Poppy Ash
When visiting the Ashmolean, I kept catching glimpses of, and admiring the interesting architecture of the central staircase. The stairs are a key part of the museum, connecting the different sections and cultures displayed there. The
2009 redevelopment of the Ashmolean has created a modern feel to the museum, contrasting from the ancient contents documented within.
When researching stair symbolism and Ancient Egypt, I discovered a photograph of a staircase leading into a grain storage area. This staircase shows many similarities to the stairs at the Ashmolean. My work focuses on how, despite being built several years apart and being unrelated, two objects can have a strong visual connection in terms of their architectural build.
Having been recently inspired by Elod Beregszaszi’s delicate paper-cut works, I am interested in the many ways in which paper can be manipulated and shaped. I use this medium to present a simplified representation of the stairs, I visited the Ashmolean a number of times and counted the stairs to increase the accuracy of the work. Despite the paper being only one tone, the 3D formation creates natural highlights and darker tones, echoing the white lighting which in the Ashmolean.
By using card, attention is drawn only to the similarities and shapes of the two staircases, rather than to the different materials used to construct them.
Ori Atwool
Aphrodite / Ritual Prostitution
Aphrodite; God of Love and Beauty, and what represents “love” more than a flashy neon sign and a morning of regrets?
Alba
Circa. 1990
A relic of the 20th Century and a pinnacle point of evolving technology. Step back into the past and observe how people of ancient times received entertainment.
Celia Bickersteth
Roger Allard, the art critic, criticised the art of Marie Laurencin for being ‘egotistical and charming’, going onto say that ‘she had scarcely any subject other than herself , nor any curiosity to know herself better…the whole of nature for Marie Laurencin is but a cabinet of mirrors’. Her body of work has continued to be scrutinised for being narcissistic, vain, frivolous and light-hearted; she has been chastised by feminists for giving in to the patriarchy. My work for this exhibition is based upon the figure of Marie Laurencin and in tribute to her I have cast myself as narcissus (the figure from Greek mythology who fell in love with his own reflection), though perhaps more importantly I have cast myself as my own muse.
This work has also been prompted by a series of self-portraits taken in the Ashmolean; subverting from the content of the museum and I have made the subject matter about myself. I am casting casting myself as both an icon, to be looked at, and ‘narcissus’, the one who does the looking. Using religious iconography, referencing the triptych, a form which is taken from early Christian art typically seen at altarpieces in churches, I am stressing the concept of self-worship and being self-centres. My use of this format encourages the audience to come and pray at my altar to feed my narcissism.
Miranda Cattermole - gallery™
As a museum with a world renowned collection of art and artefacts, the Ashmolean is a highly visited institution. After an initial period of studying the objects in the museum and attempting to form an artistic response, I became interested by other viewers and how they looked at the objects. I began to consider the way in which the space is curated, and how this influences our appreciation of works and navigation of the space.
My response, gallery™, is a light and satirical comment on the way in which we consume art and culture. In a sense curation leads us physically, as well as intellectually, through a gallery space. In my view this helps us appreciate the meaning of objects, however it could be exaggerated, to the extent where the audience’s freedom of interpretation is lost. Staged as an instructive animation, in the fictional ‘gallery’ the generic ‘viewer’ is told how they must strictly focus on the works and move through the space with mathematical precision. Using a blend of real diagrams and my own imagery, I created pseudoscientific approach to ‘the absorption of cultural experience’.
The installation itself, marked out spatially, means that the viewer’s movements mimic those illustrated in the video. The work both presents this alternate space, and places the viewer within it.
Lydia Chapman
My artwork concentrates on the Pre Raphaelite section of the Ashmolean Museum. I am very
interested in the way these artists translate key pieces of literature through painting, and focus
on how women are seen as inferior to men, questioning the double standard of sexual morality.
The work “Isabella and the pot of basil” by William Holman Hunt is based on John Keats poem of
the same name. It tells a story of a broken heart, where an innocent woman has been torn apart
from her lover and suffered under the cruelty of men.
