Introducing Contemporary Collective x Bankside Summer Artist Residency ft. Artist Duo Amy Shackleton & Julian Brown
Artists in Residence: 3rd July - 26th August 2024
Bankside Hotel, Art Yard Studio, London SE1 9JU
Bankside Hotel x Contemporary Collective are thrilled to introduce husband and wife artist duo, Amy Shackleton and Julian Brown, as their summer artists in residence. In the studio from 3rd July to 26th August 2024, the Canadian artist duo will engage in their first collaborative residency experience to combine their individual strengths and contribute to the dynamic art scene in London.
During their residency, Amy and Julian aim to immerse viewers in an experience that prompts critical reflection on the future of our urban landscape amidst the ongoing threat of global warming. Drawing inspiration from the architecture and natural scenery of the Southbank, they plan to integrate local geographies into their work and leverage site-specific research to increase awareness and foster sustainability.
Utilising Amy’s traditional painting techniques and Julian’s expertise in Augmented Reality (AR) technology, the artist duo will combine their respective disciplines to create a new body of work that aims to immerse and engage viewers about climate change through hybrid physical and digital approach. This installation will feature a large mural and several paintings on canvas, with AR environments that extend the imagery to fill the studio space. Additional AR components will be viewable 24/7 to hotel guests and community members, encouraging reflection and interactivity.
Whilst in the studio, Amy and Julian will provide opportunities for community engagement and participation, inviting visitors to observe their painting and AR processes on site. Committed to fostering a space for meaningful discussion and learning, the artist duo plans to give talks that will offer an in-depth look at their techniques and inspiration. In addition to in person engagement, Amy and Julian will take over the Contemporary Collective Instagram to share regular updates, progress videos and images of their work. Follow their progress here @contemporary_collective
About Amy & Julian's Practices:
Visual artist Amy Shackleton and digital artist Julian Brown are a Canadian husband and wife team. They started collaborating on self-directed art projects after a decade of individual professional growth. The birth of their children was the catalyst that pushed them to think about the future and inspired them to collaborate on work investigating climate change.
Shackleton and Brown combine painting with augmented reality to transport viewers into imagined urban futurescapes where cities and nature have become entangled. The scenes depicted walk the line between utopian vision and full-blown apocalypse. Humans are conspicuously absent, creating a tension that provokes thought for viewers.
Shackleton applies paint with brushes and squeeze bottles, manipulating the falling drips with water spritzers and by rotating the canvas. Natural forms emerge out of this organic paint application that mimics how gravity and rain erosion actually create environments. In contrast, her urban imagery is built with architectural precision. Dripping paint is used to create straight lines that are meticulously pre-planned using rulers and levels as tools.
Brown uses AR to superimpose digitally rendered sculptural elements onto the real world. This results in illusions of three dimensions that viewers can traverse and explore using a mobile device. As such, audiences can enter the artwork and in doing so, introduce the missing human presence into the scenes. Some viewers feel the urge to play and interact within the digital world, while others become anxious when faced with the climate emergency.
View the full collection of Amy's paintings
Residency events:
Thursday 22nd August, 6-8 pm: End of Residency Showcase
Residency Partners:
For any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Jenna Sachs: Jenna@DegreeArt.com / 020 3701 7412 / www.DegreeArt.com
