Craft / Tech New Contemporaries online lecture

 I found attending online lectures so easy during lockdown. Although I prefer in person lectures, it meant I was able to attend without childcare issues. Which meant I attend much more than usual! I have tried to keep up this practice and one I attended recently was the Craft / Tech session which was hosted by the South London Gallery as part of their New Contemporaries exhibition.

The artists featured were Lilah Fowler, Jahday Ford and Eva Rothchild. I feel an affinity with Eva Rothchild because she selected my sculpture for the RA Summer Exhibition last year. I also love her work and I am interested in how her practice operates.

All the artists were really fascinating as they explained how tech works or doesn't work in their practice and how craft is their main focus. Lilah Fowler discussed her 'Code Clay, Data Dirt' exhibition, commonplace in Tottenham Court Road and how her process is about the materials and testing is where tech enters her practice.

Jahday Ford explained his glass work which is quite technical as a craft process and Eva Rothchild made it quite clear how she rejects the tech when possible. She said she is expected to show public sculpture work in 'Sketch Up' software but she prefers to use Mindcraft as software! She said Sketch Up was too perfect and unrealistic but Mindcraft has a child like quality.

I visited the New Contemporaries exhibition which I found inspiring. Especially a film by Elsa James called 'Black Girl Essex: Here we Come, Look We are Here' (2019). I had already entered my own work for the following year but I soon realised it was mainly MA students work which also had funding to produce. Not all but the best seem to be in this area. I figured its one for the future. I love the gallery space and book shop too, always worth a visit.

https://www.newcontemporaries.org.uk/exhibitions-and-events/events/craft-tech-panel-discussion