Available at Cass Art Blog

CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS CASS ART DEGREE SHOW PRIZES

Each year Cass Art continues to support art students by giving prizes at the degree show for Central Saint Martins. This year two BA students and one MA student each received an prize of vouchers for art supplies from Cass Art. We caught up with the three winners to talk more about their work and what they have planned for the future.

TERESA ZERAFA BYRNE

Congratulations on winning the Cass Art prize! Could you introduce yourself and your practice?

Thank you. I’ve just graduated from the MA Art & Science course at Central Saint Martins, and I’m delighted to be awarded this prize, it’s a wonderful accolade. Given the fantastic work of the other nominees I was surprised to have won but I’m exceptionally happy and very proud! I live and work in West London and returned to full time education to complete a BA in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art in 2015 and then continued my studies at Central Saint Martins.  I’ve always been interested in the subject area of memory, and my latest body of work is called Memory Skeletons. A Memory Skeleton is a term I use to describe the core set of details that a person needs to recall each time they think of a memory for it to remain constant. As long as they recall the bones of an experience, they can flesh it out with extra details but it will still feel like a memory of the same event. I like to explore what prompts our recall of these bones by looking at how we relate to forms, colours and materials, and I make smaller Satellite pieces first that inform the making of the larger mixed media Memory Skeleton works. I hope the work prompts the viewer to recognise and relate to the elements and thereby adapt and adopt the Memory Skeleton. 

And what do you have planned for the prize?

The prize is going to be an amazing help to me. I use a lot of different media and layers in my pieces and I constantly test new combinations of materials before I use them in my works. Whilst this means I know my materials and how they are going to work in the piece, it’s also very expensive. I can stock up on the items I use a lot of and play with a few new ones. It’s lovely knowing I can be more relaxed in my budgeting and experiment more freely with the materials. My ambition is to extend this series and produce enough for a solo show, and winning this prize means I’ll be able to start the new pieces sooner than I thought, in fact I’ve already placed an order!  

It’s been an extraordinary time for the arts and art education. Away from our galleries, our studios, tutors and peers, art lovers and artists have had to find new avenues to share our practices and ideas with the world. How have you found this period of art making?

It's certainly been different to how I expected it to be! I researched and planned this work for months and was just about to start making them as the workshops and studios closed. The university have been very supportive, and my tutors were constantly in touch and available but suddenly I didn’t have the access to the machines in the workshops nor the advice and expertise of the technicians. I’m very lucky as I have a studio at home so I was able to continue my work, however I did have to adapt a few of my ideas and I managed to make some of the surfaces myself. At times I had to have a “make do and mend” attitude and think of different ways to achieve the desired results; for instance, instead of screen-printing a pattern I hand printed it using wallpaper cut outs. This crisis has forced me to be more resourceful and open to new ways of thinking and I’ve even learnt some new skills which I wouldn’t have considered before. The internet used to be more of a research tool for me however it’s now become an avenue to share my work and creative process. Like a lot of people, I’ve had numerous online meetings, but as part of the showcase I’ve taken part in a course webinar symposium and even made a film about my work that I’ve uploaded onto YouTube.  

As an MA Art & Science graduate could you discuss how you have found these two stand points have fed into your making process as an artist?

I come from a fine art background, but I’ve always had an interest in science. During my final year on my BA Fine Art course I developed my Slides theory, which hypothesised how we construct and reconstruct memories, so the MA Art & Science course was the ideal progression for me. The course allowed me access to those who could inform my thinking and help me question my reasoning whilst also developing my artistic process. The artist in me comes up with the unusual way of seeing something and my interest in science makes me want to question if my “sideways” thinking has any basis or explanation. I think my work has become richer, the more I’ve researched. Attempting to translate a scientific process through an artistic one, hopefully adds an intangible and thought provoking element that makes the viewer question its meaning and connects them to the work.  

I love your coined term ‘Memory Skeleton’ and the ‘bones of an experience’ which you explored for the Showcase – indeed I wonder how the global collective Memory Skeleton of this period will be shaped and formed in years to come. Could you talk us through your exploration, and how you’ve approached it with your paintings.

The malleability of memory has always fascinated me. I find it intriguing that our memories of an experience aren’t the same each time, but instead we recall a new version. Depending on what prompted us to think of that memory the latest version will be constructed and centred differently. I’ve always considered memory recall to be akin to an artistic process in itself. I wondered how we could recall multiple versions of a memory and still recognise them to be of the same experience, and ultimately how I could try to define the few consistent elements that would make the Memory Skeleton. I had the immense good fortune to be tutored on the course by artists Susan Aldworth and Heather Barnett, who were very generous with their support and contacts.  I was able to discuss my thoughts with a couple of neuroscientists, and I devised a process that interrogated the internal visualisations of a set of participants. Using their responses I was able to determine the bones that completed the Memory Skeletons of their memories.  I chose forms and materials that I felt were suitable signifiers for these bones and used them to layer and construct the paintings.  

