Artist Statement
My practice is cross-disciplinary, often incorporating elements of performance, installation and film. My work tends to be non-gallery-based and is site-specific - each project tailored to suit the space I am working in and the communities of people that I bring together to form unique collaborations.
My work is usually temporary in its nature, with the process of development often being as important (if not more so) than an end product or event. I view the majority of my work as collaborative and play different roles in each situation, always as a facilitator but sometimes playing a more visible role as a performer or director.
Food - its production, distribution and consumption - is a key area of interest in my practice, particularly the social aspect of people coming together to grow, cook and eat food. I am also interested in food systems on a local and global level; the means and methods of production, exchange and sustainability.
I seek to explore and investigate and bring attention to these issues through the staging of events, the creation of platforms (both physical and metaphorical) and interventions which bring people together and encourage dialogue around our connection to our environment, the land and to each other. I want to spark connections on different levels, from the very personal act of eating to the wider issues of global food security. I am also interested in encouraging people to see, experience and use familiar environments in a different way.
CV & Education
Qualifications and training
2001 - BA Hons in Fine Art (2:1) Specialising in Environmental Art, The Glasgow School of Art
1998 - BTEC Diploma in Art and Design (merit), Leeds College of Art and Design
Solo exhibitions
2001 - ‘Illuminated’, exhibition of images related to food and eating created in collaboration with Garnetbank primary school, Wing Hong Elderly Centre and San Jai project, Garnethill park, Glasgow March 2001
Group exhibitions
2009 - ‘Stone Soup’, A Broth Mix event as part of ‘This Land is Your Land’ exhibition at CCA, Glasgow, June 2009
Residencies
2011 - 'A Growing Exchange', International exchange project with artist Annechien Meier from the Netherlands, CCA Residency, Glasgow, February 2011, Stroom Residency, the Hague, August/September 2011
Public commissions
2009 - ‘Faith Feast’, Food commission for GOMA’s Faith and Sexuality Project, May 2009
Projects
2011 - 'Streetland', A project initiated with a collective of artists living and working in the Govanhill area of Glasgow, developing projects that invite a creative investigation of the street. The first festival took place in Govanhill in May 2010 and a further festival is planned for Govanhill in May 2011
2010 - 'A Fertile Ground', A project commissioned by Fife Contemporary Art and Craft as part of the exhibition Hotpot [Food, Art + People], St Andrews Museum, January 2010
2010 - 'Garden Harvest', An event staged in the Albert Drive Studios garden, October 2010
2007 - ‘Broth Mix’, Collaborative project with Leigh French, creating a temporary café and space for exchange. Intermedia Gallery, CCA, Glasgow, October 2007
2004 - ‘Just a Little Forest or a Small Utopia’, Collaborative public art project with Stephanie Connolly. Temporary installations of recycled Christmas trees at various site in Glasgow followed by documentary images pasted up at these locations, January 2004
Publications
2005 - ‘Postcards to Madame Stanley’, Book work published by Trajectory Publications, July 2005
