Sollai Cartwright: Finding inspiration everywhere

Materially Speaking

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51:57

On the Season 2 debut of Lost Cultures: Living Legacies , we travel to Bermuda, an Atlantic island whose history spans centuries and continents. Once uninhabited, Bermuda became a vital stop in transatlantic trade, a maritime stronghold, and a cultural crossroads shaped by African, European, Caribbean, and Native American influences. Guests Dr. Kristy Warren and Dr. Edward Harris trace its transformation from an uninhabited island to a strategic outpost shaped by shipwrecks, colonization, the transatlantic slave trade, and the rise and fall of empires. Plus, former Director of Tourism Gary Phillips shares the story of the Gombey tradition, a vibrant performance art rooted in resistance, migration, and cultural fusion. Together, they reveal how Bermuda’s layered past continues to shape its people, culture, and identity today. You can also find us online at ⁠travelandleisure.com/lostcultures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…

5 years ago 24:10

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Sollai Cartwright takes inspiration from everything around him creating both abstract and figurative work.

Sollai talks about his favourite stone, Bianco P, and how it responds to chisels while holding its form. He speaks about the historical resources of the area around Pietrasanta and of the extensive range of historical tools available, especially at the renowned Milani Tools shop. He describes how each tool has a different relationship with a different stone.

In 2019, Sollai exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe and Bondi and had a solo show at Harvey Galleries in Mosman, Sydney, Australia.

From the age of seven, Danica, who would go on to marry Sollai, trained as a gymnast and trampolinist, later becoming an acrobat with Cirque du Soleil where she and Sollai met. She explains a little about their team work approach with her doing the management and marketing of his art.

Sollai mentions the power of having a mentor and cites the guidance he received from Douglas Robinson, a Canadian sculptor who has also spoken to Materially Speaking.

Sollai comes from a family of artists and you can hear the stories of his father, Michael Francis Cartwright; mother, Shona Nunan and brother, Jacob Cartwright all on Materially Speaking. In 2018, along with the rest of his family, he showed his work in Australia House, London in an exhibition that celebrated a centenary since its construction on the Strand.

sollai.com

instagram.com/sollai.cartwright.sculptor

64 episodes

#Fine Arts #Society #Arts #Documentaries #Sarah Monk #Materially Speaking #Artists #Artisan #Material #Italy #Sculpture #Stone #Marble

Sollai Cartwright: Finding inspiration everywhere

Materially Speaking

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published 5 years ago

MP3•Episode home

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com

Sollai Cartwright takes inspiration from everything around him creating both abstract and figurative work.

In 2019, Sollai exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe and Bondi and had a solo show at Harvey Galleries in Mosman, Sydney, Australia.

Sollai mentions the power of having a mentor and cites the guidance he received from Douglas Robinson, a Canadian sculptor who has also spoken to Materially Speaking.

sollai.com

instagram.com/sollai.cartwright.sculptor

64 episodes

#Fine Arts #Society #Arts #Documentaries #Sarah Monk #Materially Speaking #Artists #Artisan #Material #Italy #Sculpture #Stone #Marble

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Materially Speaking

1
Maja Thommen: Spiral 27:38

7 days ago27:38

27:38

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Originally from Zurich, Maja was always keen to leave Switzerland and with an Italian grandmother perhaps Italy was always going to be her destination. She moved to Italy in 1991. She speaks to us about how her approach to work has changed. When she was young she liked seeing the impression her hands made on the work, while now she seeks smoothness and perfection. We meet Maja at her home - Artists Hill - an old farmhouse, surrounded by olive groves and a huge vegetable garden, which she has renovated into a home, studios, and a part that she rents out. First Maja shows us the room where she draws, and then we move over to her new modelling studio, opposite the house. In the middle of this room, towering above her, is a spiral column. It’s a plastercast - soon to be realised in acrylic resin and earth. Maja tells us about a bas relief project in 16 panels called dressing. The question she originally posed was, “Can we change religion like clothes or is religion something inherent to us, you know, is it like part of us?" One of Maja’s first pieces was Extension of Ego and now it takes pride of place in her studio. Maja still loves it and it represents the theme she still develops of externalising human traits in her work. Labrynth is another of Maja’s pieces that follows the theme of a body’s outside reflecting what is inside. majathommen.ch instagram.com/thommenmaja…

Materially Speaking

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Ursula Corsi: Mosaici (lingua italiana) 14:10

7 days ago14:10

14:10

Guarda le foto e leggi di più su materiallyspeaking.com Ursula è nata a Seravezza e vive e lavora ancora nella zona di Pietrasanta e ha anche trascorso un periodo di apprendimento delle tecniche speciali di mosaico di Ravenna e Spilimbergo. Facciamo un giro nel suo studio e tra le sue numerose scatole di tessere. Quando le chiediamo quanto sia importante la luce nella composizione di un mosaico, Ursula ci spiega che una delle prime cose che fa quando accetta un incarico è vedere dove verrà collocato il mosaico. Le sue commissioni la portano in tutto il mondo e, quando l'abbiamo incontrata, era appena tornata da un lavoro a Filadelfia, negli Stati Uniti. Ursula ci racconta della sua formazione e di alcuni dei progetti speciali a cui ha lavorato, compreso il primo, per una sinagoga. Vedere i suoi lavori su Facebook “mosaici Ursula Corsi” facebook.com/mosaiciursulacorsi instagram.com/mosaiciursulacorsi English translation See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Ursula was born in Seravezza and still lives and works in the Pietrasanta area and also spent a period learning the special mosaic techniques of Ravenna and Spilimbergo. However, her commissions take her all over the world and when we met her, she had just returned from a job in Philadelphia, USA. Ursula tells us about her education and some of the special projects she has worked on, including her first one, for a synagogue. Let's take a tour of his studio and his many boxes of tiles. When we ask her how important light is in the composition of a mosaic, Ursula explains that one of the first things she does when she accepts a commission is to see where the mosaic will be placed.…

