James has just finished an MA in Critical Writing at the Royal College of Art.Previously he completed a BA in Fine Art at Winchester School of Art.
(Before he talked to fine art students he joined in with our Christmas lunch and seemed to be very much at home !)
James described his work and interests with great clarity – he is very engaged with what he is doing and seemingly pretty relaxed about it all (which had a calming effect on me!).
He explained how his practice has shifted from painting and sculpture to writing, describing his sense of his own writing as an art form ( just like painting or sculpture). So rather than switching to writing from fine art he sees it as art with particular interest in how words work on a page – the white negative space around the words – and the ability of words to describe our surroundings and experiences.
James created such a sumptuous picture of words as a medium that I wanted to rush to the library and read poetry for the rest of the day!
He has been involved in collaborating on a few books already whilst doing his MA ( and is currently working on a long term project). He passed round the books for us all to dip into – collaborations; studies of place,of ideas, thoughtfully designed and presented (even a heat sensitive cover that changes colour whilst in the readers grasp).
He clearly sees the world through the eyes of an artist and is very able to express his intentions and responses in a written – and read and spoken – form. Chatting to him after his lecture it was exciting to talk to someone so engaged and comfortable with the creative world they inhabit. This strengthens my own desire to express and communicate creative ideas in real and meaningful exchanges.
James’ writings include: As is the Sea – an Anthology and Ends Meet – Essays on Exchange
