I was commissioned this painting of Harrow-on-the-hill as a result of my recent exhibition PreView Three Views
This multi media A2 Painting on unbleached canvas, combines stitched elements, masking tape collage and an Italian Dictionary.
For details on commissions / pricing, or if you know anyone looking for a special hand crafted gift please email me at aoifetwomey@hotmail.com
Short and sweet, heres some pics of mine and Bob Glynns work in the Foundry.
This article will in no way does this building the justice it deserves… but here’s an account of my recent, and only encounter with The Foundry, Old Street. First of all I’ll announce my disappointment for only discovering this place in its dying days, however, it was a different experience then I could have had, had I been a regular. I had no idea what I was to find as I tentatively approached a half-open door into a dark derelict room, but I was met with the brightest light of a few people sitting in a circle discussing what’s going to happen next. for a much better insight to the history of the building click here. I had a look around and immediately unleashed on a very tine patch of wall. Even though I was allowed to do ANYTHING I wanted, which is a feeling I wasnt all that comfortable with, I picked my little corner and I sat and drew a tiny rocking chair.
Knowing a little bit about the history of this building, through word of mouth, I researched more about its cultural significance. Some of the images I found show this place as community hub of epic proportions. A professional establishment for artists and musicians, im gutted I never knew of it before its demise, but knowing my art work will fall with it offers some comfort in a sence of attachment. This void will be replaced with a mega hotel, in the centre of ‘trendy’ Shoreditch, which im sure became so popular thanks to the foundry’s open doors, the irony being that the lack of it will lower the tone and therefore desirability and therefore ‘need’ for a hotel in the first place. gutted. Anyway, I work better in pictures than in words, so heres some photographs to complete my tale.
Click on thumbnails to enlarge
Keep updated on the progress at the Foundry and various gigs/random parties/ art instalations / workshops… here.
I am soooo excited about this!! it looks awesome AND “it’s happening in Harrow?” AND I’m going to be there with fellow Usurp Artists doing my favourite of favourite things – Making giant dream catchers with the community. First of all heres the details:
Sunday 27 June 2010
12pm – 8pm
Kodak Sports Ground, Zoom Leisure, Harrow View, HA2 6QQ
“Under One Sky – Harrow’s largest festival of celebration and your chance to see the combined communities of Harrow at their best. With an overflowing programme of dance, world music, a wide variety of sports activity, youth music, spoken word, free children’s participatory activity, a huge parade, information and stalls, health promotion, a world food zone, outside radio broadcast and much more. We have something for everyone!”
If I wasnt working the festival you’d definatly see me getting my face painted, dancing to African Drumming and eating ice cream, as it stands ill be doing all of the above while running arts workshops in the Community & Healthy Living Zone, right next to the children’s Zone!! Come along and support the ever-growing sence of community and harrow, celebrate the diversity and enjoy a local day in the sun… pop in and see Usurp too!!
contact me for more details
Just a very quick note to mention a Harrow Open Studios, when artists all over harrow open their doors to the public to have a little snoop amongst their work in its natural habitat. I cant wait to take the way marked trail around the borough this weekend. for information on contributing artists and times etc, visit: http://www.harrowopenstudios.com/
“Usurp produces exhibitions, performances, film and sound art events, and facilitates artist residencies. Open to experimental ideas in all media, Usurp supports artist to work with communities for social change, actively encouraging a wide range of audiences to participate in the creation of art works that challenge conformity, prejudice and discrimination. “
Since launching in february 2010, hundreds of visitors have passed through our door, from locals to those who travel to see us, from artists to the community. The debut exhibition “Naissance” included the work of Mona Hatoum, Disinformation, Chila Burman, Jess Hurd, Alia Syed, Matt Jordan, Dulari Summaria, Nazneen Ayub-Wood, Sousan Luqman, Usurp, Vistamundi, Steve Beresford, The Pardhan Gond Collective, Tokyo Rinpa Eshidan. This showed harrow its place in Modern art and displayed the diversity of local and global artists. Usurp’s next exhibition was a solo show by Cathy Ward. Her work “intertwines mysterious drawings of convoluted masses of hair with symbol laden landscape installations”. For imagery from past events visit www.usurp.org.uk
And now for something a bit different
Currently showing at the Gallery is *ahem* Myself and another young artist, Natalie Leer. The launch was a great success with the sun shinning, spritzers flowing and the reggae pumping, the gallery was flooded with a young contemporary crowd. The art was contrasting and the performers were chilled with an acoustic performance by Lora and poetry by Steve Tasane. Of course them emphasis is on the art work. For this exhibition Natalie Leer has experimented widely with UV elements and digitally manipulated photography. Her electric, vivid colours nicely contrast my work which adopts traditional colours and tones. obsessed with natural materials and recycled objects, my work embraces the old and injects some contemporary world issues. It is sickly sweet with dark secrets.
