Sieving...

Here's Carwyn working in the gallery sieving the clay from his father's farm. 

If the shoe fits...

Shoe basket - courtesy of Carmarthen Museum

We went to Carmarthen Museum yesterday to pick up the items we are borrowing to show in the studio space as part of Project Object: Collect. Anne Dorsett , the Senior Museums Officer had picked us a lovely collection of small items from the archives. I really like this little basket made in the shape of a shoe from Carmarthen in the 18th Century.

Project project

One of the things we got interested in whilst researching the original ideas behind Project Object was the use of an overhead projector as an artistic tool. We have collected together a few OHP's (thanks to all those who have rifled their store cupboards to help us out!) to make available to our artists during the run of the show. Carwyn Evans has made this self portrait on acetate with projections of pin-prick light punctured through Cinefoil overlaid on the image.

Thanks to Louise Bird for the Video clip.

Mud...

Carwyn got going today on sieving the earth he'd brought into the gallery from his father's land in Newcastle Emlyn. In the afternoon he was joined for a while by artist Marged Pendrell who was in town for the day. Marged currently has a show, Custodian in gallery 5 at Mostyn in Llandudno and lives in north Wales although she is originally from west Wales. Her work is also about earth, soil and sand - so she was delighted to be invited to get her hands dirty and help Carwyn with his task. 

Project Object: Collect

As part of Project Object: Collect, we've been inviting people to bring in a special object to the gallery to complement the pieces we will have on loan from Carmarthen Museum in the studio space from 7 May. Please bring your object into the gallery during April - we're interested to hear about the story behind your choice, find out more here. 

Carwyn Evans - Project Object: Altro

Technician Chris Ozzard with Carwyn Evans this morning

Artist, Carwyn Evans has been with us in the gallery today installing the first of our Project Object shows Altro. Carwyn is originally from the borders of rural Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, he now lives in Cardiff and has been completing his MA at The Royal College of Art in London this year. The title he has chosen for his contribution to Project Object is Altro; it's a local phrase - slightly Welsh, slightly English - meaning to change or alter. Carwyn also suggests that the word doesn't neccesarily have the flavour of an English or Welsh word, but perhaps sounds more European - or maybe futuristic.

The work Carwyn is undertaking in the gallery space uses "...material unearthed from his father's land in Newcastle Emlyn, he will be 'purifing' it, eradicating any sense of place, identity or culture from the material so that it can only be seen as ‘stuff’, dislocated from notions of culture and mother or fatherland."

The gallery is open to the public tomorrow and Carwyn will be here to begin working with his materials, we're intrigued to see what transpires - if you're near by please come and meet him and find out a bit more about his ideas. You can come and hear Carwyn talking about his work on Saturday 23 April between 2-3pm in gallery - free entry, all welcome.




Carwyn with artsit Louise Bird (who also works at Oriel Myrddin)
 this afternoon - things are progressing...

 

Project Object begins...

'Materials and process' are of great interest to us here at Oriel Myrddin Gallery, we show fine art, craft and design, but we are particularly focussed on the place where all these disciplines of making and creating outgrow their pigeon-holes and begin to have a conversation. The 'object' is the common outcome of these disciplines, the culmination of an idea materialised. Project Object is something of an adventure in the hands of four artists who have been given the gallery space over an eight week period to experiment with their ideas of the object from their personal perspectives; this blog is a document of their progress.

Whilst things are happening, unfolding and changing in the main gallery, we will be using the upstairs studio space to have a conversation with our visitors about their ideas of objects. We felt that the 'museum' would be an interesting place to begin, a place where the object is venerated and contextualised to encapsulate all sorts of ideas about preciousness, personal narrative and social commentary. Carmarthen Museum have very kindly loaned us a few gems from their collection to kick-start the process and these will be on display in the studio from 7 May. Alongside these pieces, we are asking you to lend us a special object of your own to show in the same space and to tell us a little bit about why that thing is important to you. We'll feature some of them here on the blog as they arrive in the gallery. Here is a link for more information about Project Object: Collect.