Sharon White Artist

Installation shots from The World is not the Universe exhibition

2012-01-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

Branch, Lifebuoy

Kite

Ladder

Wendyhouse

Yoyo

Blanketbox

Comforter, Yoyo

Comforter (detail)

The World is not the Universe

2011-11-15T15:42:00.000-08:00

Plane/Site Galleries @ Moxie Studios
Exhibition runs 11th - 21st November 2011
Preview 10th November 6-9pm

Press release:

Curated by Jennie Taylor

The World is not the Universe is a solo exhibition by Dublin based artist, Sharon White. The exhibition’s focus is on interpretations of fact and functionality. Each piece is based on a recognisable object e.g. a blanket, a branch, a lifebuoy. The artist transforms her subjects into versions of themselves where particular aspects of the objects’ original make-up is altered.

Sharon White's work deals with themes of metamorphisis, deterioration and regeneration. While her practice has encompassed a variety of media, it is mainly through sculpture and the use of found objects and recycled material that she makes her work. Past bodies of work have concentrated on the human body, utilising the shapes and forms as well as the personalities of found materials to replicate the structures found within our anatomy. The relationship between artefact and meaning and how this can be reordered to create a new narrative is a key concern of White, particularly for this exhibition.

Selected previous exhibitions of Sharon White's work include: Oddio, Exchange Dublin in colaboration with Aine Belton,2010. Earwig!Tuam Arts festival, various locations, Tuam Co. Galway, 2010.Shop if You Can, Look if You Want, St. Patrick's Festival Art Trail, various locations, 2010. Scribble Box, Bombhouse Gallery and Studios, group show, 2009.

Gallery opening times: Mon-Sat 12:00 - 17:00

Image: Life Buoy 2011

Garden

2011-04-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

Garden is one of my most recent pieces. I liked the idea of capturing various stages of activity within one moment. This work refers to relationships and to the variable motions of exchange we go through with others. I became fascinated by the venus fly trap- particularly its ability to attract and consume its prey. This lead me to consider dependency on others and the necessity of interaction; as well as the need to appear attractive to others and the questionable outcomes of success. This piece was recently shown as part of 'One or Several Wolves', an exhibition of work made by moxie studios' artists.

The Sea

2011-04-15T16:29:00.000-07:00

The Sea is a more recent continuation of The Sea and the Sky. Here, I was concerned more so with our capacity to navigate our way through the intricacies of life . Unlike The Sea and the Sky, none of these pieces are kinetic. Instead; Lighthouse, Compass and Fog refer to leaving behind a repetitive or stagnant situation and explore the challenges of starting anew.

prisoner

2011-04-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

Prisoner was one of the first pieces I made when I moved into my studio. Following a gap of a couple of months without space to make work, I was anxious to dive back into it but was unsure what direction I wanted to go in. This piece was a response to my artistic inertia.

The Sea and the Sky

2011-03-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

The Sea and the Sky is a body of work which deals with themes of metamorphosis, deterioration and regeneration. Comprised of found objects and recycled materials, each of the pieces has the capability of movement - turning a crank can result in the movement of a ship travelling through rough seas, the rise and subsequent crash of a wave or the flapping of wings. The constant repetition of movement in each individual piece suggests the difficulty of surpassing a particular stage. For the spectator, meaning can be interpreted in many different ways – through the familiarity, condition and appearance of the materials, as well as through the movements generated by the action.

Oddio

2011-03-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

During a recent collaborative project with artist Aine Belton ( http://ainebelton.wordpress.com/oddio/ ) entitled Oddio; everyday objects were chosen for their sound qualities. The pieces were both left in their original state and reconfigured or combined to form instruments. These instruments were then used for the production of audio tracks. The audience were encouraged to create their own sounds from the instruments as well as to find inspiration from their own surroundings. Photographs by Aine Belton.

Press release:

The title of the project is a play on the word audio and also an appropriate term for the sound sculptures or musical instruments which the artists intend to invent. The artists will work on site de-constructing and reconfiguring materials which will then be utilised for their sound qualities. The aim of the project is to promote the every day and ordinary sounds which surround us in our environments, ranging from minimal to obtrusive. Within this, the artists will combat how a ‘noise’ can be appropriated to a higher plane of appreciation. It can be said that music exists because noise exists.
Every moment of our lives we are accompanied or subjected to sound in our environments. It is with practice that we manage to tune out these intrinsic quirks. In comparison to music, noise is seen as a negative, an unattractive intrusion. With noise one associates disorder, with music we have an inherent sense of order. In an art context, the Dadaists and Futurists were first in experimenting with sound in their environments. It was with their embracement and appropriation of industrial noises that encouraged generations to explore noise music/sound art. In contemporary society the use of technology has allowed much advancement in the music industry. However, Belton and White are focusing on the raw qualities of sound from of ordinary everyday objects and found materials. The artists will investigate sound and musical
composition, creating sculptural pieces which will come together to perform a composition.
Through this project, Belton and White are addressing the idea of appropriating noise into sound. These experimental musical instrument/sculpture hybrids, while primitive in construction and aesthetic, can reveal the basic nature of a musical instrument.
Áine Belton has a background in video, sound, performance and photography. She is also a musician and plays many instruments including bass, drums and guitar which she has been playing since childhood.
Sharon White’s practice encompasses drawing and sculpture, most recently she has been working with found objects. Sharon’s work often involves disassembling objects in order to reassign a function.