Materially Speaking

1
Anne-Claire van den Elshout: Icarus 25:22

15 weeks ago25:22

25:22

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Dutch artist Anne-Claire trained and worked as a lawyer until she followed her heart to become an artist. She moved to Pietrasanta, where she lived, and worked, for 15 years. Now she divides her time between the Hague and Pietrasanta. After the pandemic she was looking for a way to capture peoples’ thoughts and emotions in order to make a three-dimensional sculpture of them in clay. Having discovered that a traditional scanner was unable to grab the emotion she saw in a split second, Anne-Claire was happy to meet Claudio Giustiniani of ArtaxLab in Pietrasanta, who showed her how he used 30 Nikon cameras in conjunction with a 3-D printer. Working with Claudio she could get what she wanted and began her project to capture the emotions around the experience of COVID-19 called My Collection of Souls. To create her My Collection of Souls Anne-Claire talked to the person about COVID-19 and, at the exact moment she saw their strongest expression, she pressed the button on the cameras. Claudio and she discuss in this episode how they created the work - from taking the photograph through to the finished collection. Another collaboration Anne-Claire made was with photographer Gail Skoff. Gail came to this part of Italy in 2017 to photograph the quarries of Carrara but soon became fascinated by the artists working in marble. When she met Anne-Claire they instantly clicked, and embarked on a collaboration with Gail’s photographic collage technique. Gail likes to enter the world of the artist and elaborate on their process, creating more of an impression of the artist's work rather than its ultimate reality. Anne-Claire tells us how it was working with Gail and how happy she was to have Icarus flying. From her childhood, Anne-Claire was inspired by how Michelangelo expressed such soft emotions in hard marble. Below is a piece in tribute to him. Anne-Claire thought David’s victory over Goliath was an excellent metaphor for our battle and the optimism needed to succeed during COVID-19. anneclaire.nl instagram.com/anneclairevandenelshout ArtAxlab aims to build a bridge between the artisan world and digital technologies artaxlab.com instagram.com/artaxlab…

Materially Speaking

1
Usama Alnassar: I could build a theatre here 28:57

18 weeks ago28:57

28:57

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com A sculptor and painter born in Damascus, Usama tells of the impact of being brought up in Syria and of continuously dealing with people from different religions with diverse ways of looking at things. Usama’s studio space, and home, is tucked away in the shadow of the statuario marble quarries. Usama bought the space in this historic marble area because he felt an urgency to build a stone amphitheatre there. Initially he dismissed the land because he feared flooding. But he worked non-stop his first winter to build his theatre. He tells us about his childhood and how it informed the person he’s become. His uncles are both sculptors and their books on marble, in his grandmother’s library, inspired him from a young age. First he studied art in Damascus, where he carved in wood, and then he came to Carrara to study sculpting in marble. Usama talks about his relationship with nature and his love of plants. He grew up in Syria with a family garden of fruit and vegetables, and always loved working in nature. He has planted many trees and plants in his Carrara home. Many of Usama’s pieces are inspired by immigration There’s a wall of marble blocks sculpted with luggage handles, straps and zips. He tells how immigrants who used to carry lots of luggage now find their luggage has become much smaller, sometimes even just a mobile phone. Usama created a series of sculptures of women depicting the life of women in the Middle East and their freedom to travel around. His sculptures explore how women have sometimes been transformed by religion into more of an icon than a person, and how this can also become a prison. However, they often find virtual freedom through the internet. This piece is a woman on one side and on the other side a horse, her hair represents an extension of her thoughts. Usama loves teaching and sharing his skills whilst allowing his students to develop their own personalities in their work. alnassar.it instagram.com/alnassarsculpture…

Materially Speaking

1
John Fisher: Carving lines 12:26

26 weeks ago12:26

12:26

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Originally from Oregon, John moved around America a lot as a child. Although he was not formally schooled as an artist, he received his education at a young age while travelling with his family through Europe and the Middle East. There he took in many of the great works of antiquity. John came to sculpture in his thirties from a background in painting, and very quickly began carving monumental pieces which he was able to sell. It was at this time that he experienced a revelation when he began to imagine how stone carvers worked in the past. Although this technique is much less practised nowadays, he believes that for thousands of years sculptors worked without eye protection. They discovered what John refers to as profile carving. John describes himself as a direct, flexible, profile carver. The first piece John mentions is a big reclining figure which earned John enough money to allow him to come back to Pietrasanta and work. Recently the owner of that piece died and John was able to buy it back in an auction. John also tells of the gravestone he carved which is in the cemetery of Querceta, near Pietrasanta which is a Pieta of 5 life-size figures. Another piece, a pair of lovers, John carved from a special piece of marble he had kept for 16 years. As he was carving the embrace he had a moving experience as he felt them pushing themselves into each other, as though they couldn’t get close enough. Now John divides his time between the Redwood forests of California and Pietrasanta - drawing inspiration from the world around. He acknowledges a great debt to the cavatore, the quarrymen. Without quarrymen, artists don’t have the material to work with. johnfishersculpture.com instagram.com/giovannipescatore51…

Materially Speaking

1
Sandy Oppenheimer: Painting with paper 18:10

27 weeks ago18:10

18:10

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Sandy first came to Italy to be with her partner, the sculptor John Fisher, and enjoyed the influences of the Italian Renaissance, and the detailed work of the Baroque. From observing the sculptors she learned about shadow and light, negative shape and profile lines. However, she was offered a three month artist residency in a paper making village in Japan where she discovered an economy of stroke and a muted palette which inspired her to develop her work with paper. Gail and I met Sandy at Pescarella studios, in Vallechia, on the road from Pietrasanta towards Carrara. As we entered the large studio space, Sandy was calmly taping collages onto the wall, for a pop-up exhibition she was staging. Her beautiful collages feature fruits, wine bottles and inviting cups of cappuccino - with froth you can almost taste. There’s a three dimensional effect on wooden spoons that she has created with papers of different shades. On another work a tower of coffee cups leans so precariously I want to reach out and save them. Beside Sandy there’s a table heaped with fine, plain and patterned, papers carefully arranged by colour. She shows us some samples of the paper and talks about how they are made and tells us about her techniques. Sandy speaks about an ongoing series of womens’ portraits called Women in the World. In this project she aims to honour and recognise struggles and successes of notable women who have made a special contribution to the world. This life-long series includes visual artists, actors, musicians, scientists and political activists. On her birthday Sandy does a collage self-portrait to reflect on the year behind and the one ahead. She talks about her childhood and the words of wisdom she took from her father who escaped Germany in WW2 and came to America. sandyoppenheimercollage.com instagram.com/sandyoppenheimer…