This painting aims to emulate these ideas of sad and lonely women, treated badly by men. My
painted depicts the scene after the death of Isabella’s lover and when the pot of basil, with his
remains inside, has been taken away from her. I wanted to capture a contemporary portrayal of
what a modern woman would look like in Isabella’s situation.
Dora Davies-Evitt
I am intrigued by people’s perception of ‘genuine art’, as something to be appreciated and enjoyed. Pre nineteenth century, the impressiveness of technique is what initially drew most audiences to a painting. Before photography, the ability to capture the real life was an important part of a paintings worth. Now, with the induction of photography in day-to-day culture, painting has shifted significantly. We appear far less concerned with realism and are increasingly captivated by purity of subject, expression and provocativeness.
Visiting the Ashmolean I was reminded of this shift in painting, jolted by the Ancient Greek busts that line the entrance, the ultimate embodiment of classical art. They inspired in me a desire to compare the concept of ‘good’ art with ascetically interesting, abstract painting. I have painted two pieces, one large canvas, a nude, painted in the conventionally perceived and well-executed manner, the other, a collection of smaller canvases which are far more expressive, less restricted, a more contained style.
Hanging these artworks side by side enables the audience to make a judgment on which style they prefer, thus reminding them of how far painting has come in terms experimentation and diversity.
Andrea Dondi Marchini
Different cultures from different times, “most of the world’s great civilisations” all together in one place: the Ashmolean Museum. “Incredibly rich and diverse collections”.
I’ve produced a photographic outcome to show how everyone is the same, even if we all come from different countries and have different beliefs. Depending on cultural background these sculptures’ facial expressions are all different. However if you look at all these sculptures from the back, everyone looks the same. Everyone has a bum. I feel that this is a very important and strong statement as there is so much inequality in the world, which keeps occurring. Whilst looking at these sculptures you can see different beauty, as they are all made differently in addition to different facial and body features. At the end of the day we all come together. “Crossing Cultures, Crossing Time”.
Fenella Evans
Emily Fricker - Raise The Stone
These runestones were made in memory of the dead lost in expeditions. I was interested in the visual impact of the monolithic form and natural material. I found a translation of some of the stones which repeatedly used the phrase ‘raised this stone’, and that stuck in my mind. It seemed to tap into this sense of connection with the earth, that when someone is lost we want instinctively to reconnect with it, and to create something which has a sense of significance. The stones combined the human, language, with the natural, stone, and it was this duality, especially its role in spirituality and in the fundamental emotions connected to such significant events as of the loss of family that I was interested in.
I wanted to use this visual of raising stone from earth. I filmed this with models, combined this with film of hands manipulating and using clay under artificial lighting as well, and manipulated the colours. I cropped the images into two columns to allude to the monolithic forms when projected, to abstract the images, and to increase the sense of curiosity. I wanted to avoid the impression of being out in nature, as the clay image appears natural, almost like a landscape, so I subverted the earthiness of the material by putting it in an artificial environment with artificial light and colour to give a slightly unwholesome, unnatural, eerie appearance. I chose electric light in dark, still space to suggest night and solitariness, so that this might in fact be visualising the internal state, not an external environment, and to suggest modernity in contrast with the original runestone, alluding to the absence of this organic spiritual quality in modern secular society outside of the gallery.
Henry Glover
Ceramic Forms: “…an unbelievably pure sense of style, of unity of form” – Henry Moore (1981)
These figures date from around the 4th and 3rd millennium BC, making them one of the oldest artefacts in the Ashmolean museum. I loved their purity and simplicity. Without a clear significance or meaning established, they seemed mystical and otherworldly. This ambiguity drove me to create my own unique forms in light of the Cycladic figures. In essence, these are my own imaginary forms, and it is their strange physicality that subsequently informs my own understandings of the Cyladic figures from the Ashmolean Collection.
Cycladic Paintings: The collection of Cyladic figures at the Ashmolean were lacking in colour and vibrancy. They seemed ghostly and forgotten, and so old that they no longer lived with us in the present. Furthermore this is why I decided to revitalise their memory, by painting them bold and tall. With the strong and deep colour it stands new and full of emotion, a celebration of their pure and simple physical forms.
