The Laboratory Project

Abstract

Laboratory: early 17th century: from medieval Latin laboratorium, from Latin laborare ‘to labour’. As an artist the studio is the most important creative space for the development of ideas and supports and nurtures thinking through making. For me the space is akin to a laboratory where experimentation can take place and hopefully new things emerge When I came to Korea I had no preconceived idea about what I would create, but knew that I needed to be completely immersed in the landscape and the culture. Once in Korea I became totally fascinated by the dark shadowy presence of the mountains, of which much of the land is made up, juxtaposed to the stark overpowering skyscrapers shinning white in the sun. This encroachment of humanity towards the black mystical mountains and their secrets going back thousands of years intrigued me as it also embodied the concept of shadow and light. These tall skyscrapers: urban mountains, in their very being seemed to be trying to blot out the dark undulating mass behind them, denouncing all knowledge of past tradition, rejecting the hand made in their perfect rigidness, as they grow ever taller and prouder. The urban mountains reflect the sun in direct contrast to the black organic mass of mountain range which soaks in the sun. Visiting the brick company in Korea further confirmed the denial of tradition when I observed how the hand had been totally omitted from the process of brick making and how perfection in this post-post industrial society was now the norm. It seemed to deny all sense of the past and the beauty of the traditional brick making and ornamentation. It seemed that contemporary culture sees uniform and perfection as its ultimate goal, and that all sense of the traditional handmade is lost to the machine. With these thoughts in mind I set out to experiment in the studio and then transfer my studio to the gallery space Gwen Heeney 2015