mapping memories

Done and dusted, almost! I finally sent off the retouched, reworked, resized, highlighted, airbrushed, copied and proofed artwork for printing yesterday. In a month from now I should be getting the composite image made from 52 photographs, printed on 3 sheets of formica. These will then be bonded onto three table tops furnishing a common room at the Lewisham Hospital. This will be the culmination of my involvement in the Little Boxes of Memories project, led by Entelechy Arts in partnership with the Museum of London and the hospital. See previous post art for health: remembering and forgetting for more writing on this.

The design was inspired by stories of four participants I worked with at the hospital. A patchwork of words, images, flowers, objects and materials all collaged together, it maps out their personal accounts of London and other places. The design weaves elements of interconnected narratives and memories of celebration, hope, love, loss, travel, passions, transformation and change, aiming to prompt further sharing and reflection amongst visitors and patients.

the new age of Wicca

Earlier this month the creative agency Wicca re-launched their website, showcasing a new extended stable of artists. It was great to see the range of works featured in each of the artist’s portfolios, and also the selection of images chosen by Wicca of my own work. What all their artists have in common is a strong foundation in craft and making, whether specialists in 3D production, art direction, design or illustration. It was a treat to read the bio they wrote about me, not least because for once I didn’t have to write the copy myself.  So, blatantly indulging myself, I'll share it with you below:

Weaving, Basketry, Material ‘Hacking’

Shane's work draws inspiration from craft traditions and processes. This sees him create visual narratives using materials and skill-sets as varied as needlepoint, basketry, weaving and sugar craft. A true expert in the field of craft practices, Shane can take everyday objects, and the simplest of materials and 'hacks' them to create the visually spectacular. 



At its core Shane's work is rooted in ideas of ecology and the reuse and recycling of material. His fluency with materials and processes allow him to play with scale in his work, from enormous pieces covering the central atrium of the V&A to smaller scale experiments with grasses, sugar and balloons. Shane has exhibited work worldwide. He lives and works in London. 



Clients include: Jupiter Artland, Scotland, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, Swarovski, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Arizona, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Federation Square, Melbourne, Sydney Design 2011, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Bloomsbury Publishing, Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh, Siobhan Davies

Needless to say I am really looking forward to working with them. For more info on the agency and Wicca artists, click here.

flights of fancy

While sourcing materials to produce artwork for a commission at the Lewisham Hospital, I was very happy to see that when I searched for suppliers of chevron border envelopes, three of the four images that first came up were of my dailymades.

I have repeatedly been drawn to working with patterned envelope papers over the years. I used them as early as 2002 in a sound installation for Danielle Arnaud at the Museum of Garden History, and in another sound piece created for my first solo exhibition at MK gallery in Rotterdam. I have included  them since in the graphics on my website, and I like to think that I possibly have the largest collection of patterned envelope papers in the world.  Entering the collection in the Guinness Book of Records has been on my to do list for over a decade now and writing this will, hopefully, prompt me to do something about it.

Amongst all the envelopes in my collection, there is something I find particularly compelling about the chevron border airmail envelopes; they travel faster and longer distances than other envelopes, criss-crossing the globe like migratory birds, and weighing no more than some of these avian species either. In an age where most correspondence is done via email, chevron bordered envelopes convey a sense of romance and the exotic. Though cheap, readily available and instantly recognisable, they are full of the promise of distant places. For me, this sums up their enduring appeal...