Susan Stockwell | Sea Markings | Exhibition at Royal Shakespeare Company | Stratford Upon Avon

PACCAR Room and Foyers | Royal Shakespeare Theatre | Until 6 September

Susan Stockwell's exhibition 'Sea-Markings', now open at the RSC, was inspired by the company's summer season productions of Othello and The Merchant of Venice, and draws on the play's themes of trade, identity and diversity.

Comprising of a stunning suspended sail installation, which takes over the public spaces of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and a selection of new artworks combining currency, drawing and maps, the exhibition brings together work created during Susan's time as Artist in Residence at the company. Susan says of the experience:

"Working as Artist in Residence at the RSC is insightful, inspiration and enjoyable. Witnessing the inside workings of the organisation is revealing a very collaborative process, different to the visual artists' practice which tends to be more solitary...It is a great opportunity to push my work further and explore Shakespeare's poetry to make new art which I hope will surprise and wonder theatre visitors"

Susan Stockwell | World Bank Commission | Royal Shakespeare Company Artist In Residence

 

Susan Stockwell’s The World Bank, which was recently completed as a special commission, is a stunning world map meticulously hand-crafted by the artist using hundreds of individual bank notes. The work exemplifies Susan’s practice of transforming everyday materials into aesthetically beautiful artworks, that also comment on issues of ecology, geo-politics and global commerce.

Among Susan’s next projects is an exciting new residency at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon. She will be developing new work for exhibition at the RSC in April 2015, responding to their Spring 2015 season, which is to include Othello, The Merchant of Venice, and Death of a Salesman. As well as looking at what is taking place on stage, her work will also consider the range of carefully choreographed hidden activity, from costume making to rigging, that exists behind the scenes.

Susan Stockwell | The World Bank, 2014 | Bank notes, paper and glue on back board | 140 x 294 cm

Sail Away: Susan Stockwell at the Tate Modern

Saturday 27 April 2013, 12.00 – 21.00 | Sunday 28 April 2013, 12.00 – 17.00

Susan Stockwell is creating a large-scale, collaborative installation of paper boats in the Turbine Hall this weekend, as part of Tate Modern's Hyperlink Festival. Visitors can create their own boat from tickets, maps and money, and add them to the flotilla. It will be a fantastic event, not to be missed! For more information see the Tate Modern website or contact us.

150 Years of London Underground

Today is the 150th anniversary of the London Underground! To celebrate, we will be exhibiting Simon Patterson's 'Saptarishi' at the London Art Fair next week.

Commissioned by the London Transport Museum last year, the print is a contemporary update of 'The Great Bear,' his iconic tube map from 1992. The artist has substituted the standard station names with his own, to create new lines of association: the Bakerloo Line is filled with spies; the Victoria Line with Victorians; and the Hammersmith and City Line is devoted entirely to the Murdochs in a nod to his 'Journalists' line from his earlier piece.

Also on display will be Susan Stockwell's 'Underground Map' - a hand-embroidered, limited edition handkerchief depicting the London tube lines. All have been coloured red, drawing a parallel between the city's transport system and an arterial network.

Simon Patterson | Saptarishi | 2012 | Screenprint on enamel | 102 x 127 cm | Signed, dated and editioned on reverse | Special limited edition of 15 | Commissioned by the London Transport Museum

Susan Stockwell | S Stockwell Underground Map | 2012 | Hand-embroidered handkerchief | 40 x 40 cm | Commissioned by the London Transport Museum | Signed certificate of authenticity

The First Cut

Claire Brewster | An Apocalypse of Butterflies (detail) | 2012

'The First Cut' opens tonight at the Manchester City Galleries! Their major group exhibition showcases the work of over 30 contemporary artists working creatively with paper.

Claire Brewster will install 'An Apocalypse of Butterflies' in the Pre-Raphaelite galleries: a lively intervention of contemporary art and natural imagery in a traditional space.

Rob Ryan is producing his largest ever single sheet paper cut as one of seven special commissions for the exhibition.

Susan Stockwell’s period dresses, constructed out of antique maps, are beautifully crafted comments on the history of empire and aspiration.

Justine Smith’s work uses bank notes to create images of guns and grenades in a provocative allusion to the lucrative arms trade and gun culture in modern society.

The First Cut | Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, M2 3JL | Gallery of Costume, Platt Hall, M14 5LL | 5 October 2012 - 27 January 2013

'World' - by Susan Stockwell

Susan Stockwell has recently completed a major commission, 'World,' which we were lucky enough to view in the studio last week. Here's an introduction to the work from the artist herself:

"World, which references maps, is made from colourful, mixed discarded computer components supplied by Secure IT Recycling, Cheshire, UK.

The computer components are transformed into a sculpture that highlights the beauty of the materials. They are dissected, their innards exposed, revealing the underbelly of the machines we take for granted, an autopsy of our consumer society."

Susan Stockwell | World | 2012 | Recycled computer components

Find out more about Susan Stockwell and her work on our website.

Susan Stockwell's 'Memento' World Map

Susan Stockwell was commissioned by the London Transport Museum to create a new work for their group exhibition 'Mind the Map' (18 May - 28 October 2012) using old train and tube tickets. Hundreds of the tickets were donated by the Friends of the Museum and the general public for the project, which she fashioned into a world map. The map harnesses the surprisingly rich and varied colours of the tickets to suggest changing climates and topography, from scorching sands around the equator to forest greens and deep cool blues at the poles. Each ticket is a reminder of one of the countless personal journeys that are made across the globe; they are records of particular trips, saved as keepsakes and tucked away in scrapbooks for years and sometimes decades. It's a thoughtful memento to the paper ticket, which is fast becoming a thing of the past, replaced by swipe cards and electronic systems.

Susan Stockwell | Memento | 2012 | Paper, glue and board | 100 x 230 x 5 cm | Commissioned for the London Transport Museum 'Mind the Map' exhibition, May - October 2012

The Art of Mapping

'The Art of Mapping' is now open at the Air Gallery on Dover Street. We're displaying work by a host of artists - some familiar, some working with us for the first time - who work creatively with maps and cartography. Admission is free and the artworks are not to be missed. We look forward to seeing you there. Read more about the exhibition here, and contact us to enquire about particular pieces.

The Art of Mapping | The Air Gallery, 32 Dover Street, W1S 4NE | 14 - 26 November | Free admission

Mon - Fri 10am - 6pm | Sat 11am - 4pm | Sun 12pm - 4pm
Download the catalogue

Artists' Talk | Saturday 19 November, 2pm start | Read more

The Art of Mapping in the making

In November TAG will present 'The Art of Mapping,' a group exhibition of contemporary artistic cartography at the Air Gallery, Dover Street.

The exhibition brings together familiar names and new artists, many of whom are creating brand new pieces. We visited Jonathan Parsons and Susan Stockwell in their studios for an early look at their work in progress...

The Art of Mapping
14 - 26 November 2011
The Air Gallery, 32 Dover Street, London W1S 4NE
Curated by TAG Fine Arts

For more information contact maggie@tagfinearts.com
or read the press release.