The Current exhibition runs untill Wed 9th June 2010, The Gallery is open 12-8pm daily
The gallery also holds events weekly. Most recently a live art performance outside the Gallery called Shop Bought, Custom Made, an ongoing collaborative work by Usurp artists. A mannequin is the centrepiece of the exhibition and will be painted, customised, taken apart, and put together again.
Another notable regular event is the Last Sunday of every month where experimental music meets local community. there is a full article on this event and previous of its kind below.. well worth a read and a visit!!
ahhhh what else… oh yeah, forthcoming events…
Well as soon as my exhibition is over *weep* we welcome the onset of Harrow Open Studios. When local artists all over Harrow open up the doors of their homes and studios to the general public. I’d love to open my lovely pint sized studio shed, but maybe next year. This year however you can see two local artists, Ann Burnham and Jane Pomiankowski, exhibiting at the Gallery. Ann’s work includes, Etching, linocut and collagraph prints inspired by landscape and observed patterns of light, contrast and texture. Jane works with fine and sterling silver, semi precious
beads and pearls.
The studios are open on:
Saturday 12 June 11 – 6 , Sunday 13 June 11 – 6 , Monday 14 June 11 – 6 , Saturday 19 June 11-6 ,Sunday 20 June 11-6
Events for your calendar include
3rd July 2010 shows The Launch of “A Whisper in Shallow Window” , this collaborative project has produced a short film inspired by the photography of Daniel Ackie and the writings of the Scrybe. Again there is an article below which shows some of my photography from the shoot. This exhibition continued untill the 17th July 2010.
23rd July 2010 marks the beginning of an exhibition, “MetroLand”, celebrating the work of a group of unaccompanied minors living in Harrow who have taken part in workshops run by Poulomi, Natalie and myself exploring written word and stop motion as a media for story telling… yet again there are weekly updates on our progress below.
Also, don’t forget our monthly event “The Last Sunday” and events in the pipeline which include film showings, community art projects etc. Keep an eye open on www.usurp.org.uk and join us on facebook.
Usurp spent it’s Sunday at the hugely sucessfull UnderOneSky Festival in Harrow last weekend. Despite the sweltering heat and England Finale at the World Cup, Families from all over the borough swarmed to the event. The Community Living tent was ripe with young artistic talent as we painted a comminty portrait like none seen before. My hand crafted Dream Catchers captured the imagination of adults and children alike, who all delighted in taking part to make harorws dreams that little bit brighter and sunnier this year. It was messy and busy, just the way community art should be. My Dream Catcher took on a new life as the wind caught its hundreds of customised paper feathers and spread a little colour over everyones day.
The Dream Catcher signifies a strong cultural identity of native America, but has also connotations of its own in Europe. It has come to represent peace, nature and care. Using bright recycled fabrics to make the Dream Catcher gives an earthy feel without being subdued, and gives the piece a sence of history. I have been experimenting with size and dimensions and find them to be eye catching and intriguing. The extra long strings of torn fabric create a space of their own to be enjoyed by the public passing through, getting up close and personal to recycled fabrics.
