Design Practice - 'Contour States'
On the weekend before last I visited the Cornerhouse on Manchester Oxford Road, a three-floor 'international centre for contemporary visual arts and independent film'. It houses a bookshop, café and three cinema screens as well as several large gallery spaces, two of which are currently home to Samantha Donnelly's 'Contour States' exhibition.
The exhibition itself was an exploration around two floors, some of the pieces huge and some no bigger than A4, most installations with others as flat images or pasted against the walls. Samantha's work is based around sculpture, which was the main focus in 'Contour States', and I was struck immediately by the vibrant, contrasting colours and unusual use of materials.
The exhibition itself was an exploration around two floors, some of the pieces huge and some no bigger than A4, most installations with others as flat images or pasted against the walls. Samantha's work is based around sculpture, which was the main focus in 'Contour States', and I was struck immediately by the vibrant, contrasting colours and unusual use of materials.
The second floor was a low room and the pieces set there were slightly smaller to accommodate the space. Most of her work, although not technically interactive, was set on the floor and easily approachable if you wanted a closer look. I was glad since Samantha's art is very detailed and from a distance it would be difficult to have a good understanding of her work.
She uses a wide range of materials ranging from coat hangers to ceramics; each piece of art is carefully thought out and tells a narrative. She works largely in handmade components and has commented that digital art is efficient and can be easily manipulated, however lacks 'the unexpected' and surprise that hand crafted art possesses. Her work visibly references varied subject matter; the media and the female representation within, advertisements, popular culture and photography, which she has a background in.
Many of the structures seemed very delicate with such a mesh of content, while others were more deliberate and fixed, although I've no idea how she managed to put each piece together so well, especially as this exhibition has been displayed in three different countries. So much thought went into each one and they depict a complexity and depth that is amazing.
This was my favourite piece. I liked the use of different heights and colour, as well as the base shapes which I think work well as a structure even from a distance. Closer up, however, it is easy to see that each pillar is individually manufactured and linked. I like how it can be viewed from any direction too; it works as a piece regardless of where you stand in relation to it.
On reaching the third floor the ceiling became a lot higher, and nearly all of Samantha’s work there consisted of still larger sculptures. They were spaced out so you could walk around them and again, tangible, but they fit nicely with the gallery space, which was unusually shaped.
Donnelly is 'interested in the spaces and places we live in today' and how these are 're-presented, packaged and sold back to us'. The narrative aspect of her work is strongly represented in 'Contour States'; the process of editing and elimination, reworking with a certain impermanence and deeply abstract.
An example of some of the details by each individual piece - it gives you some idea of the level of detail that goes into Samantha's sculptures.
The title 'Contour States' is based on the idea of combined 'curvature' and something 'organised in some kind of bureaucracy', a comparison and affinity between ideals, or form and function. When interviewed about her show, she said that 'there is a connection between the lyrical and the structure that reflects the content of the work and suggests a tension between parts', which I think explains the exhibition very well. Photographs really can't do them justice, so if you get a chance to visit it before the exhibition finishes on 25th March, definitely have a look :3
That's all for now, I have one more update in Design Practice on the Leeds Book Fair and then I'm on to the Design Discourse section, which should be interesting. Thanks for stopping by and I shall update again soon~ <3
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