GOSSIP Space and Place

Space and Place

GOSSIP is pleased to be working with the Stirling University Art Collection.

Space and Place is a celebration of the inspiration and sustenance that we derive from our favourite special places, buildings, and outdoor spaces.

For information about the artwork on display see below.

Six houses on stilts made using reclaimed wood from old industrial pallets. Painted with acrylic paints.

Seas are predicted to rise a foot by 2050, regardless of how much global carbon emissions can be reduced. Why is this happening, and what can we do to adapt? As humans continue to pour greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, oceans have tempered the effect. The world's seas have absorbed more than 90 percent of the heat from these gases, but it’s taking a toll on our oceans: 2021 set a new record for ocean heating.

Rising seas is one of those climate change effects. Average sea levels have swelled over 8 inches (about 23 cm) since 1880, with about three of those inches gained in the last 25 years. Every year, the sea rises another .13 inches (3.2 mm.) New research published on February 15, 2022 shows that sea level rise is accelerating and projected to rise further.

Dolphins are some of the most intriguing creatures of the sea. Intelligent and social, athletic and playful. They are confirmation that we share the planet with some remarkable and precious life. At times they can be seen not far from Stirling in the wider estuary of the river Forth, and who knows they may even venture further up the river to see what we are doing.

Ken enjoys combining his established engineering and artistic skills to create one-of-a-kind pieces. After a career in engineering, spanning the Cornish china clay mines and Scottish petrochemical industry, Ken now focusses his creative energy into his artwork. HIs work is currently focussed on exploring ways to express both the elegant forms in the natural world, and more abstract concepts, using only a minimal set of curved three-dimensional shapes, hand-formed in aluminium strips using simple tools.

Installation comprising of printed Perspex panels and wooden upright supports. Each of the three panels are 140 x 180 cm.

In this installation large transparent curved sheets of Perspex with monochrome printed images of closes are placed within the landscape to form a liminal space. They are positioned to overlap, to look around and through, discovering different perspectives. The installation is aligned to capture natural landscape features. The depth and colour of the elements of outdoor spaces and the landscape can be seen through the printed screens in distorted views, reflecting off their surfaces. The installation creates a connection from the inside to the outside where the real world exists.

Resilience during the pandemic focussed my thinking on the rebalancing effect of nature in our transition to the post pandemic world outside. I focussed on the dreamlike sense of liminality experienced during transition and how it might feel to move from our safe inner spaces to the world outside. I used images of closes as a metaphor for the tunnel like environment of transition, and natural landscape to suggest the uncharted world beyond. I was inspired by The Burrow by F. Kafka which gave a different dimension to `safe place’ and made me think about perceptions of inside/ outside – how ‘safe’ is inside before it becomes unbearable or even damaging, and we must go outside.

The installation explores the notion of liminality during the transition process - a sensation of being between two worlds. Leaving our homes, outside transitional spaces often consist of buildings and structures that occupy the peripheral zones. A step of adventure is required to move from our safe place inside into the outside world beyond.

I have digitally designed three individual spring flower designs, bluebell, cherry blossom and daffodil, which are printed as outdoor graphics placed onto circular slabs. The petals tie in with the season and can be found in and around the campus creating a sense of place. I decided to separate the stem and branches to frame each image. The work ultimately resembles that of stepping stones.

I research, remix and create artefacts, original pieces and sites through 3D printed sculptures, modelling, scanning, moving image, installation, casting, digital prints and printmaking.

A fascination with the visual and conceptual possibilities stemming from the interdisciplinary fields of art, archaeology, museology and heritage drives my artistic practice.

A celebration of Scottish Bluebells created using the framework of old lampshades and reproposed textiles.

I am a Scottish based artist, working from my home in Stirling. I enjoy the challenge of working with a variety of different materials from Mixed Media, Photography, Sculpture through to Textiles and Wood. I enjoy recycling textiles and objects discarded by others, giving it a new life and fresh use.

A lot of my inspiration comes directly from nature, whether that be from vast skies or craggy rock formations. Colour also plays big part in my work, and I like the vibrancy and energy it can add to everyday life. I enjoy working within the wider community to develop and foster the creative talent in others, helping people of all ages realise their potential.

Although having initially specialised in Textiles, McDermott finds herself working with sculptural techniques, developing an affinity towards casting, wrapping, hanging and making connections within site-specific spaces, often combining methods that incorporate found objects. McDermott explores transitions, movement, or sense of place with impermanent materials such as clay, wax, soil, or fabrics, often with symbolic representations or relationships, to find new ways of expressing form and engaging composition.