Joanna Griffiths
While exploring the Museum, I overheard visitors discussing their desire to touch the artefacts, despite the 'Do not touch' signs placed by the objects. It is interesting to see people’s wish to ignore the signs presented, and it is this inclination of rebellion against signage which inspired my piece.
When you are discouraged from doing something, the intimidation causes you to feel that your freedom of choice is being threatened, so to regain control of the situation you desire the complete opposite. It is this reverse psychology which makes people want to ignore the directions given in the Ashmolean.
For us humans, touch is an important way to gain information about an object. Each day, we spend a significant about of time touching objects in our environment. Museums deny touch for a reason – sudden changes in light, temperature and humidity can cause degradation of an object. Touching the pieces could lead to depositing traces of dirt and oils from our skin onto its surface. More acidic oils can deteriorate metallic surfaces and subsequently ruin the objects. The signs are placed to prevent us from effecting the quality of the historical pieces.
There are many signs around the museum, and they particularly interest me as the warnings, directions and suggestions change the way in which we view the work. We are guided around the space with arrows, given commands to prevent accidents as well as warnings and instructions in case of disaster.
I wonder what it would be like if the signs were not there to guide us? Do they limit and restrain us from exploring culture and history for ourselves? Or do they enlighten us when we struggle to interpret the pieces ourselves?
The statue of Aphrodite is a well-known cultural icon of beauty. In my painting the arms of the statue have been restored, therefore the attributes she holds are not part of the original conception. Painted on fabric to reflect her drapery (long diaphanous chiton) and large to reflect original statue’s size. The projection animates the piece, linking together significance of signage and its impact on the way in which we view culture.
Euan Gubbins
My inspiration for this project came from a small temporary display in the Ashmolean of a selection of Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige’s woodblock prints.
My immediate interest in his work resulted from his urban subject matter, something I focus on frequently.
I began by drawing from the original prints to get a better sense of the works, to dissect them and find the key elements, and very quickly began considering what a contemporary response would like.
This led back to an ongoing concern with influences; how does one update the work of their influences in a non superficial way? After all art is a process of updating what has gone before.
For instance, it would be very simple to take the most obvious stylistic element of Hiroshige’s work, which is his distinctive, angular style of drawing. But simply drawing in another artist’s style seems too superficial a response.
To respond to something properly, the concern must be with the underlying, deeper qualities. Looking further into the works, several qualities suggested ideas for a response. The urban subject matter; Hiroshige’s medium of choice, the woodblock print; the sense of total serenity and calm; his use of pictures making up a series, which as a whole give a greater impression of place; and the links between ukiyo-e prints and the contemporary Japanese philosophy, the idea of the floating transient world where we are carried downstream, our lives a series of fleeting moments.
Which works really follow in this path? I don’t think so much of the Japonism of Manet and Van Gogh as the works of street photographers. The sense of “the decisive moment”, of the urban world and uses of print and series hold many parallels. In particular the works of William Eggleston and Harry Callahan, which have the same serene beauty and structured composition.
Thus I picked up a camera and went out into the streets of Oxford and simply waited for something to happen.
The resulting pictures have made up the basis of my final piece Utagawa Diptych. Focusing on the aspects of urbanism, series and serene structure, the two panels are what I see as a contemporary formulation of Hiroshige’s art.
Vilja Gunzelmann
Textiles play an important role in our society. They have always served everyday needs, but also affected our life beyond functional purpose, looking at social, political and religious positions. The technique, the material and the pattern tell the story of who we are. Throughout history they have been exchanged between different cultures.
The Ashmolean Museum has the largest collection of medieval Islamic embroideries and Indian block printed textiles in any worldwide public museum, with dates ranging from AD 900 to 1500. The textiles gallery inspired me to make artworks in response to the motto ‘Crossing Cultures Crossing Time’. I started collecting different textiles from different times and different cultures, and ended up having a selection of textiles from Asia, South America and many other European countries.