Materially Speaking

1
Notre-Dame: An acoustic reconstruction 45:31

1 year ago45:31

45:31

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com On 15th April, 2019 a catastrophic fire broke out in Notre Dame Cathedral. Parisians watched in horror as the spire fell and most of the roof was destroyed. In the aftermath it became clear that a large area was contaminated with toxic dust and lead. The iconic building, which has dominated the Île de la Cité island in Paris since the Middle Ages, is a national symbol not only for the French but for people all over the world. President Macron pledged to build back the cathedral as it was before, and as the planned reopening in December 2024 looms, a huge office structure has mushroomed around it and 500 workers are on site daily as the team race to rebuild it. The eyes of the world are watching, but Materially Speaking has a story for our ears - the story of its sound. As a sound specialist himself, Mike Axinn was fascinated when he discovered there is a group exploring the restoration of the acoustics at Notre Dame. He approached Brian F.G. Katz and David Poirier-Quinot at the Sorbonne, and their colleague, sound archeologist Mylène Pardoen, who is co-coordinator with Brian of the scientific acoustics team assisting the reconstruction of Notre Dame, and soon we were off to Paris to hear their stories. We first met Brian and David at a restaurant and then visited their simulator inside the Sorbonne to discover more. Notre Dame has a special role in western European music’s history and is generally thought of as the cradle of polyphony. Sarah was attracted to this angle as her father, Christopher Monk , was part of the Early Music movement which restored the use of the Renaissance cornett, a woodwind instrument well known in Monteverdi’s music. He also made and played serpents, long snake-shaped instruments that had a central role in music that was performed in Notre Dame many centuries ago. So she approached Volny Hostiou, one of France’s leading serpent players, and we were delighted when he and singer Thomas Van Essen agreed to join us in Paris for some experiments with Brian and David. We then jumped on a train to Lyon to meet with Mylène Pardoen and learn more about her work as one of the world’s foremost sound archaeologists, tasked with recording the sounds made by stone masons and other artisans in their work, and re-imagining the church’s soundscape at various points in its history. A key person driving the physical restoration is Pascal Prunet, Chief architect of historic monuments in France and part of the team in charge of restoring Notre-Dame. Prunet explains that their work in restoring the church has revealed many secrets about its construction and the work done by artisans. We were fortunate to hear how his team was able to discover things they never would have learned had it not been for the fire. As we obviously could not go inside Notre-Dame, Volny and Thomas then kindly arranged for us to hear them play in the Abbey of Rouen , built on a similar scale to nearby Rouen Cathedral, the abbey is famous for both its architecture and its large, unaltered Cavaillé-Coll organ. Here they talked to us about the serpent and their group Les Meslanges, showed us a serpent fresco on the ceiling of the Abbey and played in three different locations. Finally Mike takes us back to Brian and David’s simulator to compare and contrast the sound of the musicians live in the Abbey of Rouen, and their simulated version of how the music would sound at different historical periods of Notre-Dame’s history. Thanks also to Frédéric Ménissier who made a great video recording of our visit to the Abbaye of Rouen. You will be able to watch the result on YouTube @materiallyspeakingpodcast nearer the scheduled reopening of Notre Dame, in December 2024. Thanks and links We are very grateful to Brian, David, Mylène, Pascal, Volny and Thomas for giving so generously of their time and sharing their expertise and passion. You can learn more about their projects in the following links. Brian F.G. Katz & David Poirier-Quinot Brian Katz, originally from the U.S., is an acoustics specialist and leads the Sound Spaces research team. David Poirier-Quinot works with Brian and is a researcher, presently focused on sound spatialisation, perception, and room acoustics simulation for virtual and augmented realities. Beginning mid April 2024, The Past Has Ears project is launching Whispers of Notre Dame, ‘Ekko of Notre-Dame de Paris’, an immersive audio guide that transports listeners through time and space to the heart of Paris's most treasured landmark. Free on Google Play, Android and iOS. It can be listened to anywhere, but is best with GPS onsite at Notre Dame. ndwhispers.pasthasears.eu Mylène Pardoen Musicologist and soundscape archaeologist Mylène records and recreates the sounds of the past. She is a scientific expert for the restoration of Notre-Dame - Co-coordinator of the Acoustics group. She is also designer, coordinator and manager of the Bretez and ESPHAISTOSS projects. Pascal Prunet Chief architect of Historic Monuments responsible for the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris is noted for his work in the restoration of the Cathedrals of Paris, Nantes, Limoges, Nîmes, Arras and Cambrai, as well as the Opéra Garnier in Paris , Le Corbusier 's Villa Savoye and the Citadel of Lille. prunet-architecture.com Volny Hostiou & Thomas Van Essen Musicians specialising in performing compositions that were written for, and often performed for the first time in, Notre-Dame. Volny teaches tuba and serpent at the Rouen Conservatoire and creates projects in collaboration with the Musée de la Musique de Paris. Thomas is a musicologist, flautist and singer, dedicated to early music and founded Les Meslanges , one of the early music ensembles Volny plays in. Les Meslanges is supported by the French Ministry of Culture, the Regional Arts Council of Normandy, the Normandy Regional Government and the Rouen City Council. The ensemble is a member of FEVIS – the Federation of Specialised Vocal and Instrumental Ensembles. Credits Producer: Sarah Monk Producer/Editor: Mike Axinn Music: courtesy of Les Meslanges - Thomas van Essen & Volny Hostiou…

Materially Speaking

1
Viareggio Carnival 2024: Confetti in their blood 28:29

1 year ago28:29

28:29

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com The flags are out, the bunting too, and the red and white mascot Burlamacco is everywhere as Viareggio eagerly awaits the start of Carnival. The trees are heavy with oranges, the sweet fried dough, chiacchiere , are in the pastry shops - there’s excitement in the air! Dating back to 1873, Viareggio’s Carnival attracts thousands of visitors each year to watch the enormous, intricate papier-mâché sculptures dance their way along the seaside promenade. From September through March the Citta del Carnevale - a circular complex with 16 hangars - is a hub of energy for the artisan community using boat-making skills from Viareggio, and artistic creativity from Pietrasanta. Last year we learnt how they use newspaper, along with flour and water paste, to create papier-mâché floats. But between the audience watching and the artists creating, there’s another community: hundreds of volunteers or 'figurants' who turn up to rehearse, rain or shine, each weekend, to form the colourful dancing troupes in front of the floats. So Mike and I are here to revisit the LeBigre family on the 20th anniversary of their La Compagnia del Carnevale to learn why their 200 volunteers return each year, and what impact one creative project can have on the wider community. For this episode we are also proud to collaborate with Celia & Enzo of Piazza Talk Lucca - a popular YouTube channel sharing how life is in Lucca, and in the Tuscan hills. Celia, a book restorer, and Enzo, a sea captain dived right in to volunteer behind the scenes with the Le Bigre family creating papier-mâché items for the float. Check out the videos they made of their behind the scenes experience volunteering with the Le Bigre family on their YouTube channel . Links Carnival parades run through the end of February 2024. You can also visit the Cittadella museum during the rest of the year. Viareggio carnival info & tickets instagram.com/compagnia_del_carnevale Celia & Enzo Youtube: Piazza Talk Lucca instagram.com/piazzatalklucca facebook.com/piazzatalklucca Le Bigre viareggio.ilcarnevale.com Benjamin Le Bigre’s theatre group in Paris instagram.com/elodielebigre_babskin instagram.com/benleb Credits Producer: Sarah Monk Producer/Editor: Mike Axinn Music : courtesy of Audio Network Gypsy World , Haris Custovic Special thanks to Linda Nari for sharing her vibrant photos Carnevale 2024 Facebook post instagram.com/lindajezsek…

