We are delighted to introduce the talented artist Aphra O’ Connor to The FLUX Review. Aphra assembles pattern and form aiming to create a dynamic equilibrium within her work, bringing together 2d and 3d design in coadunation and absolute equivalence. This balance is critical in allowing Aphra to unite sculptural forms and drawn patterns in a new dimension that is both flat and solid.
Can you tell us about your journey into art?
I was born in Whitby, North Yorkshire and I have always had a fascination with collecting forms that I reimagine as 3D collages. I graduated in 2019 from the Royal College of Art with a Masters degree in Ceramics and Glass and before that I gained a BA in Sculpture from Wimbledon College of Art in 2014. Having a sculptural background has allowed me to visualise clay in a manner that is outside of the craft pathway. In my practice I aim to unite my printed work with my sculptural forms and in doing so create a dynamic equilibrium within my work, bringing together my 2D and 3D design in coadunation and absolute equivalence.
I have kept a sketchbook record of ideas and designs since I started studying at Wimbledon, and I still refer to research and ideas from almost a decade ago.
How would you describe your style?
I construct sculptural collages that bring together found forms and patterns. I am drawn to plastic discarded containers and see their details as 3D patterns. I create plaster moulds out of these found forms, and then use them as object generators, translating these 3d patterns in multi-faceted collages.
For the Royal College of Art degree show I created an installation of works that aimed to demonstrate to the audience my working methods. ‘Dynamic Equilibrium’ was displayed over 12 terracotta sculptures and 6 printed designs that took the viewer through my thought process. On either side of the terracotta forms I displayed the printed works, with one wall showing ‘Dynamic System’ drawings that identified how I initiated the forms of my sculptural pieces, and on the opposite wall I displayed the ‘Dynamic Flux’ prints that translated the 3D surface back into a 2D image.
I find showing transition over a series allows me to be more experimental and playful with the found forms I have collected.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
After I graduated in July 2019, I moved my equipment back home to Whitby, and while I have been looking for a studio space in London, I have a workspace set up at home. I currently move between London and Yorkshire and have been creating the works in the North and exhibiting them mainly in the South. There are currently fewer opportunities to show ceramic sculptures in the North, and since graduating in July last year I have exhibited ceramic works in Tate Modern and have been shortlisted for Travers Smith ‘Graduate Art Prize’, Collyer Bristow ‘Exceptional’ and the Signature Art Prize in London.
My parents are both antiques dealers as well as being artists themselves, and for as long as I can remember I have been accompanying them to auctions and appreciating reusing second-hand objects. This has led me to buy a refurbished kiln, two pottery wheels and lots of work benches meaning I can continue my ceramic works in Yorkshire.
What or who inspires your art?
I draw inspiration from a variety of sources and I always surround myself with art and design reference books.
I have learnt a lot from studying the works of Eduardo Paolozzi and researching the way he manipulated and combined forms has trained me to observe the objects that surround us in life with a keener eye. His practice was made up of a love for graphic design and sculpture, which has influenced me in the way I combine my 2D and 3D work.
You mix 2D and 3D within your work, how important is this balance to you?
The point of convergence between my 2D and 3D works is my core focus and is critical in understanding my practice. By building up layers of my printed and sculptural designs during the making process I aim to delve deeper into my work.
I use drawn and digitally manipulated designs as a way of initiating projects, the 2D element of my practice is crucial in allowing me to progress into physical works. As I was making the works for the Royal College degree show I read Piet Mondrian theory on the unification of line and form which influenced how I combined and created works. I found a balance in my practice when I realised I could combine my 2D and 3D works.
What do you love about working with clay as a primary medium?
Clay is full of surprises, and each day I find new ways of pushing its material qualities, it has also made me into a much more patient person, there are few other materials that crack and explode as much as clay!
Using clay allows me to imitate and reshape everyday life, challenging the way we see and understand commonplace forms. My practice has changed dramatically since I started using clay as a primary material, and I am constantly experimenting with its flexible nature and its ability to reshape and rebuild forms.
I use plaster moulds of found forms to create my sculptures, and build the forms out of the moulds by coiling or slab building into the desired shape which offers more time to consider ways to experiment, manipulate and join the clay sections. When the pieces are joined, I consider how they are to be viewed by the audience and how they should be displayed. This offers me further chance for experimentation with other materials as supports and additions to the sculptures.
After firing the pieces are matched with graphic drawings, and I decide how the pattern will bring out a new element to each form.
I use reclaimed hard woods to display the pieces, bridging the gap between the traditional methods of displaying sculpture and ceramic forms.
Is narrative a key element of your work?
Narrative is key in my work, I create a chronological element in my works by translating and transitioning moulded forms across a series of sculptures, allowing the repeated forms to ‘converse’. I think of my plaster mould collection as a visual language, creating a dialogue within my works.
To generate the ceramic forms, I find discarded single use plastic packages and translate them into plaster molds to create new designs. It is now more important than ever to recycle plastic and use less, and in my approach to making I hope to draw attention not only to the waste of material, but the beauty that goes into the original plastic designs. My method of presenting the ceramic forms aims to modify traditional sculpture display, reinventing how audiences experience the fragile nature of clay.
Can you explain your interest in collections?
I find that series of objects convey more information and narrative than single forms, especially in ceramics where collections allow the viewer to see new relationships between the objects.
Working with collections of ceramic designs allows me to extend my patterns across multiple forms. My interest in collections has led me to create a visual language out of my own drawings and found forms that are then translated into plaster molds and used as an object generator. I am amalgamating these ceramic and print works to create a holistic way of seeing form, pattern and colour.
For my Royal college dissertation I researched how I thought there was ‘Meaning in Multiplicity’ exploring how contemporary ceramics are displayed within a gallery setting, and how I think collections of ceramics develop a more diverse narrative than single objects.
Writing this text enabled me to investigate how I could navigate through a visual narrative within series of my sculptures and printed works.
Ubiquity Construction was shortlisted for the Signature Art Prize can you tell us about the work?
I titled the series ‘Ubiquity Construction’ to reference the way in which the surface pattern is omnipresent. The piece unites pattern and form, allowing the viewer to see multiple viewpoints at once. This was the first series of works that utilised metal stands as a way of changing how the viewer sees the ceramic form, and by altering the angle of the bowl shaped form I am deciding how the piece should be seen.
I am interested in how the audience interprets a work, but I like to juxtapose my own sense of control alongside their own interpretation.
How is the current lockdown affecting your practise?
I decided the return home to Yorkshire to look after my parents during the lockdown as they live outside Whitby, and I want to help them however I can, so they do not have to leave the house. This has the benefit of giving me access to my studio which has allowed me to progress with several new sculptures.
I have not taken this opportunity for granted and have wanted to make the most of it, as I know a lot of my friends are away from their studios at this uncertain and stressful time.
What are you working on currently?
I have been working with several newly created plaster moulds and I have been experimenting with the way I use them. By dividing the moulds before working with them I am able to further rework the original form. I have been collecting discarded metal and wood and I am finding new ways to collage multiple materials.