I started weaving the collected textiles into each other, looking at the symbolic meaning of ‘weaving’ itself, by different cultures and times together I am emphasising their interaction. I was also interested in the deterioration of the exhibited textiles, and explored this fragmentation in my work. I wanted to point out the importance of the diversity of, and relationships between different cultures.
As in the action of weaving, cultures need to interact, so people can learn to tolerate each other, think in new ways and understand that there is more than one approach to life.
David Hopkins
Adam Johansen
Mihaila Kulevic
Francesca Liddiard
The incomplete nature of the Ashmolean’s cast room completely fascinates me. The sheer scale and impressiveness of the displays is just astonishing. It is obvious what the exhibits are and where they have come from at just a short glance, and my immediate response was how I could modernise such incredible classical work.
I have been heavily influenced by Colin Chillag, a painter based in Arizona who rarely ‘completes’ a piece in the traditional sense often leaving in pencil lines and empty spaces, I too have created paintings, ‘unfinished’ to reflect the fragmentation of the work that came before them.
Crossing time with the changing style of traditional painting. I used both acrylic and watercolour to create this work, aiming to capture the beauty of the bodies I saw in the museum in a delicate and alluring fashion.
Milly Mansfield Parker - 'Tools'
Please handle (with care)
Tools explores the balance of art and function of the Ashmolean’s artefacts as well as the persistence of six materials; stone, metal, wood, ceramic, glass and fabric. These six materials have transcended countless civilisations and are still used and valued today. Tools, in the first instance, encourages viewers to engage with these ancient materials which have purveyed human culture for millennia. The museum artefacts were made to be both functional items in daily use and also crafted works of art. Tools reworks these intentions by inviting the viewer to touch the simple, anonymous cube shapes; recreating this intended object-human interaction and removing the distraction of obvious functional forms to present the key materials as works of art.
Tools represents a modernisation of the fundamental concepts of these historic artefacts, beauty and functionality.
Please feel free to handle the objects of Tools! They are made to be explored and enjoyed in a visual and tactile way. By handling the pieces you will change the materials and will influence how they are perceived by users after you; actively creating the history of these objects.
Nell Mitchell
1:
For this piece I have painted in acrylic paint on two canvas panels. The people who I witnessed around the Ashmolean inspired me as they added to the general ambiance of the gallery, hence the bright and hectic colour pallet that I chose to use. I have depicted several figurative forms and abstract shapes here, which hopefully represent the spirit of the Ashmolean as a whole.
2:
With this piece I was inspired, as I always am, by Lucian Freud; in particular his painting in the Ashmolean. I feel as though I represented this through my thin brush strokes and choice of colour pallet. I was also struck by a particular landscape in the Ashmolean to depict the accompanying painting to the right of this portrait and used inspiration from that to create this piece.
3:
I painted these as a response to several paintings that I saw in the European Art room in The Ashmolean. This included work by Picasso, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud.
4:
I was incredibly inspired by Francis Bacon’s ‘Seated Figure’, 1962, which has just returned to the Ashmoleon Gallery. Moreover, I feel as thought my distorted portrayal of a figure, and the use of shapes in this painting represent many aspects of ‘Seated Figure’. Also, I feel as though my choice to include wire to overlay my painting came from Bacon’s idea of using boxes in his paintings to represent a sort of mental confinement. Moreover, I am incredibly excited about this piece since Bacon has always been an inspiration of mine and I now have the perfect opportunity to show how one of my favourite artists has come to influence my work.
Christopher Neal
When I visit the Ashmolean, I am always drawn to the Egyptian collection, as there is something almost magical about being surrounded by artefacts from such an ancient civilisation. One of the aspects of Ancient Egyptian civilisation that I am most fascinated by is the hieroglyphic script that was used to communicate, seen here in the details from the Shrine of King Taharqa at the Ashmolean. As an artist, I am aware of the power that words and images can have. This belief was
upheld by the Ancient Egyptians, who believed that words (written as hieroglyphs) had divine or magical power. This installation captures a sense of the magic of communication. It began by imagining how the Ancient Egyptians would communicate if their civilisation had survived into the present day, and juxtaposing the ancient hieroglyphic script with modern technology. I also created a series of crystalline hieroglyphs, to be suspended in the air above the installation, showing the beauty and magic of the gift of communication.