Materially Speaking

1
Gabriele Gelatti: Like an insect 25:27

1 year ago25:27

25:27

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Gabriele talks to us about his upbringing in Genoa, his self-taught artistic training, his love for the history of art, and for photography. He explains the process of creating pebble mosaics, including the selection of stones and the use of lime mortar. He also discusses the importance of preserving the skills and techniques of mosaic making and the impact of climate change on the availability of materials. We met Gabriele in a city park called Campo Pisano – where Genoa once beat Pisa at the battle of Meloria, and confined more than 9,000 prisoners. Here he is restoring a memorial mosaic which was first made by Gabriele’s teacher Armando Porta. Further info and images on Wikipedia . For many centuries Genoa wielded enormous power as a maritime republic and was considered one of the wealthiest cities in the world. On our way to Gabriele’s studio he showed us the narrow streets and wonderful architecture, with layers of history. Liguria, is a region of northern Italy; a narrow strip bordered by sea on one side and densely wooded mountains on the other. The air here smells of salt from the sea, minerals from the rocks, and pine from the hills. Its traditional crafts are mostly inspired by materials from the sea and forests. Gabriele emphasises the need to pass on the craft to future generations. Gabriele's work is driven by his deep connection to nature and a desire to create beautiful and sustainable art. mosaicidiciottoli.it facebook.com/mosaicidiciottoli…

Materially Speaking

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Robin Bell: Pioneers and famous Canadians 22:37

1 year ago22:37

22:37

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com We settle down to chat outside Robin Bell’s home at a sheltered table with a spectacular view of the sea, from Pisa to La Spezia, and the never ending horizon. An exterior storage space against a yellow wall reveals shelves laden with maquettes and sculptures in various stages of completion. Robin discusses his move from working with marble to bronze and his focus on creating larger sculptures. He shares stories about some of his notable commissions, including sculptures of Winston Churchill, Ulysses and the hockey star and Canadian politician, Ken Dryden. Robin talks about his Irish heritage and how he loves telling stories through his sculptures. He also describes his working process and how he immerses himself in the characters he sculpts. He recounts the preparations he took to sculpt a Canadian cutting horse called Peppy San, which took three years to make. Coming from a military family involved Robin in much travelling and he acknowledges the influence his grandfather’s pioneering spirit had on him. He reflects on how attached he is to the view of the horizon over the sea from his house near Pietrasanta. Nowadays Robin creates a drawing daily, which he posts on social media. instagram.com/bellrobinch Robin Bell on Facebook…

Materially Speaking

1
Janice Mehlman: Come fly with me 21:31

1 year ago21:31

21:31

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com The long, narrow, glass-walled studio of Janice Mehlman is perched half way up the steep garden of her home, on a hillside near Pietrasanta. Many of her abstract photographs are hung on crisp white walls, and she welcomes us inside to look at some of her work from the last 30 years. She explains how she started as a photographer, focusing on black-and-white images of architecture. After creating an image that captured a chance moment of light on a discarded photographic proof in her waste bin, she started to incorporate objects into her compositions. She shows us her workbench, where she finds inspiration. When light from the window shines in, it illuminates a cornucopia of materials in every colour and texture. We see swimwear, hats, netting and fluorescent wrapping – all glittering in the morning sun. Janice explains how her work has evolved over the years, particularly in relation to her exploration of her sensuality and sexuality as a woman. She talks about using her own intimate garments and other objects to create compositions that reflect her inner soul. She also recounts how her work has responded to different experiences, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and shows us a few pieces from that series. We hear how she was inspired by a disastrous trip to Chicago to create one of her most acclaimed series of work, choosing to find the positive even in adversity. janicemehlman.org instagram.com/janicemehlman…

Materially Speaking

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Steaven Richard: Paris - Artsmithing 19:32

2 years ago19:32

19:32

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Steaven Richard evolved his craft as an apprentice to several artisan blacksmiths over many years and in many countries, before establishing his own atelier in Paris specialising in artistic metalwork Soon demand for his work, from architects and designers, grew - and he needed more space. To accommodate this, he moved to a large warehouse in Valenton and expanded his team of blacksmiths and metalworkers who combine traditional skills, and new technology. Atelier Steaven Richard has become famous for its artistic metalwork. Prestigious designs include a bespoke metal floor for the studio of Karl Lagerfeld, the elevator doors for the Hotel de Paris in Monaco, and a ‘Steaven Richard’ limited edition bottle for Remy Martin. We started to interview him in front of his wall of gorgeous wall samples in a colourful array of textures, patinas and designs and then went through to the workshops. And we also tour his huge hangar-like workshop, which is buzzing with activity and the thrum of machinery. Enormous shelves hold sheets of carefully-labelled metals. There’s large-scale equipment, and workers hand-finishing on long benches. It’s artisans work on a grand-scale. We see some samples of his finished work. Mike Axinn and I took the train 50 km south of Paris, through the suburbs, to the dense wooded area of Bois le Roi, next to the forest of Fontainebleau. As the train slowed into the station, a bright blue sky is visible above the dense forest of wintry trees, and we see the lanky figure of Steaven waiting on the platform to greet us. steavenrichard.fr instagram.com/ateliersteavenrichard…

Materially Speaking

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Xavier Montoy: Paris - Sternocera aequisignata 24:11

2 years ago24:11

24:11

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Xavier Montoy grew up in a family of doctors and was always keen on biology. When he chose an artistic route he wanted to focus attention on endangered insects to highlight how we should honour and conserve them. As part of our Paris series, Mike Axinn and I go to the 11th arrondissement of Paris to meet Xavier and see how he creates jewellery with the Sternocera beetle. Sternocera aequisignata live in Southeast Asia, especially in northeast Thailand. Their life cycle is two years, of which the period when they live above ground and reproduce and then die, lasts only a few weeks. Once a year, in September and October, villagers harvest and sort the elytra (fore-wings), and then Xavier sources them for his work. Xavier’s workshop is in the artisan complex at the Cité des Taillandiers, in rue des Taillandiers, where around twenty artists and artisans have workspaces thanks to an initiative of the mayor of the 11th who is working to support historic craft activities in the arrondissement. In his shared, neat workspace we find a magical display-box of beetles and butterflies, a case of jewellery tools and some 3D printing equipment. On a high shelf are some sheets of the precious material he has created from beetles in bright iridescent colours. xaviermontoy.com instagram.com/xavier_montoy…

Materially Speaking

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Judith Kraft: Paris - Early instrument maker 25:50

2 years ago25:50

25:50

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Judith’s workshop is in the 10th arrondissement, tucked away in a courtyard behind huge iron gates where tall white buildings house workshops, and motorbikes and cars are squeezed against the walls. There are lines of plants in terracotta pots and a small white dog. Judith greets us in her office where a history of her instruments line one wall – some with painted gold detail and others with fine marquetry work in wood. She makes instruments on commission for professional and amateur musicians, ranging from promising students through to well-established performers, from all over the world. She also creates instruments for Swiss and French music conservatories and does restoration work on old viols. In her light and airy workshops, we find a large store of seasoned wood including many triangular shapes ready to form the instrument, and shelves holding a rich assortment of spirits, glues and waxes. She speaks about how she sources the wood in the Jura and how you can tell the age of the wood in an old instrument, and judge the climate over the years, through the stripes you see in the wood. There’s a half finished instrument in a vice on a workbench and Judith runs through the process of creating her instruments for us, each of which takes a couple of months to complete. All the tools of Judith’s craft line the walls, including a fine selection of blades. Judith talks of the pleasure both of making the instruments, and of hearing them play in the hands of their final owner. judithkraft.net In 2018, Judith Kraft was named Maître d’Art by the French Minister of Culture.…

