SCOTLAND

INTERVIEWS BY STUART RUSSELL B.E.M. IN ASSOCIATION WITH ARTS IN BRITAIN. PROJECT SUPPORTED BY NATALIE WOOD.

NATALIE WOOD

GREGOR WITTRICKCARMEL WILKINSON-AYRE

HANNAH MORRISON

INTERVIEWS BY STUART RUSSELL B.E.M

01. Tell me a bit about your practice. My practice involves a sense of play. Whether this is through the function or presentation ofthe objects I create or the materials I use. I have a growing fondness for human-object interaction. I’m interested in making enticing,playful environments, settings and compositions that draw attention.

02. Why 3D design, what is 3D design to you? 3D Design always posed challenges for me. I had a very sparing knowledge of thepractices involved, however I knew that the range of facilities and materials available to us would test my design abilities. 3D Designhas so far provided a complex yet stimulating journey.

03. What are your influences and where do they derive? I’m largely inspired by society, our lifestyles and how we present andrepresent ourselves. This could be through the objects we own, clothing we wear or through our behaviours. Challenging the familiarby creating unfamiliar associations and contexts is a recurring theme in my work.

04. Where do you find the inspiration to create? From observing people, actions and trends around me. I’m a keen contemporaryart reader and researcher so often find key inspiration from present fine artists.

05. 3D design encompasses many materials, what materials do you like to work in most and why? I have always enjoyed combiningmalleable materials like rubber or fabric with more fragile, rigid structures, like porcelain. I find the juxtaposition of this veryinteresting, as we are encouraged to touch but are wary of the precious and fragile. I ultimately like to challenge what one materialmay ‘say’ when placed against another.

06. Where do you see 3D design taking you? 3D Design encourages me to thoroughly investigate form. I have always perceived theseforms in a presented space so I hope to apply my skills to curation in the near future.

07. Can you describe a favourite piece of individual work or a favourite technique you have? I can’t choose just a single technique orpiece, it’s too difficult. I have always enjoyed composing marks on fabric and using it as an alternative to paper. By applying freehanddrawing techniques to textiles it loosens my practice and allows me to play with and further develop my designs. This technique isthen translated onto ceramics, creating very surprising pieces.

08. Describe your work in three words… Playful, Contemporary, Versatile.

09. What do you hope people take away from your work? The confidence to use, play and style colour in their home and onthemselves.

10. Where can people find out more about you? www.instagram.com/cswa_

01. Tell me a bit about your practice. I’m looking into interchanging materials within processes. Looking into the properties of certainfood materials and craft materials in order to use them together in one way or another. Though I’m beginning to have an idea, I’mnot entirely sure where it is going yet.

02. Why 3D design, what is 3D design to you? Originally I had intended to study product design, so after school I applied and got intoproduct design. Our first year was much more art based than design based, which was unexpected but lots of fun. I soon discoveredmaterials I wouldn’t have thought about using otherwise, such as clay. Clay and the fun in first year are the main reasons for themove from product design to 3D design, I wanted to study ceramics. 3D design is the more sculptural side of design and it allowsmuch more freedom of expression than other, more stringent, subjects in design.

03. What are your influences and where do they derive? My main influence – The materials I work with. I’m interested to see howthey can (or refuse to) become interchangeable within certain processes. How their properties differ or resemble one another. Howthey can be used in conjunction or reject one another.

04. Where do you find the inspiration to create? I have always made or built objects. Lego was a massive part of my childhood andit never really stopped after that.

05. 3D design encompasses many materials, what materials do you like to work in most and why? As above: clay! It’s quite amazing.You can work it in a completely malleable form, make any shape you can imagine, and after applying heat it becomes completelysolid. I find the permanence very interesting, too. The idea that anything you create now, using ceramic materials, could be presentin hundreds of years.

06. Where do you see 3D design taking you? I feel I have a broad enough skillset that I could do many different things, though Ihaven’t thought too far ahead yet. I’d like to keep learning about materials and keep up the creative process.

07. Can you describe a favourite piece of individual work or a favourite technique you have? Throwing is nice. It can be relaxing (ifthings are going your way) and it’s a very traditional process. It’s nice to go back to basics every now and then.

08. Describe your work in three words… Material, Process, Raw.

09. What do you hope people take away from your work? I’ve tried to give my work a simple form and aesthetic, so the texturesgained from the process is emphasized. Because of the food materials I’m using, the pieces have a very raw, rugged texture. I’d likefor people to be inquisitive and open-minded, and to think about the qualities of day-to-day materials.