Abigail Pinney - Beauty in Conservation
Objects are restored and conserved in different ways – or not restored at all. Exploring the objects in the Ashmolean museum, these varying methods and ideas about restoration can be seen. Some objects are restored in a way that makes them appear as though they had never been damaged; invisible repairs. Others have been obviously damaged and repaired with the cracks visible. This difference might define the variation between traditional Western and Eastern methods of restoration. From this, a question arose: what retains or enhances an object’s beauty – hiding the damages or embracing them as part of its new state?
Eastern restorers, particularly in Japan, traditionally use a technique called Kingtsugi; this joins fragments together using gold lacquer. Cracks and damages are obvious, becoming part of the object itself. Perhaps this type of repair enhances the objects beauty; it means that an object is retained even after being broken. Kintsugi itself highlights the cracks and repairs as an ‘event’ in the life of the object.
I have produced painted ceramic plates; they are the same, yet contrast in the way that they have been restored – or have not been restored at all. One is left in fragments; one is restored with invisible repairs, and the other is restored with obvious repairs, much like that of Kintsugi. The viewer is left to question which method retains the value and beauty of the object.
Chloé Polkinghorne
"My initial response to the Ashmolean was an emotive one. I wasn’t inspired by a particular collection, but rather by the curating which removed any time barrier in a place that collects artefacts from locations throughout History. I was drawn towards the way in which all the different eras managed to mix all together as you walk through the museum. Wandering through the building felt like drifting through a consistent flow of time, to the point where as visitor you start to coexist in between these different stories.
During one of my visits, the daylight in the Greek room gradually changed and I noticed that the visitors became figures that were almost indistinguishable from the statues. I aim to convey an alternative perception of time in which humanity can be seen as an interdependent whole as opposed to a linear progression. Therefore, the film depicts a progression in time literally through numbers whilst simultaneously displaying still imagery. This decision serves to highlight the dichotomy between the perception of progressive time and this perception of time as a non-linear continuum."
James Pope
The missing bolt of the bigger than life size, bronze statue of Zeus in the Ashmolean really grabbed my attention and sparked intrigue. I am often really fascinated by the missing aspects of artefacts and how parts of them can be missing because of human error or other issues when it comes to objects that are quite literally centuries old.
I wanted to bring this aged piece into the modern day and with influences of Judith Bernstein and Greyson Perry, I wanted to do a bigger than life size drawing of the stature but replacing the bolt that was lost with the architecture lines of the historic building that the artefact lies in today. I wanted to root the display of my drawing in greek history and thought that making the paper resemble a scroll would really embed this greek influence. I wanted people to be feel overwhelmed by the size just as I felt when stood by the two meter tall statue. I wanted the power of Zeus to resonate through the size of my work and the bold lines that I have used to create it.
Katie Pridham
From the Ashmolean collection I became interested in eastern culture, in particular Buddhist practice. Through research I discovered the process of creating Mandalas as part of their mediation rituals. Traditionally made communally and with sand in a large, intricate pattern this is then swept away to show the impermanence of all things as well as to meditate on emptiness. The word translates to: 'container of essence' sometimes referred to as a blueprint to the universe. Buddhist culture teaches that nothing exists by way of its own nature, that everything is interdependent. I've taken source from the wheel of life mandala design, depicting a blueprint of the world as I see it today, taking source from imagery I've recently collected. The traditional design depicts at the centre, ignorance, hatred, and greed taking the form of a pig, snake, and roaster. Signifying the truth that this is what fuels our world and are intertwined with one another. This mandala aims to be a fixed symbol of the time we live in, it will not get destroyed, highlighting that although all things pass, the consequences are permanent. Purpose in the tradition being, that we must enter the mandala ourselves and receive a blessing, whatever that maybe in this case, is subject to you.
