Jerwood Visual Arts

Geoffrey Mann (2009) and Drummond Masterton (2008) are two contemporary makers who exemplify the idea of post-disciplinary practice and over the past two years have been winners of the Jerwood Visual Arts awards.

Both Drummond and Geoffrey were commissioned in 2007 to work with Dr Louise Valentine as part of her Mindful Inquiry research. The results of which will be disseminated in Spring / Summer 2010.

The Jerwood Visual Arts website is home to The Jerwood "In Conversation" series 2008 - one-hour public conversations between two artist /makers /designers/ choreographers /architects as a means of increasing awareness of the shared practice of materials concerns, conceptual rigor and application processes undertaken by artist, makers and designers.

The "in conversation" series explored the connections between practice and the shared values held by the practitioners in these conversations. For example,

Monday 16th June - 6pm till 7.15pm - Cornelia Parker and Ron Arad

Listen now

material ecology

Neri Oxman is an architect and researcher whose work attempts to establish news forms of experimental design and novel processes of material practice at the interface of design, computer science, material engineering and ecology. (taken from her website - www.materialecology.com).

She is currently based at MIT where she is a Presidential Fellow working towards her PhD. Named as one of the 100 most creative people in business by 'Fast Company' (June 2009) she argues that "on the fringes [...] is where disruptive innovation begins".

Handcrafting Computational Media

The work of Maggie Orth and her Electronic Textiles or textile computing devices are worth getting to know a bit better...an MIT PhD graduate, Maggie's work is concerned with active and programmable materials in textile design.

The enjoyment and quality of her craft for me, lies not simply in the experimental manner that she approaches interactive technology, smart materials and the weaver’s loom but the way she considers people and their emotional and sensorial engagement in the experience of electronic textiles. Her work retains a respect for the tradition of textiles while demonstrating responsibility for the future of the discipline, nurturing a dialogue with other knowledge domains while critically prodding alternative technological methods and material cultures.

To listen to Maggie talk about the her PhD work in terms of concept, material and technology visit utube.