bursaries will artists to develop new methods and practices.
Working with our partners Fresh Air Sculpture Show, we have created highlight of the top five highlights for you- both encompassing the experimentation and diversity of materials used.
Laura Hickman – Ancient Couplying
Laura Hickman is a Quenington Sculpture Trust (QST) artist, who has been granted a bursary for her art and sculpture process. Since travelling to Thailand last November, she was inspired to change the materials which she works with to produce outdoor, minimalistic sculpture pieces with reclaimed wood. Hickman purchased a pair of rare ancient, 1400s, Oak large elbow joints that were from a very old barn, through this, the treatment of the wood with various care products and spent hours sanding, shaping and letting them show her their form as she worked with them. An ongoing process with the duration of a few months. The elbow joints were then wood preserved, oiled and 23.5ct gold leaf gilding was applied.
Drawing from the inspiration from beautiful gold leaf and wood spirit houses which could withstand the humidity and rain. Having researched the use of Gold leaf in an outdoor setting, Hickman used the same gold leaf obtained by plaque and headstone makers for lettering purposes, Laura further evolved the process to be used in a different, contemporary context on outdoor sculpture.
“As I was working with them, they appeared to be figurative, a couple standing side by side. In the wood, the initials of our ancestors dating back to centuries ago can just about be made out carved delicately into the wood. This struck me as a place where lovers met, couples and their families partied after they were joined in matrimony and the Middle English word ‘Couplyng’ seemed an apt title for the pair of ancient sculptures.” Laura Hickman.
Elaine Bolt – River Trees
Elaine Bolt is a ceramic artist creating pieces inspired by landscape and place. Working and teaching in Sussex, she has exhibited across the UK, Europe, USA and Japan. Recently she worked on a year-long Arts Council collaborative project and taught as Lecturer in Ceramics at the University of Brighton. Bolt also received a QST bursary and has gone on to produce an intimate piece of ceramic work that trails into the river. This was moulded through Stoneware, Porcelain Slip, Oxides and Steel and costs £14,250. With 15 individual structures that form a group of slender tree trunks. Each one varies in height with the tallest being 1.5 to 2 metres tall. It is intended that the ‘trees’ appear as a cluster on the bank of the stream and across the river bed, by the water mill and bridge. An attractive spot by the bench it weaves a tale of intimacy with nature. The ‘trees’ are hand built in 2-3 sections with metal fixings, fired and joined together. The ‘trees’ are fixed in place with vertical metal bars hammered into the ground of the river bank and slotted into metal sleeves fixed into weights.
Andreic Precup – Too Heavy to Move On in Cast Concrete.
The installation consists of two cast concrete suitcases and pairs of cast shoes. This piece was inspired by the current political views portrayed in the media regarding migration. Precup uses found objects that are already recognisable and contrasts this with brutal industrial materials. In finding that domestic everyday objects tell a more relatable story about the mundane.
The sculptures are made by pouring concrete inside objects. The object and its functionality are sacrificed for a deeper form of symbolism which is thought-provoking. A primary characteristic of this process is the abstraction of the object; a familiar object that no longer has the same attributes. Some of its original personality has been reintroduced by adding the shoe laces and the suitcase straps and locks.
The title of the piece is a playful comment that crosses the literal and metaphorical line of what it means to be mobile. It refers to the current political views regarding migration and is a response to the challenged place of foreigners in a native’s community. It gives an insight into the experience of a migrant that has settled, and it suggests that relocating is not as easy as is sometimes portrayed in mainstream media or politics.
Matthew Day & Christian Jones – Cygnus
A collaboration between Matthew Day and Christian Jones. Cygnus is a piece that brings together two very different approaches to creating sculpture. It is a contemporary sculpture set in stone and bronze. It merges opposing ends of the sculptural spectrum, bringing together technology and tradition to create a piece inspired by the elegant form of swans. The piece began life as a 3D printed sculpture which was used as a maquette to create a larger scale sculpture carved in stone.
Day uses emerging digital technologies to create his unique 3D printed ethereal sculpture whilst Jones uses traditional stone carving techniques to create contemporary sculpture inspired by the tranquillity of abandoned quarries.
As a member of Own Art, the scheme will be provided to make art pieces more affordable and accessible for all from £50- £2,500. Payable over monthly installments and 0% interest. Interested? Feel free to ask a staff member at the show for more info.
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More about the Fresh Air Sculpture Show 2019 here.