Felicity Rowbotham - A series from the past.
I was fascinated by the Sickert collection in the Ashmolean Museum. This isn't surprising however as my mother is an artist who paints in oil, so the effect and texture of the surfaces is something I have always been in love with. I wanted to create my own series of paintings inspired by Sickert's work but not copied, reflective of the Walter Sickert exhibit in the museum.
My paintings are scene of modern Oxford, capturing figures and atmosphere between the people in the images. By painting a modern city I am exploring the contrast of time between me and Sicket who practised between 1860-1942. I wanted to capture the eerie atmosphere of the deserted streets of Oxford in the late evening, I intensify my paintings with sharp accents of yellow from the artificial lights from cafes and streets lamps.
Sabrina Rosenheim with Christopher Neal
Our inspiration for our collaborative piece came initially from our reactions to the impressive, large-scale nature of the Ashmolean. In response to the vastness of the space we have created four A1 drypoint etchings. Our inspiration for our subject was found in the Ancient Egyptian collection where we chose to depict the four canopic jars (human-headed Imsety, falcon-headed Qebehsenuf, baboon-headed Hapy, and jackal-headed Duamatef), as we wanted to explore the likeness of printmaking to burial and resurrection. On such a large scale we have chosen to forgo the traditional printing press, and instead attempt to print our etching by driving over them in a car, documenting the printing. During this process our etching plates are likely to be destroyed or damaged; instead of discarding these we intend to display them alongside the prints. The ‘burial’ and uncovering of the etching plates will act as representative of the ancient Egyptian burial rites, and of excavation. These etching plates will be displayed alongside the newly created prints to embrace the concept of the crossing of cultures and time. This is conveyed through our use of the historic European technique of drypoint etching, a modern vehicle, and our depiction of relics of an ancient civilisation.
Pauline Rossignol
I have based my work on the Tang burial ceramics that I found in the Ashmolean Museum. In the Tang dynasty, burial models were displayed before being placed inside the tomb. Many burial ceramics were covered with the polychrome glaze called Sancai (three colour), made from a lead glaze with mineral pigment of copper (green), iron (brown/amber) and cobalt (blue). They were then fired at a temperature of about 800-1000°C. It was supposed to give a colourful view of life.
Inspired by the patterns of those ceramics I have tried to reinterpret them with watercolour. When I mix the colour I am not able to control the way it is going to dry, and it is always very different wet and dry.
My work also references a film called 'Une visite au Louvre' by Straub and Huillet, with the voice-over of Cézanne. I really like the fact that we have a good impression of an important artist’s view on several important piece of artwork.
By mixing these two inspirations I made a film representing the evolution of my watercolours, making reference to the time that passes to change piece of art, the ceramic patterns and the voice-over explain how those ceramics were made, why and when, the importance of them during the Tang dynasty and what are ceramics and their evolution.
Emily Rothman
My artwork is representative of the vast scale of The Ashmolean and it’s architecture. Painting on a large scale suits my style of painting. My aim is to make the viewer feel small in the presences of the painting by using the linear structure of the building and the use of focal points. I have considered the work of John Virtue in creating this work. He records the London skyline drawing from the roof of the National Gallery, capturing a great sense of tone. He finds the buildings of London fascinating. Through his paintings, the importance of size and immensity is evident. His paintings echo the American abstract expressionism of the 20th Century. Additionally, they relate to English landscape painters including Constable and Turner.
Similarly, like Virtue, I am using a combination of shellac and black and white acrylic to create my
paintings. I have also experimented with mixing the shellac with ink, making it thicker.
I want to capture a similar energy and atmosphere, therefore I focused on using expressive and
bold brush strokes.
Kofi Sawyer
In the Renaissance period, techniques were often used directly for story telling purposes. Perhaps most noticeably symbolism. Artists used gesture, objects and even colour suggestively in order to convey a message, this intrigues me.