10. Where can people find out more about you? www.gregorwittrick.tumblr.com

01. Tell me a bit about your practice. My practice focuses heavily on concept. I usually begin projects with a base in research andthink about what I want to convey to the viewer. I then choose the best materials in which to accomplish that. Currently I amfocusing on ceramics with a mix of new technologies where appropriate.

02. Why 3D design, what is 3D design to you? 3D design to me, means freedom. As a subject it is vast, which is good and bad invarious aspects. It can be difficult to pin down exactly what you want to be as a designer but it does give you the freedom to play,the freedom to be hybrid between art and design.

03. What are your influences and where do they derive? I am influenced by society and by all aspects of our lives that go unnoticed.Design tends to be unchallenged outside of the creative sector so trying to design in a way that engages a consumer is always aninteresting challenge.

04. Where do you find the inspiration to create? I have a design blog and it is a constant stream of inspiration. To see the new ideaspeople are always coming up with gives me hope. Sometimes when I come up with an idea it seems like everything has been done,but I never let that stop me because ideas always develop. Ideas build upon other ideas.

05. 3D design encompasses many materials, what materials do you like to work in most and why? The material I always come back tois ceramics. It has fragility and strength. It is sensitive and can be unforgiving. When I have a bad day in the studio I wonder why Iever choose it, yet there’s no better pleasure than getting your work out of the kiln on the last firing. Seeing all the elements cometogether into one piece is magical.

06. Where do you see 3D design taking you? I feel I’m part of a fairly new movement of designers. There are new roads to take. Atthe moment I’m looking at artist residencies, both in the UK and internationally. I hope to be showing in exhibitions and at somepoint would like to set up my own business.

07. Can you describe a favourite piece of individual work or a favourite technique you have? One of my favourite is a series of whiskycups I made entitled ‘The Angles Share’. They each have a texture covering a percentage of the body of the cup, which signifies thepercentage of whisky lost in the barrel to the angles share. To create these pieces I took advantage of digital technologies to getvery precise measurements. This mix of craft and new technology is something I’ve started to focus on frequently in my work.

08. Describe your work in three words… Minimal, Functional, Idealist.

09. What do you hope people take away from your work? With the ‘Angles Share’ piece, it was a modern take on somethinghistorically Scottish. It really depends on the context of the project and what I want to achieve at the time. Right now I’m workingon several ceramic pieces that integrate digital glitch like patterns and what I hope people take from it is a subtle look into how thedigital is integrating into every aspect of our lives.

10. Where can people find out more about you? www.nataliejwood.com

Hand Thrown Cup & Slip Cast Tray. By Natalie Wood

01. Tell me a bit about your practice. I explore what we find ‘beautiful’ and why. I’m inspired by the beauty of the natural world,particularly the landscapes in the Highlands and Western Isles of Scotland. The beach is my main source of inspiration this year. Iaim to create pieces which have a function, but it is up to the owner whether they are used to be functional or simply as decorativeobjects.

02. Why 3D design, what is 3D design to you? 3D Design is a combination of product design, interior design and sculpture. We havethe freedom to create pieces which can be functional yet beautiful, or be a lot more concept driven. It’s less specific than othercreative subjects.

03. What are your influences and where do they derive? *see below*

04. Where do you find the inspiration to create? Growing up in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland, I’ve always had a great affinitywith nature and all things within nature. Inspiration can spring from anywhere but for me it’s the places I visit that give me thegreatest inspiration, places I feel a strong emotional connection with.

05. 3D design encompasses many materials, what materials do you like to work in most and why? I predominantly work with glass. Ialso love to work with ceramics and I suppose within our processes we can crossover quite a lot but I am focused on making a setof glass collections. I love the unpredictability and endless possibilities with glass. It’s a material that surrounds us in our every day,yet there are so much more creative possibilities locked within it. Trying to understand glass and playing with it allows you to releasethese incredible possibilities.

06. Where do you see 3D design taking you? I would love to work with established glass professionals across the country. I also hopeto open my own studio where I can make and sell my own work.

07. Can you describe a favourite piece of individual work or a favourite technique you have? I have a few favourite techniques. Theone I use most often is glass fusing. It’s such a versatile technique and allows you to create so many different effects and aesthetics.

08. Describe your work in three words… Current, Beautiful, Serene.

09. What do you hope people take away from your work? I hope people can relate to my pieces and feel a sense of connection withnature when they see/hold my work. I want people to want the objects I create because of their beauty, rather than for theirfunction.

10. Where can people find out more about you? www.hannahmorrison.weebly.com

CREATED BY STUART RUSSELL B.E.M TWITTER @ STUIEARTWORK