Mark Dunhill talking about the spaces that remain, & how stone from the island has gone all over the world.
Interesting talking to Mark about Portland, of how its this unique landscape and how its history is very dominate in its landscape and which makes it such a unique place. Also funny thinking of how its a mixture of international place, as its stone has been transported all over the world, and quite insular, especially in its near past history, when it could be quite inhospitable to strangers.
http://creativedialog.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/cre…
My latest conversation with Mark Dunhill has gone live at http://creativedialog.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/cre…
Go there to hear my 30 min chat with Mark about his show Stone Appreciation #2. Mark is one half of the collaborative partnership Dunhill and O’Brien.
Mark has worked with Tamiko O’Brien since 1998 making exhibitions, installations and residencies. Combing art practice with busy schedule teaching. He is now Dean of Art at Central St Martins. Together (Dunhill and O’Brien) they have exhibited in galleries and project spaces in the UK, Ireland, Holland, Italy, Germany and Japan.
I found out that he had long connection with Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust (featured in last weeks episode), having a connection with the trust since its very early days. He had exhibited in Tout Quarry in 1984; this show was in a way the birth of the trust. Mark has continued his connect with the trust and had discussed with Hannah & Paul about his using the space to try something out. They were happy to collaborate and help install the work. Spending a couple of weeks to adapt to the space and the materials.
Again this is another example of how doing this project has opened up doors and allowed me to have these privilege conversations with artists. I really wish to thank all the artists who have given up their time freely to talk to me and been so open and accessible in their conversations.
More conversations here; http://creativedialog.wordpress.com
Been preparing my next Creative Conversations with the artist Mark Dunhill during his exhibition ‘Stone Appreciation 2’ at the Drill Hall.
‘Stone Appreciation 2’ was the first exhibition I saw at the Drill Hall, and caught me by surprise. I was really taken with the show and brought a few friends back to see this show. The exhibition revolved around their investigations into Bowder stones and involved three videos, a collection of postcards and sculptural shapes that I initially thought was made from clay. It was wonderfully laid out, with one object leading you to the others. I liked their use of trestle tables for their sculptural objects, as it felt like the clay shapes were part of a separate workshop that had been going on. This I felt utilised the space and connected with the stone carving workshops that the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust runs. I like this aspect of confusion that the work initially through up. Unsure of what bits were the exhibition and what weren’t. It was only after I spent some time that I realised it was all part of the one show.
I was impressed that an exhibition of this calibre was staged down here in West Dorset. How Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust manage to continue show work of this stature will be interesting to see.
Episode 2 of my creative conversation sees me concluding my chat with Hannah Sofaer and Paul Crabtree from the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust. On this show we talk about some of the fantastic exhibitions that went on at the Drill Hall over 2012.
The program – Stone Island Stone is Land – brought together art from many different disciplines and was part of Inspire mark London 2012.
We talk about the exhibitions they held, how they came about and their involvement in staging these exhibitions and putting this program together.
I was interested in the long term connections a few of the artists had with the trust. About this ongoing commitment. As artists like Mark Dunhill (whose conversation is the feature of my next show) and Jim Cooke associations with the trust stretches back many years, and whose involvement form part of the trusts ongoing dialog, which than helps inform their strategic decisions.
We go onto to talk about the next stage of the trust. Where Hannah feels it is all coming together at the right time at the right place.
Finishing up with Hannah talking about the rewarding aspect she has found in her connection with local people, with the quarryman who have worked the landscape.
http://creativedialog.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/cre…
Just editing a new edition of my creative conversations and have remembered one of the reasons I love doing this project is not just the luxury of having these exclusive 1-1 conversations, but in that they are recorded I can go back and re-listen. I can stop, rewind and hear again something that was said. This I find is a great luxury.
The other rewarding aspect, which isn’t really captured in the show so much, is the rambling conversation where I struggle to articulate my thoughts. How the conversations can go off in strange directions, depending on what people are telling me. I am tending to edit out these rambling aspects, trying to make them coherent to some extant. In a way I suppose I’m trying to imitate a professional radio show, but at the same time I’m not as I wish to give people the space to discuss things in a slow, relaxing conversation. Rather than editing a number of people together into one show and selecting the best sound bites to use.
Putting a recorder between you and and another is a great creative exercise , that I heartily recommend.