The idea of a global collective Memory Skeleton for this time is interesting! Ultimately what we are going to recall of this period in history is going to be unifying elements we experienced or at least perceived. Rather like the collective view of the Seventies, but instead of flares, loud clothes and bad hair it might be masks, working from home and toilet rolls (or lack of!). 

What are your go to materials, are there any brands that you turn to?

I use a lot of acrylics! Paint, spray, inks and mediums. I love layering them to build up areas of intense colour and contrast. I’ve tried many brands, but I find I keep returning to Liquitex.  Their inks are great and I love that their ranges are intermixable; you can get some really lovely effects layering them. I won’t buy any other spray paints either as theirs are low odour and water based. Liquitex’s Gloss Medium and Varnish is a very versatile. I’ve just used it to varnish a large piece painted on wood, which I made before the Memory Skeletons, and I love how it’s brought the grain out but it’s also good for extending the paint and also as a glue. Unfortunately, it’s been discontinued so I’ll have to try and find something similar.  Sennelier’s range of acrylic paints are really good too as they have a lovely creamy consistency.   

I really enjoy experimenting, and I’ll test lots of materials often using one that you wouldn’t find in an art shop.  I’ve been known to use clear bathroom silicone, cabbages and rubber anti slip mats, sometimes as a material itself and others as a utensil. 

And finally – when the world begins to return to normal, what’s next on the horizon?

In the short term, I want to create more pieces in the Memory Skeleton series as I’m not yet finished with that subject area. I have ambitions of making a much larger collection and hopefully gaining gallery representation. I’m very excited that four pieces from the Memory Skeleton series will be included in an exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London. As we speak it’s still in the process of being curated but it will be on from the end of August into September, and it will feature work from London graduates.  

We have a running joke in my house. I’m a mature student and I always said that after all my children had left primary school, I wanted to complete an art foundation. Just a foundation course and there was absolutely no way I would take my studies further as I didn’t have the time. I said the same each time I went on to study at the next level. So with that in mind whilst I have no plans to continue studying I should probably think about where I might complete a PhD. 

 Interview from Zealous website

MEET TERESA

Meet Teresa Zerafa Byrne, an artist who questions the validity of memory and challenges our concepts of personal identity.

Fascinated by how memory can be prompted, and how individuals’ perceptions of the same information can lead to wildly varying reactions, Teresa is an artist with a captivating and unique creative process. Discover Teresa’s story, the power of ‘controlled freedom’, and the value of patience…

Hi Teresa! You pursued a different path before completing a fine art degree in 2015. Did you always know you’d make the career switch to art? How did you find the process?

I always wanted to study fine art, however it was something on the distant horizon. I finally realised after quite a while, that if I didn’t make the leap at that point then I would probably never would. To be honest I initially planned to only complete a foundation course, however I was encouraged by my wonderful tutor David J Batchelor to continue onto a BA course.

The foundation course was a great entry point for me. I had spent so much time out of education, and with David’s support and encouragement I realised that I wanted to commit absolutely to becoming an artist. Completing the BA Hons Fine Art course at Chelsea was a dream come true. The course enabled me to explore all types of fine art, without having to label myself as a painter or a sculptor and that is still the case. I create works in different media depending on what feels appropriate to the idea or project. I don’t like to describe myself as a painter or a sculptor. I’m an artist.

Your artwork leaves a lot of room for interpretation, covering themes of identity, memory and perception. What story are you telling?

My current work continues the theme of memory reconstruction and I have been focusing on creating paintings, often using my Maltese heritage as inspiration. The paintings are drawn from memories and abstracted such that the elements collate to form an emotional response using colour, rather than a literal interpretation.

I’m fascinated by how memories can be prompted by those of others, so whilst my works are mainly inspired by my own of Malta, I want people to feel a connection with my work, and to discover something about themselves. Through exploring my memories I’m hoping to prompt a reaction of familiarity with the viewer that makes the work personal to them too; I suppose a shared affinity, which then creates that connection.

Another of my fascinations is how individuals’ perceptions of the same information can lead to wildly varying reactions. My works often prompt the viewer to ‘see’ images or shapes within them. It’s a phenomenon called pareidolia and it’s when we try to  make sense of random shapes and see relatable forms amongst the abstract shapes; like when we see an elephant in the clouds or a face looking at us amongst the shadows in a curtain. It’s amazing how different audiences perceive different images in my paintings and once something has been pointed out within the work it suddenly becomes obvious!

