Lent Term Upper School Art Trips

Michael Landy, Artist Talk at Dulwich College

In the first week of February, year 12 and 13 A-Level art students had the pleasure of attending a talk at Dulwich College by Michael Landy, a British artist recognised for his inventive installations that tackle concepts of humanity and consumerism.  Here, Landy discussed both his journey as an artist and a collection of his works that ranged from “micro to macro”, describing in detail the ideas that inform his art which he states is, in many ways, “a tribute to everyday life”.

Landy first described his inspiration to pursue art as a career, which was sparked by the opportunity to display an intricate scraperboard etching on BBC’s program ‘Take Hart’ at the age of fifteen. Indeed, Landy’s work now encompasses a wide variety of mediums, including installation, watercolour, and drawing. His performative installation, ‘Break Down’ was perhaps the most thought-provoking of the works discussed. In this piece, Landy gathered and catalogued 7,227 of his possessions including clothes, photographs, artwork and even his birth certificate. Then, over a two-week period, he destroyed every item in a theatrical manner, displaying them on a 520-foot conveyor belt before a public audience in an expository condemnation of consumerism. As Landy described, “It was like witnessing my own funeral”. Other highlights included Landy’s intricate etchings that conveyed the unexpected beauty of weeds, or his precariously constructed ‘Credit Card Destroying Machine’ which, as the title suggests, shredded the credit cards of those brave enough to interact with it.

New Contemporaries exhibition at the South London Gallery

On Wednesday 9 February, A-level art students also had the opportunity to visit the South London Gallery where they viewed the “Bloomberg New Contemporaries” exhibition as well as a collection of work at the Fire Station Gallery. These exhibitions explored the work of numerous emerging artists, displaying a range of pieces from 75 different individuals in a multitude of different mediums. One particular stand-out was Lydia Pettit’s ‘Trouble in the House’, a detailed embroidered tapestry that conveys the experience of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and its effects on the human body. Another highlight was Rebeca Romero’s ‘Archaeological Vestige IV’, a 3-D printed vase-like structure that comments on the relationship between technology and history, as well as questioning ideas of authorship in the art world.

These trips served as a great opportunity for A-level students to further their ideas for their personal projects, as well as being an excellent introduction to pursuing a career as an artist.

Jake Rekrut, Year 13