I wanted to use these elements to create a contemporary portrait. I have also been interested in the elitist nature of Renaissance art, in particular portrait painting. In high demand, artists were expensive, their artworks took long periods of time to complete.
Therefore, the only people who could afford to be painted during the time, where the rich and the powerful, for example figures associated with the church. My inspiration comes from Gerolamo Bassano’s 1619 painting of Gianfrancesco Sagredo, which is displayed alongside other Renaissance work in the Ashmolean and is intended to recall portraits by
the likes of Titian and Veronese.
With this knowledge, the beauty of renaissance art is given a very different meaning. If money can help you change your public image, then I find the veracity of Renaissance art is questionable. Taking in these ideas, I have portrayed my view on the rich and powerful.
Izzy Soper
As I wasn’t particularly inspired by anything in the Ashmolean (despite being filled with interesting
artefacts) I decided to research the founder, Elias Ashmole. From there, I discovered that Ashmole
had certain interests in botany, alchemy, astrology and astronomy. After exploring aspects of astronomy, botany and astrology that were relevant to Ashmole, and coming up with ideas, that I then eventually decided to be either too time-consuming or too expensive, I took inspiration from what I’d learned - such as things that require stimulus from
external factors (plants, within his botanical interest) and the enticing colours and photographical nature of space - and began investigating into his alchemical interests. Gallium has always interested me - it has an incredibly low melting temperature and makes for some intriguing visual effects, however, past melting gallium in my bare hands I did not draw up any great ideas. After some searching, I came across Sachiko Kodama’s work with Ferrofluid - a hydrophobic liquid consisting of magnetic iron nanoparticles suspended in an oil, usually Kerosene. Using electromagnets, Kodama created beautiful films and images of her work with ferrofluid. I was inspired by these images and looked further into the properties of Ferrofluid - how could I use it in the ways that I wished? I eventually stumbled upon Fabian Oefner’s work, where he combines ferrofluid with watercolours to produce stunning abstract images. These worked due to the varying
polarity of both substances - oil itself is very non-polar whereas water (and therefore watercolours) are polar, and polar substances do not mix with non-polar substances. Taking these ideas of magnetism and varying polarity of substances, I made lists of substances that would create a similar effect that watercolours would, such as ink. I then realised if I was looking for an alchemical outcome then glow sticks had the potential to create an awesome effect, which is what is presented in my pictures.
Amy Vickery
After continuous experimentation and many site visits I have focused upon the exterior architecture of the Ashmolean Museum. I absolutely love the Greek portico structure of the main entrance to the Ashmolean Museum. It’s gigantic, textured, ionic columns that support the beautifully engraved roof consistently remind me of ancient history. This is perfect for the museum as the exterior of the Ashmolean resembles and provides the viewer with a taste of what there is to expect inside.
However, after the Ashmolean’s redevelopment project was completed in 2009 the interior architecture of the building portrays a contrasting modern feel compared to the exterior of the museum. Therefore, in my works I have aimed to produce paintings, screen prints and painted stencils that resemble the awe inspiring exterior structure in my contemporary style. As a result, my works depict not only the exterior structure but they also illustrate the modern feel of the interior, via my artistic style. Furthermore, my use of colour has been inspired by the various colourful works in the Ashmolean, specifically their colourful carpets and tiles.
Broghan Woolfe - ‘Seeker’
I saw the journey through the Ashmolean as journey through time and place, with each individual piece simultaneously representing a frozen moment. It is this juxtaposition between the passing and stilling of time, intertwined with the idea of unknown place and culture, which my work aims to communicate. The various extracts of text and quotes on display within the Ashmolean catalysed the initial aspect of my project. My poem ‘Seeker’ is inspired by, and references sections of these quotes. The text is about travel, merging cultures and the unknown. As well as existing in its own right, the writing acts as a voiceover for my short film which aims to show the passing of time in a subtle way. The film may appear as still photography at a glance but if the viewer maintains focus they will acknowledge motion. By exhibiting these elements in harmony, I hope to communicate a personal perception on the experience offered by the Ashmolean.
