Tell us about yourself, your medium and the main focus of your practice?
I am a Fine Art graduate from Loughborough University, and my current medium is metal oxidisation and rust. My process of working is to encourage material development and autonomy and explore the interaction of objects and materials. I am interested in philosophy and chemistry, and how everyday processes happen independently of human interaction. By facilitating these reactions through art, I aim to change the context of the materials and give people space and time to appreciate everyday processes which are usually overlooked. I like the transformation from corrosive process to aesthetic mark making.
When I make a piece of work, I don’t know what it will look like until the metal has oxidised, and the reaction is influenced by so many things - such as temperature changes, the structure of the ground material, the acidity of the soaking medium - so I work with chance aesthetics a lot. This can be challenging because sometimes the reaction isn’t as dynamic as I’d hoped, or the composition is too much, or it will work brilliantly but I won’t be able to repeat it. But ultimately I like the lack of control. I often personify the materials and pieces of metal that I work with and see my practice as a collaboration between me and them. Without the rusted piece of metal that has been disregarded and sat on the street for so long, this specific piece of work wouldn’t exist.
What have you been doing since graduation - where could we have seen your work, what projects have you been working on and how are you finding life as a grad?
After graduating, I moved back to Oxford and tried to grasp the art scene there. There are so many places in the midlands that are doing interesting and exciting things for emerging and established artists, it felt like I was leaving Loughborough just as things were kicking off. I was torn between continuing with my work and taking a break from art after an intense 3 years, but I feel that this is all part of any artists’ creative process – the love/hate relationship of needing to communicate and question everything. After getting an internship in a nearby gallery, there wasn’t really any question about it. Being surrounded by art, other artists, and art enthusiasts, made me realise that I could never take a break from any of this. Since that internship, I’ve had a few jobs to fund my practice and currently work in a museum in Oxford. I’ve been continuing to make and develop my practice as much as possible, and it has definitely been a process learning how to earn, make, and live.
In August of last year, I ended up meeting some artists in a similar position – recently graduated, looking to grow as an artist and wanting experience and opportunities. A result of this was the founding of Klick, an exchange project. Based on the city twinning links, we formed an art collective of four artists based in Oxford and four based in Leiden, Holland. From this, we traveled to each other’s cities, made work, and exhibited together. Being able to exhibit in the UK and in Holland has been a great experience, but the best thing about being a part of Klick is having people to talk to and bounce ideas off. Being in a group environment where critique and discourse are encouraged is something I missed once I left university so that element of it has been great. It’s been an amazing journey, seeing how everyone’s work has developed over the past year since our first exhibition, and how we fit together as individuals and as artists. Our last exhibition was in October/November in Oxford, and we’re currently taking a break until the new year. We initially said that this would be a one year project, but we’re taking the time to figure out how to take it forward and what we want to gain in the upcoming year.
What's next, what've you got in the pipeline, what new things are you working on?
I’m currently preparing for a few upcoming exhibitions taking place in the new year. I’ve planned to continue to develop current work, revisit old work, and cultivate a few new ideas and methodologies, and I am excited to see the outcomes.
I found that my work was feeling quite static in the past few months and that my initial grounds, such as paper and canvas, were no longer communicating my conceptions. Because of this, I’ve been moving into more sculptural and installation based work, and this will most likely come to fruition at one of my solo exhibitions taking place next November. Primarily I want to begin to show the process happening, to show the rust work developing and to communicate the curiosity and spectacle I feel while making my work. I don’t feel that I’m personally attached to my work. There is not a lot of me as an individual in a piece as a finished outcome, but I value the unique experience of being part of the making process. I find solace in being able to take a step back from the big things in life and focusing on the intricate and incomparable details of the small things. I’m looking to facilitate similar experiences within viewers who will have their own experiences, thoughts, and ideas in response to the work changing while being exhibited. I want the work to be more of an experience, than just a viewing. I want to give people the space to contemplate my work, the process, and the everyday things that are happening in the background.
VISIT www.tamsincorrigan.com TO CHECK OUT MORE OF TAMSINS’ WORK
INTERVIEW by HANNAH SMITH
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