Materially Speaking

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Sylvain Maenhout: Paris - Forging a new life 24:25

2 years ago24:25

24:25

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Sylvain always loved cooking and when he discovered a passion for working with metal and wood he trained so he could create kitchen knives for chefs. Mike Axinn and I travelled to Paris to meet four artisans. In the first of our series we talk with Sylvain Maenhout who took the decision to retrain as an artisan in his late 30s. Becoming an artisan has given him the ability to work from home and have a more balanced, family-centred life. Finding workspace in Paris has become increasingly expensive and, as in most cities, there are restrictions on noise and dust. So Sylvain Maenhout made the move to an eastern suburb, 10 kilometres out of town in Nogent sur Marne. We chatted with Sylvain about his background, and how he worked in business before choosing a different path as a blacksmith making kitchen knives. We visited Sylvain’s workshops – the first dedicated to metal work which had a 1950s rolling mill, anvil & hammer, and hydraulic press. He tells of his passion for forging and how he loves working both with metal and with wood. He explains how he sources his materials – steel from Germany and wood from suppliers who have already seasoned it. Then we go down to the basement workspace where he has a space for woodwork and knife assembly. In the house’s former coal room he shows us where he does the heat treatments, and sharpens the knives with Japanese wet stones. Sylvain tells about the range of knives he creates and his experiences talking with professional chefs and private customers. sylvain-m.fr instagram.com/sylvain.m.coutelier…

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on form: On stone 45:32

3 years ago45:32

45:32

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com on form is an exhibition of sculptures in stone held every other summer at Asthall Manor, Oxfordshire. Discover what goes on during its installation. Creative director, Rosie Pearson tells us about the finials by Anthony Turner on her gateposts which she commissioned in 2000, and how these sowed the seeds for creating on form. We hear from the curator, Anna Greenacre, about how she and Rosie choose artists through studio visits, then work alongside them to select pieces for the exhibition. She describes how her master wall-planner acts as a powerful tool in helping to place sculptures to their best advantage in the garden. In this episode you’ll hear some of the sculptors sharing their thoughts about what they love about working with stone and what work they are presenting at on form this year. on form is created with love and encourages visitors to wander and absorb the beauty of the sculpture and know that there is no need to understand what it means, just enjoy it. Resident animals, with bags of character, include Lovage, the not-quite Jack Russell and Ziggy the cat with a half black, half white face. In the weeks before opening, the sculptors descend in groups to install their work, many staying a few nights in the beautiful house and creating a core team to help other sculptors unpack and place their work. We recorded this podcast when installation was in full swing and share the behind-the-scenes stories of how the community of artists, staff, gardeners – and even neighbours with tractors – all played their part. Rosie considers herself a custodian of the 18 acres of nature and is committed to biodiversity. She works with ecologist Tim Mitchell, who is running the walled garden as a food-share scheme: ‘some for the birds, some for the bugs and some for us’. We also hear from head gardener, Owen Vaughan, who brings to perfect readiness the 100% organic garden, originally designed and planted by Isabel and Julian Bannerman in 1998, for the four long weekends of on form. The 2022 exhibition of on form runs from 12 June to 10 July – open Wednesday to Sundays (closed Monday and Tuesday) – book tickets online . onformsculpture.co.uk instagram.com/on_form_sculpture Thanks to all the contributors to this programme: Rosie Pearson, creative director Anna Greenacre, curator Owen Vaughan, head gardener Deandra Barrett, administrative assistant Annie Taylor, Rosie’s daughter Thanks to the sculptors: Sergio Baroni Rob Good Lotte Thuenker Jason Mulligan Richard Perry Christine Madies Jaya Schuerch Mark Stonestreet Ben Russell Credits Sound edit and design: Mike Axinn Music: licensed from Epidemic Sound I Will Hold Onto You (instrumental version), Garden Friend…

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Flavia Robalo: Dreaming 20:28

3 years ago20:28

20:28

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com From a very young age Flavia drew and painted. She was always asking everyone around her for paper and colours because drawing was her language and her refuge. It was her way of processing everything that happened to her, much as some people use writing. Flavia is inspired by her childhood and her work often ends up being self-portraits. Even if she tries to invent different characters behind her pieces, they always end up being her. Flavia is fond of working with wood and says that although there are similarities between wood and marble they have subtly different languages. She describes how wood, being easier to handle and able to be moved around without asking for help, makes it a material that guarantees her more independence. Flavia co-founded La Polveriera, one of the last remaining studios in the centre of Pietrasanta, with her childhood friend Veronica Fonzo . But when the building was sold to developers, Flavia set up a new studio on the edge of Pietrasanta called Tre Luci. Here she and a handful of colleagues can work in peace without complaints about noise or dust. The founding members each have an inside studio to show their work and create dust-free pieces, and an outdoor workshop for everything else. There are also some outdoor spaces available for guests to rent. Some members of Tre Luci include have also been featured on Materially Speaking including Jim Hager , Jacob Cartwright and Rita Meier . Unfortunately Flavia’s show in Florence mentioned in the podcast has come and gone, but for more up-to-date information on her work check out: flaviarobalo.com instagram.com/flaviarobalo This episode refers to: Anna Stella Belli , linguist and art curator Studio La Polveriera Franco Cervietti Tre Luci…

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Veronica Fonzo: Growth 26:41

3 years ago26:41

26:41

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Veronica was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where her mother taught drawing and painting. She learned alongside her mother’s students, discovered clay and soon started creating small animals and other subjects from nature. By the time she was a teenager it was clear that art was her path. She came to Pietrasanta, along with childhood friend Flavia Robalo, to learn how to carve marble. They fell in love with the area and when Martin Foot introduced them to the ex-Cervietti studios they joined him there. Gradually they took over running the space and founded La Polveriera studios, known for its strong community of artists and holding special events. La Polveriera was on the site of one of the last remaining historic studios in the centre of Pietrasanta where artisans had carved marble for more than 100 years. Franco Cervietti had his studio there for 40 years, and when he moved to bigger premises he left his large collection of historic gessos in the attic. Recent members of La Polveriera whose stories have been featured on Materially Speaking including Jim Hager , Neil Ferber , Jake Cartwright and Rita Meier . Veronica often creates centaurs, firstly because she loves animals and feels at one with them, secondly because she is especially fond of the centaur Chiron, who was the first educator in mythology. She often depicts children with the centaurs. Sometimes the centaurs carry the children, sometimes the children become the centaurs – gentle and sweet but also determined and independent. She is inspired by the child inside all of us, learning and moving forward, and growing with our intuition. Veronica’s most frequent themes are childhood, education and growth. Veronica also creates paintings and sculptures of children and animals, particularly dogs. Sadly La Polveriera studios closed at the end of 2020, but Veronica has now created her own studio space immersed in nature and next to her home where she is able to concentrate on developing her own work. Her themes are the same but she is experimenting with new techniques such as using robots and creating centaurs with very thin legs. She remains very close with her friends from La Polveriera. veronicafonzo.com instagram.com/veronicafonzo This episode refers to: Anna Stella Belli , linguist and art curator Studio La Polveriera Franco Cervietti…