Tableaux

2011-03-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

Tableaux is collection of sculptures I made in 2008 for my degree show. This body of work evolved from a series of drawings exploring the human body.I began isolating various organs and abstracting them through colour and scale.I became fascinated by the forms and shapes which are contained inside all of us and the beauty which is rarely seen.The work also addresses the importance of all these elements and the sad and unfortunate fact that most of us will fall victim to some form of malfunction – quite often brought on by our own actions or lifestyles.

Wooden 'skins' contain and unify the disparate range of found objects and recycled materials which reconstruct fragments of the body. Many of these objects already show signs of longevity and have been deemed worthless and discarded by others.

Artist Statement

2011-03-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

My work deals mainly with themes of metamorphosis, deterioration and regeneration. While my practice has encompassed a variety of media, it is mainly through sculpture and the use of found objects and recycled materials in particular that I make my work. Past bodies of work have concentrated on the human body, utilising the shapes and forms as well as the personalities of found materials to replicate the structures found within our anatomy. I enjoy the use of found and recycled materials which can be disassembled, reassembled and transformed in aesthetic and/or use. I am particularly fascinated in the relationship between artefact and meaning and how this can be reordered to create a new narrative.

Recent projects such as Oddio and The Sea and the Sky have had a much greater emphasis on physical audience participation. During a recent collaborative project with artist Aine Belton entitled Oddio; everyday objects were chosen for their sound qualities. The pieces were both left in their original state and reconfigured or combined to form instruments. These instruments were then used for the production of audio tracks. The audience were encouraged to create their own sounds from the instruments as well as to find inspiration from their own surroundings. In The Sea and the Sky, materials are manipulated to form the basis for work which becomes more functional through spectator engagement. Each piece contains some form of handmade mechanism and is capable of manual movement. The pull of a rope can make a kite fly, and cranks can be turned, resulting in the flapping of wings, the rise and crash of a wave, or the movement of a ship travelling through rough seas. For the spectator, meaning can be interpreted in many different ways – through the familiarity, condition and appearance of the materials, as well as through the movements generated by the action.

Currently, I am creating sculptural pieces which take the form of conventional everyday items. Through changes in scale and material, the meaning and purpose of these objects changes or diminishes. They become dysfunctional and ineffective. In this work I am exploring depression, loss, grief and the complexities of moving on/surpassing this. While still in its early stages, the work has mainly focussed on removing the familiar characteristics of the object or making them unmanageable, distorting their meaning and importance.

Curriculum Vitae

2011-03-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

Sharon White

web: www.sharonwhiteart.blogspot.com

email: brainpoppy@gmail.com

Educational Record:

2004 - 2008
degree in Visual Arts Practices in the Visual Arts Practice course in Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (I.A.D.T.)

Residencies:

March 15th-25th 2010: Oddio in Exchange Dublin, Exchange St. Temple Bar, Dublin 2
a collaborative project with artist Aine Belton

Art Exhibitions:

2011

March 25th-3rd April: One or several Wolves, Plane/Site Galleries, Moxie Studios,Pembroke Row, Dublin 2, Ireland

2010

August 20th-28th: Earwig! Tuam Arts Festival, Various locations, Tuam, Co Galway, Ireland

March 26th-April 2nd: Oddio (exhibition of work made during residency period), Exchange Dublin, address as above

March 12th-17th: Shop If You Can, Look If You Want, St. Patrick's Festival Art Trail, Various Locations, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, Ireland

2009

July: Scribblebox, Bombhouse Gallery and Studios, 20-25 Alderburough Avenue, Dublin 1, Ireland

2008

June: IADT Graduate Exhibition, IADT campus, Kill Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland

February: The Elephant in the Room, Exhibition Space, IADT, address as above

2007

February: Believe Me, I Believe Me,The Back Loft, La Catedral Studios, St. Augustin St, Dublin 8, Ireland

2006

November: 60,2 Artist Launch Exhibition, Dublin Civic Buildings, Wood Quay, Dublin 8, Ireland

August: Two Artists (with artist Bryan Keane) MonsterTruck Gallery and Studios, Francis St. Dublin 8, Ireland

Professional Experience

2007: TAP (Trinity Access Progamme)

devising a programme of are workshops aimed at 5th and 6th class students as part of a two strand programme combining art and poetry
organisation of other volunteers and aquiring materials
giving a one day art workshop to the students

2001: Irish Museum of Modern Art:

compiling a list of artworks to be included in an exhibition in Ashbourne Community School from the IMMA collection
taking part in the IMMA schools education programme by accompanying gallery tours and childrens workshops

Some recent drawings

2011-03-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been attempting to get back into doing some drawing, its been a few years so I'm still fairly rusty. These drawings are in gouache and mummies are my subject matter. The idea came about as an aside to a body of sculptural pieces I am making which is concerned with depression, loss, grief and the complexities of moving on/surpassing this. These drawings note the need to preserve and honour.