This is some of the work you can expect to see at my up coming exhibition. Launch 2nd June. Usurp Art Gallery. Look out for a feature in the HarrowObserver!!
“Eye just See, Just taste Tongue. Ear just hear, Just Breathe lung”
It is so easy to get caught up in life, in our own lives. Complaining that a train is late, that it’s raining again or the queue’s to long to buy a morning coffee and pastry. It could be something much bigger, missing loved ones, loosing family or loosing self. We’ve suffered all these things and more. But I know I have clean air to breathe, I have freedom, my own time, food to eat and clean water to drink. Suddenly material objects get filled under ‘Insignificance’. I start tob categorise… Want and Need. I go on to comprehend the fact that we have everything we require, survival instincts are quenched, even drowned. This exhibition is aiming to distinguish between want and need, to draw a comparison between things like Apples and Blackberries. It has also encouraged me to plan workshops for young people to get them to consider how people their age live across the world. And to put all those things we take for granted in the spot light.
Allow your eyes to just see, your tongue will taste don’t worry. Your ears will do their part and hear, your lungs will breathe fresh air. Your heart will beat without a thought, what more can you want.
“Preview Three Views” is a collaborative exhibition celebrating the eclectic nature of the Usurp Gallery Support team. Natalie Leer, Aoife Twomey and Julie London are three emerging artists who have together through a passion for community arts. Their premier exhibition is coinciding with National Volunteer Week and will include workshops, arts and crafts activities and live performances. For events listings visit www.ursurp.org.uk
Launch 2 june 2010
6.30-9.30pm
Usurp Art Gallery
140 Vaughan Rd
West Harrow
Exhibition open Mon-Sun 12-8pm and closes 8 june.
FREE ADMISSION
This week marks the beginning of a project being run in Harrow by USURP artists Poulomi Desai and myself in collaboration with Toby Benedetto, a London-based journalist, and Harrow Youth Services. The project, funded by MediaBox, works with refugees in the Harrow area who have either been rescued from trafficking, been sent unaccompanied as minors to the UK or fled war-torn countries. The aim is to communicate their stories through animation and film, in order for them to achieve a Bronze Arts Award, which compliments their studies and could lead to future opportunities within the arts. Through this process the group will get to know each other and us, and hopefully support each other on their journey’s. This week we opened up communication by discussing story timelines. Each participant wrote about their lives before coming to the UK, special moments, what has happened since they got here and their hopes for the future. Then they worked together to find words to describe how they felt or would have felt at each moment. Another group learned techniques for stop motion animation. By writing their names letter at a time, they learned basic skills of using a digital SLR and a video camera. They are all looking forward to learning more camera skills.
I’ll admit to finding the first session hard. I have never working in this way before, or honestly, with young adults with this background. But they are just like any other group, some are quiet, some are more confident, some will take on different aspects of the project, there are leaders and team players. For me it’s now a matter of realising that similarity and learning from the differences. I am looking forward to the rest of the project and becoming part of the process by which these young people can express their stories through art.
Keep an eye on my blog for weekly updates on the project.
Also check out www.media-box.co.uk for more information on other projects being run in the UK.
visit www.usurp.org.uk for more information on events and projects.
This piece forms part of a larger collection of imagery, drawn, collage, sewn etc. It draws a comparison between breakfast in “west” and “east”. Inspired by a quote from Martin Luther King, “Before you’ve finished your breakfast this morning, you’ll have relied on half the world”, this piece asks us to think about the things we take for granted. The blackberry has fast become an icon of our day-to-day, what people belive to be, “needs”. The Apple mac has worked its way up to “must have” when in reality there are people all over the world to whom a “must have” is an apple… food, water and a family.
I’ll leave it at that.