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Filippo dalle Luche: Key to the future 15:57

4 years ago15:57

15:57

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Filippo is a vivacious 24-year-old student at Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara which was founded in 1769 by Maria Teresa Cybo, princess of Carrara, to support the marble industry. The Academy was founded with two schools: sculpture and architecture, but over the centuries painting, scenography, decoration and graphics were added. However, Filippo has chosen to specialise in the most recent addition: new art technologies, founded in 1999, which trains artists in digital media skills. Filippo has lived his whole life in Monteggiori, a small fortified medieval village dating back to 1224, perched above Pietrasanta with a strategic view over the Versilia plains and the sea. As cars are forbidden, everyone has to walk up the steep cobbled path carrying their provisions, and if anyone urgently needs the hospital you’ll see men bobbing down over the cobbles bearing them on a stretcher. There’s a brown dog on duty in the car park and many feisty cats which wander from house to house demanding food and attention. It’s a close-knit and colourful community. Filippo’s parents run La Bottega dell’Arte, and being experts in the traditional arts of gilding and silvering, restore furniture, picture frames and antiques. Using these skills they have done restoration projects for the church of San Stefano in Monteggiori. Meanwhile, Filippo straddles both the old world and the new. This is reflected in the two projects he’s chosen for his course theses, both of which he hopes will give something back to his village. His first thesis will explore how the digital revolution could help modernise the exhibition space of Monteggiori Arte, a cultural association and gallery space located in an historic home. The gallery can be found as you walk up into the village next to the frescoed arch, with a dragon by artist Tano Pisano, weaving in and out of its walls. For the second thesis, Filippo uses 3D technology to create a spare key for San Stefano church. He presents the key to the priest during a special Sunday service and in a slideshow on his iPad (set within a gilded picture frame devised in his parents’ workshop) shows the congregation how the various stages of reverse engineering created the key. LinkedIn: /filippodalleluche Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara…

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Julia Vance: Letters and words 28:23

4 years ago28:23

28:23

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com With abstract calligraphic lines, Julia Vance creates sculptural forms in white Italian Statuario marble. She tells us how she created a modern altar , font and pulpit for a new church in Hønefoss, Norway, which replaced the previous church which had burnt down. In this episode, Julia describes a piece she was finishing called Passage to Knowledge . Carved in black granite, this monumental sculpture is like a huge letter Q, signifying a question. It comprises a circle with a tail, and is a portal you can pass through. Julia believes the value of questions is far more important than students being filled up with answers. Passage to Knowledge was unveiled in the schoolyard of the newly opened Flesberg school , Norway, in September 2019. Julia created the piece to honour curiosity and encourage children to engage and play with it . Another work which plays with calligraphic forms is HOLD #2 . This sculpture is inspired by the sweeping lines and curves of the letters H, L and D. The piece invites you to curl up inside the cavity and become the missing letter O. Before going on display in Holland Park, London, HOLD #2 was shown in front of the Norwegian Parliament. The sculpture group WE-ME #5 was inspired by the idea that the word ‘me’ can easily be turned upside-down to form a ‘we’, much the same way an individual ‘me’ can join a group and become part of a ‘we’. First displayed in 2014 in front of Oslo Central station, the piece has wheels fastened to the side allowing members of the public to rotate the words. Since 2005 Julia has divided her time between Norway and Italy, creating her letter- and word-inspired sculptures. Having spent most of the pandemic in Norway, she is looking forward to returning to her studio in Pietrasanta to work on new commissions. juliavance.no instagram.com/juliavance1 Royal Society of Sculptors…

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Guus Jooss: Serious play 23:19

4 years ago23:19

23:19

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Guus Jooss lives in Holland but comes to Pietrasanta in Italy for several months a year to work in marble. Guus used to work as a museum teacher and researcher in the Netherlands when he wasn’t creating his own art. Before that, he went to an art academy in Utrecht for a year, but mostly learnt about sculpture through doing the work himself. He also did some teaching and found himself describing for his students skills that he didn’t realise he’d learnt. When working in marble he considers himself rather old-fashioned as his heroes are artists of earlier generations: Henry Moore , Constantin Brâncuși , Alberto Viani , Isamu Noguchi and Hans Arp , all of whom had a classical, figurative, training but then moved on to pure form. He likes the honesty of one form made in one material. With an affinity to antiquity, Guus makes collages that reference his love of history. Old civilizations that are lost are recreated by him in images which look a little like tapestries or Persian rugs. He’s fascinated by the regularity of geometric patterns that Islamic artists made in the sixth and seventh centuries. He talks us through his process and the way he expresses the layers of history. Guus tells how Homo Ludens , a book by Dutch historian and cultural theorist Johan Huizinga, explains the importance of play in society. Like Huizinga, Guus believes that adult creativity should be approached with the same urgency that a child approaches play, that is to say, as a matter of life and death. A keen swimmer, Guus found that open water swimming strengthened his lungs after what may, or may not have been, a dose of Covid. At the beginning of lockdown he enjoyed the chance to focus on work, but the need for a hug finally forced him to admit that isolation was actually a difficult experience. Since this episode was recorded in September 2020, we’ve had another winter of lockdown. Like others who moved out of towns and cities during the pandemic, Guus relocated from Utrecht to the countryside where he has fresher air and more studio space. guusjooss.nl…

Materially Speaking

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Badriah Hamelink: Absolute power 23:44

