Curated by photographer Jason Evans, this new exhibition brought together artefacts from our industrial, consumer society. Handmade signage recalls local commerce, pre-globalisation, and highlights ongoing transitions from analogue to digital. Some of the objects on show remain in circulation today, yet serve as a nostalgic reminder of the technological changes in our recent past.
The exhibition featured pages from the archive of Dick Hambidge, a sign writer from East Kent, who documented his works in meticulous photographic albums, presenting an alternative record of provincial life.
Also on show were a selection of erudite political ‘lampoons’ by Ditchling printmaker Philip Hagreen, loaned by Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft. Hagreen’s wood engravings feel as relevant now as when they were published eighty years ago.
Visitors were able to see an intriguing selection of original items from Clark Brothers of Manchester, who continue to hand produce point-of-sale marketing materials for a disappearing High Street.
Finally, the exhibition also featured an interactive photo opportunity, social media content, a marketing soundtrack and a new series of Evans’ own binary screen prints. Visitors were also advised to look out for people in Nottingham who participated in a project that Jason is running alongside the exhibition; they wore T-shirts which feature a wood-engraving by Philip Hagreen.
All images courtesy of Julian Lister and the artists.
Jason Evans (b. 1968) is a multidisciplinary photographer who, since the early 1990s, has had a broad cultural practice. His output has developed to include writing and teaching alongside applied image making. He works around art, fashion and street photography tropes, making images which are often informed by vernacular culture. His long-term projects with musicians Four Tet, Caribou and Radiohead resulted in influential sleeve imagery and portraits which seek to redefine the relationships between sound and image.
Since 2004, Evans has maintained The Daily Nice, which celebrates simple pleasures as their own reward. Every day an image of something which made him happy is presented on this one page, non-archived website.
His work is exhibited internationally, and his game-changing series Strictly is held in the Tate collection. Solo shows include his nomination for the Grange Prize at the AGO in Toronto and a retrospective of his Fashion work at the Hyeres Festival du Mode. His monographs include NYLPT (Mack, 2012) and Pictures for looking at (Printed Matter, 2014).
Thursday 18 May, 7 pm – 8.30 pm – Jason Evans Exhibition Walkthrough
Join us on the penultimate day of Jason Evans’ curated exhibition for an informal and open discussion between Evans & Bonington Gallery curator Tom Godfrey. Hear more about the objects and works on show and the stories and histories that informed their selection.
In the run up to the opening of Mastered, we’ll drawing your attention to just a few of the artists and designers who will be exhibiting their work in the show – bringing together the best work from across Nottingham Trent University’s School of Art & Design postgraduate courses.
Project Distorted Lines: An Investigation into Anxiety
“Anxiety is a lasting feeling of unavoidable doom. Anxiety is a state of tension and expectation of disaster.” [1]
The MA project ‘Distorted Lines: An Investigation into Anxiety’ looks at the subject of anxiety and the ways in which it can be translated through the medium of knitwear. The project takes the contrasting ideas of restriction and comfort, contorting and altering the surface of knitwear to reflect the ways in which anxiety binds and restrains, creating physical and mental suffering. Against this, comfort is juxtaposed as a means of lessening these negative effects, brought through in the softness of the lambswool and the oversized, engulfing garment silhouettes.
The work incorporates handcrafted, dubied machine knitted techniques and crochet to create pieces that are at once unique and high quality. A huge importance is placed on sustainable design practices, from the careful sourcing of premium, organic yarns to the fully fashioning of all pieces to eliminate unnecessary waste.
[1] (Ed) Wolman, Benjamin B/(C0-ED) Striker, George, Anxiety and Related Disorders, A Handbook, New York, John Wiley & Sons, INC, 1993.
Images: © Fiona Nugent
Tong’s series of self-portraits explore the differences between oriental and western women in social status – the old society and the new society. The photos can be divided into 3 groups: playing the part of celebrities, self-expression and regional culture.
As an international student, Tong hopes to make oriental feminist culture known to more people through her works based on her experience and study overseas.
The composition is important too: the photos are all taken from the same angle, and there is a large space left above the top of the heads of the characters. This not only endows the photos with a sense of space, but more importantly, Tong hopes to express that there is a large space for women to improve their social status and pursue freedom in the future.
Images: © Tong Zhang
Ellen is an artist who is intrigued with the colour grey. She is inspired by traditional black Chinese ink, which when diluted and applied to rice paper, produces a variety of shades of grey – soaking into the paper layer by layer.
Ember- Floating space’ is a performance piece, in which Ellen attempts to make invisible space visible, through wax formations in water.
Something unpredictable and uncontrollable emerges in the process of conflict; and beautiful, mountain-like spaces are created as the liquid wax cools and solidifies in the water.
All images: © Yi-Ying Chen