I’ve heard you talk about ‘controlled freedom’ in your creative process. Can you tell us more about that? Is it true you don’t always see the finished piece until the end?

‘Controlled freedom’ is my description of how I often apply materials within my paintings. I use lots of different ways of application and I sometimes like to allow the materials to find their own path whilst at the same time restricting and manipulating them. It sounds like a contradiction in terms but it’s the best way I can describe it.

I mainly use the ‘controlled freedom’ method when I’m painting on acrylic glass and the painting is created in reverse. I liken each layer within my paintings as a separate detail of a memory. These layers overlap and interact with each other affecting and changing those that come before and after. Just as a memory is a collection of details ‘seen’ together, my paintings are multiple layers seen together; responses to an event which are collected together in a single view. I meticulously plan the order and placement of the materials however when they are created in reverse I don’t see the piece until the very end. It’s only at that point that I get to see whether the finished piece reflects what I was thinking of.

2017 was an exciting year for you! What’s the most important thing you learned?

It’s certainly been a busy year. I’ve had my work in quite a few events and I was delighted to be included in the Young Contemporary Purchase Prize 2017 run by the Ingram Collection. Thankfully the young in the title refers to stage in artistic career! Not only was my work in the show at the Cello Factory, the organisers held sessions for the selected artists which were exceptionally helpful.

The most important thing I’ve learnt is definitely the value of patience. After graduating I was so eager to start my career I was impatient to succeed. It’s exhausting! This last year I’ve found it’s more important to consider my choices rather than jumping into everything with both feet, and to allow myself the time to select those things that I really want to do and concentrate on them.

You’ve done a fantastic job of building an online presence. How important is it for emerging artists to embrace the digital world?

I don’t think artists can afford to not embrace it. By its very nature the digital world is a visual medium and as such is perfect for artists. We are able to have our work seen, albeit a digital version, around the world  and reach a massive audience. Prior to social media, promoting one’s work was much harder and expensive, however now we can reach a huge number of people and mostly for free! Whilst the bricks and mortar galleries and shows will always be important, the ability for artists to promote themselves on the internet means that they can make themselves discoverable.  It’s because of the internet that my work has been purchased by collectors in America and Canada.

The ability to search other artists has been very helpful. I discovered whilst looking online that there is another artist called Teresa Byrne in Australia. I was once taking part in an art focus group and the intern put up the wrong website for my introduction. Whilst she has a very different style to me it was confusing, hence I changed my working name to Teresa Zerafa Byrne. A new website (www.teresazerafabyrne.com) which reflects my working name, has finally been launched  so the complete transition over to that site will require a bit of planning. I’ve had to learn a few new skills to embrace the digital world but I’ve had fun doing so.

What are you looking forward to in 2018? Do you have an “artistic” new year’s resolution?

I’ve a few events lined up already for 2018, so I’m going to be busy with them. I’ve been producing more works on canvas recently and I want to continue with my latest series of works.  I’m thinking about studying for an MA, and I’ve found one course in particular that I’m really eager to look at as it seems perfect for me, however it depends on a few other things so it’s not definite!

As for “artistic “ resolutions for the new year I suppose it’s to continue pushing myself, and to make sure that the work I produce excites me. If I don’t feel excited about my work why should anyone else?

 Full article available on Artlyst.com

Chelsea College of Arts Degree Show 2015 - Abject Dynamism Prevails

27-06-2015

A second prevalent investigative theme was this idea of deconstruction/reconstruction. Teresa Byrne's Reconstruction recalls the famous 'Combines' of Robert Rauschenberg in their hybrid interaction between painting and sculpture and the evocation of experiences and recollections of the everyday world. Akin to veritable and tactile puzzles, each facet of the total is abstracted to the extent that only an essence of its original form remains, assuming a new identity of its own. As such, the constructions remain incomplete, locked in a space/time continuum and open to a 'multiplication of gazes'. 

Not even a comprehensive catalogue can do justice to the works on display at Chelsea so much as can this brief synopsis give the full picture of the true scale and versatility in this show. And yet through just a comparatively feeble admiration of a few works are we be able to appreciate the exceptional quality of the cognitive realignment on offer in this 2015 degree show. Visitors will be sure to feel at times uncomfortable, challenged, humoured but moreover realigned with the contemporary world as they knew it.

Words Hannah Rosanne Poulton artlyst 2015

 Full post available at Chelsea workbench blogspot

Degree Show Top Picks (2015)

So as the show heads into it's final few days we here in the Wood Workshop have once again come up with our top picks from the body of work on display. There is an abundance of good work on display throughout all the courses but for the first time that we can remember, all of our choices are from Fine Art. We also have a guest choice from new 3D Technical Coordinator, Frank Brown. Below are the picks.

Stefs Picks
 

Teresa Byrne BA Fine Art