4 years ago23:44

23:44

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Badriah Hamelink comes from a family of Dutch intellectuals. Her mother is a professor, while her father is the poet and writer Jaques Hamelink . Her grandmother founded the first Arab study centre in the Netherlands. Her own artistic development however has leant more towards the intuitive than the rational, and when she followed her nose to Pietrasanta she sought mentoring from the artist Armen Agop . Badriah also credits Martin Foot who taught her many carving techniques. Badriah’s abstract style explores the essence of our existence, and what lies beneath it. The piece A3A is visible from both sides. The two objects act as a duet and, as is often the case with kindred spirits, the apparent similarity of the objects also directs the viewers’ attention to their minute differences. Recently Badriah had a near-fatal accident due to a four-and-a-half metre fall resulting in heavy concussion. While recovering, she started playing around with and reworking old images she’d taken, by ‘mirroring’ some of them. What she discovered led her to an awareness of the importance of reflection and symmetry as a way of expressing the qualities of balance and equanimity. Badriah found that if you held a shape against a mirror you immediately see something organic – even the most inorganic surface will seem to produce an organism in front of your eyes. It’s what our minds are wired to do. The first piece that Badriah made after her accident was PROLIFERATIO which consists of a block of two tons of salt, split in half and a cast of the rupture in black polyester. Where the pure and natural salt has opened up, the black synthetic proliferates out of its core, as if a tumour growing at the same speed as the mineral. It seems to suggest: ‘At the moment of birth our death is born as well’ which, Badriah says, is the only certainty we have. This work is currently in the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art Sotto Sale, Sicily. The relief, A5B.2, was inspired by photographs from the Hubble deep space telescope of two extraordinarily thin galaxies, NGC 4452 and OPO 0624. Badriah created a heightmap of the visual data and based a sculpture on it’s features. The work re-materializes the far-away light sources to throw a rippling onto the physical surface. In 2017 Badriah founded Atelier BSH which continues to produce her artworks in stone and metal. Her work has been displayed in galleries and museums in New York, Luxembourg, Stockholm, Milan, Prague, Hawaii and Amsterdam. Constantly experimenting with new materials and always driven to further her career as an artist, Badriah recently applied herself to learning the ancient Japanese art of stone splitting. badriah-hamelink.com instagram.com/badriah_hamelink…

Materially Speaking

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Neil Ferber: Carvers or modellers 22:34

4 years ago22:34

22:34

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Born in Wales, Neil Ferber started his creative life making models and objects in his parents’ garden shed. After art college he made his way to Italy with his wife, writer Kathleen Jones , where he discovered the artist community working in marble and based himself in several of the studios there. At the time of our interview he was packing-up from Studio La Polveriera in Pietrasanta and now mainly works in Cumbria at his Mill studios . Neil’s sculptures are abstract and often architectural or geometric in form, initially created in clay or wax before being cast in a variety of more permanent materials. He composes fully three-dimensional pieces where no one view dominates, all being of equal interest. Neil’s work is held in private collections in Italy, Sweden, England and the USA. Neil speaks of his friendship with Italian-born Fiore de Henriquez in Peralta . She was sculptor to the famous, a flamboyant character and proud hermaphrodite who created portrait sculptures of John F Kennedy, Igor Stravinsky and the Queen Mother and is credited for introducing Cubist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz to Pietrasanta. In love with clay , a film of her life by Richard Whymark, tells more of her story. Our interview took place in il CRO di Pietrasanta, an historic workers’ restaurant which has fed generations of artisans and remains a meeting place for artists. On the walls frames have been painted in which artists can sketch their contributions, while live music nights are a popular fixture here. neilferber.co.uk instagram.com/neil_ferber…

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Cynthia Sah: We are all connected 32:08

4 years ago32:08

32:08

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Cynthia Sah was born in Hong Kong and studied in the USA. She first came to Italy in 1978 to study and came back soon after to learn with the artisans. She has stayed ever since and now works in a studio complex with her partner, Nicolas Bertoux . Inspired by the form, movement and colours that nature gives us, Cynthia tells how she always looks for the spine in a piece. She loves how the energy of a wave – of water, sound or wind – reminds her that we are all connected. Gallery spaces being altogether different to her studio environment, Cynthia prefers to settle her pieces into their new home personally. But lockdown entailed her having to learn to curate a show long-distance this year. Here she describes the process. Cynthia creates public art for all over the world. She talks about a special commission she did for a grieving daughter in memory of her father, called Balance & Counterbalance . Underpinning her public art is the idea that sculptures should be friendly and invite you to touch or sit on them. Finally Cynthia takes me to their basement, and what was originally a trout farm feeding the Medicis in the Palace opposite. This breathtaking long gallery is now their exhibition space, where they host events for their non-profit foundation, Arkad. cynthiasah.it instagram.com/charnyucynthia…

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Anne Shingleton: Animal magic 35:47

4 years ago35:47

35:47

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com After studying zoology, then going to art school in Bournemouth, Anne tells how it was the traditional teaching of Signorina Simi in Florence that made her feel she was finally in the right place. Anne stayed in touch with her fellow students who learnt with the artist and teacher Nera Simi (1890–1987) alongside her in the 1980s. Even when it was seen as out of fashion, Nera Simi continued to teach by the atelier method having learnt it from her father, Filadelfo Simi who had studied under Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904). This link with the past gave Anne a close connection to the classic academic traditions of the late 1800s. Recently she felt moved to do a bust of her highly esteemed teacher which she called simply, Nera Simi . Anne has lived in Italy since 1980 and developed her own painting style combining her keen sense of observation, love of animals and Renaissance drafting skills. For many years she has also been coming to Pietrasanta to cast her sculptures in the foundries. Facing the future , a bronze of a male mute swan flapping its wings after preening, is the culmination of Anne’s long-held dream to sculpt a larger-than-life-size swan. It was cast at Fonderia Artistic Mariani and in a PD F on her website she describes how the sculpture was created. During the first, strict, lockdown in Italy Anne says she felt like a prisoner in her own home. Her painting Balcony expresses the fear she experienced during this period. When it became apparent that she might be at home for some time, she decided to set achievable goals to give herself a routine. Every evening she painted the sunset from her balcony initiating a project involving the close study of light. You can read more about this on her blog . It was during this project that she noticed how each evening a passenger train passed by and the moving carriages picked up and reflected the setting sunlight. As well as the train, little glints of strong light could be glimpsed elsewhere too — on the gutterings, the aerials and the shiny-leaved magnolia tree, the top of which Anne could just include in the foreground of her painting, The 7:30 train . Anne describes the close relationship between sculptor and model, and the moment the sculpture ‘comes to life’ for the artist. She references the painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme (below). The motif is taken from Ovid’s Metamorphoses and depicts the sculptor Pygmalion kissing his statue Galatea at the moment the goddess Aphrodite brings her to life. www.anneshingleton.com instagram.com/arcshingleton…

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Nicolas Bertoux: Red Donkey 32:10

4 years ago32:10

32:10

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Originally from Paris, Nicolas first came to Carrara with his father, also a sculptor, who was working on a monumental piece at Henraux. Now he lives and works in Seravezza, northern Tuscany with his partner Cynthia Sah, in an extraordinary pre-industrial building which was once an historic sawmill, where marble was cut for the very first time by water-powered machinery. He was drawn to move to the area not because of the studios and artisans, but because of the quarries. He likens the search for raw material to buying your food at a farm instead of a supermarket. He wants to talk to the quarrymen and know the chain of production. The Wind Tree project was due to be installed just as the pandemic hit so instead of installing the piece himself Nicolas had to box it very carefully, then guide people at the other end to erect it in his absence. When Nicolas was approached by the coastguard, and forced to pay an administrative fine for a lack of paperwork, he and other sculptors created a work of protest – Protesta (Yell) . nicolasbertoux.it instagram.com/bertouxnicolas…

Materially Speaking

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Jaya Schuerch: Living Stone 27:15

4 years ago27:15

27:15

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Co-founder of Studio Pescarella near Pietrasanta, Jaya was born in California, moved to Switzerland with her family as a teenager, and later lived in Hawaii where she worked in papier-mâché, lava and basalt. In 1986 she came to Carrara attracted by the marble quarries. Jaya says ‘it’s important to me that my sculptures feel alive, pulling out the aliveness in the stone, showing the absolute connection that stone has for me with life.’ At one point in the interview Jaya explains how she experiences the difference between the white marbles of Italy, Greece and China. We also hear how important it was for her to learn skills from the artisans of Pietrasanta when she first arrived. Physics, gravity, black holes and planetary motion have long been a source of inspiration for Jaya, perhaps because of her background. As well as art, she also studied engineering, biology and botany. The theme of suspension is important to her as a metaphor for the tensions of life. In Exploded Spheres , a series of works seek to describe the release of tension. A larger scale work, Suspended Cube, shows how the tension in the cables keeps everything suspended. Jaya enjoys creating in wax, especially in winter when she can work in front of a hot wax pot. In the process of renovating her house she hurt her hand which meant wielding a hammer and chisel on white marble was not feasible until it healed. Instead, Jaya picked up some wax and created a series of original, unique sculptures, later casting them into bronzes. She reflects on the amazingly varied forms life can take, and how strange it was to have sold one of her pieces – which looked very similar to the coronavirus – to her dentist in 2019. We talked about lockdown, about the soothing qualities of baking bread and of meditation. Sound of One Hand Clapping references a Buddhist meditation mantra. Jaya used to be a sailplane instructor in the Alps and there were a few occasions when eagles would fly with her. Those experiences led her to try and capture that magical feeling of soaring within her work Flying . Jaya made Challah during the first phase of the pandemic and it references one of her favourite poems, A common woman by poet, activist, and scholar Judy Grahn . She created it as a loaf and hopes you might feel you could pull off a section of it. She finds baking a restorative process and suggests it fits well with the preoccupations of lockdown: bread being regarded as the foundation of human life – feeding yourself, your spirit, and others. jayaschuerch.com…

Materially Speaking

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Emmanuel Fillion: The art of cutting stone 42:22

4 years ago42:22

42:22

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Born in Soissons, France, Emmanuel went to trade school at the age of 16 to learn how to renovate historical monuments by hand, specialising in granite. He spent some years restoring churches, cathedrals and monuments all over France until he felt the calling to create his own work as an artist. He says women and the female form are a constant source of inspiration. Dance is a strong theme in his work and began with a homage he did for Martha Graham which lives in the outdoor sculpture garden at the Wallis Theatre in Beverly Hills, LA. The models he used from a French dance school in order to make that sculpture impressed him hugely and, he says, gave him a lifetime of inspiration, adding that he felt he was surrounded by walking sculptures. For a recent show Emmanuel made a triptych of Exaltation – one carved in white marble, another cast in polished white bronze, and the third in natural bronze with a patina. He explains how he wanted to illustrate how the same subject feels completely different when created in a different material. Emmanuel displays his extraordinary carving skills in his portrayals of Kinbaku – the Japanese art of tying rope around a person using visually intricate patterns, typically with several pieces of thin rope (often jute, hemp or linen). He believes the practice is empowering because the people are not tied in their mind, in fact they are very free. While Emmanuel was carving in white, bianco p and statuario marble, some of his black women friends asked why he didn’t sculpt black women. He says, ‘I felt like, well, I’m not going to sculpt a black woman in white marble. It kind of doesn’t make sense because part of their beauty is their colour. I mean, it’s not a colour, but it’s being black. So I went to a quarry in Belgium and purchased some beautiful black marble blocks. And it’s really an homage to them. And I hope they’re happy, but I think a lot of them, they express their contentment.’ Emmanuel describes how he was affected by the fires in California and the south of France. He admires the resilience of nature whereby a forest is reborn afterwards, growing back twice as beautiful. It was then that he started to make pieces with burnt wood. Emmanuel comes from a family with a famous painter, Jean Cousin the Elder . Cousin was a Renaissance painter who painted Eva prima Pandora in 1500, which is in the Louvre, Paris. Emmanuel and I met at Massimo Galleni Studios , who specialise in reproducing classical sculptures, just outside Pietrasanta. He also referred to Mario Tavarelli who showed Emmanuel around when he first arrived in Carrara in 1995. Mario was the owner of a marble company and had guided the novelist Irving Stone during his research for his book on Michelangelo, The Agony and the Ecstasy . emmanuelfillion.com instagram.com/fillionsculptures…

Materially Speaking

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Lucy Dickens: The way she sees it 36:10

4 years ago36:10

36:10

See pictures and read more on materiallyspeaking.com Lucy Dickens is an artist and illustrator, whose works exudes humour. Close friends since the age of three, Lucy and Sarah ramble and percolate over Lucy’s upcoming show. As a great, great granddaughter of writer Charles Dickens, writing plays an important part in Lucy’s life. Her paintings often have a narrative quality, leaving you wondering what went before, or what will happen next. As well as humour, her recent work contains a lot of vibrant colour and exuberance. After school Lucy studied fashion journalism and started as a stylist at Condé Nast, where she soon became fashion editor of Brides magazine. Her passion for materials, and how people express themselves through fashion, continues to this day. When she started her own family she began writing and illustrating childrens’ books which were published in London and New York. This May she has a show at Cricket Fine Art and as the catalogue arrived she and Sarah flick through it with Lucy explaining the background behind the pictures. She says she likes to portray groups of people and works in many mediums from oils, acrylics and gouaches, to bold graphic fabric collages. The series of Japanese paintings reflect her love of travel. Lucy often puts in a cameo appearance in her own work. A self-portrait below shows her framed within a picture At the Picasso Museum and again in Cyclists and Whippets, Hyde Park Corner where you can she her as a passenger peeping out of the back of a bus, centre left of painting. A great observer of people, lover of dogs and fan of London, Cyclist and Whippets, Hyde Park Corner speaks of Lucy’s skill to snatch a view from a bus and make it immortal. Lucy comes from a creative family. Her mother Julia Dickens paints, while her sister Sophie Dickens is a renowned sculptor whose work you can see at Sladmore Contemporary Gallery , or on her website: sophiedickens.co.uk . lucydickens.com instagram.com/lucy_mdickens…

Materially Speaking

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Back again: Series 2 2:33

4 years ago2:33