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12 Days of Artists: Omar Bjorn Fjelle Batoctoy

Kirsty — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 14:38:13 +0000

For the last day of our #12daysofartists we are happy to end this great list on a high with Glyndwr graduate Omar! We wanted to find out what he has been up to since graduating and exhibiting in 2014 at Galeri 3B.

Name :
Omar Bjorn Fjelle Batoctoy

Current Location :
Welshpool, Powys, Wales

Favourite place, and why? :

I can’t say I know or have been to many places. It’s hard to say what my favourite place is because everywhere is different and different aspects of places relate to different parts of me but I’ll give you a bit of an answer.

Of all the places I’ve been, the first place that comes to mind right now is Munich.

This will sound strange but from skateboarding, the surface texture of things like tarmac and concrete become extremely prominent because you ask yourself “would this surface be good for skating?” and if it’s smooth with few pebbles to stop you by surprise from wheel-bite then the thought follows “this place would be good to skate!”. The same way a painter likes a good canvas surface or a sculptor likes a good block of marble (In the case of Michelangelo Buonaretti), the same way a musician picks up an instrument and finds it’s a fine piece of equipment, I’ve never seen so much smooth concrete and tarmac in my life so far.

Favourite Reindeer :

I’ll be honest, the only one I know is Rudolph and I’ve never seen any of his work so I couldn’t comment.

5 Word Self Description :

Vain, opinionated, active, ambitious, honest

What is your current practice and what have you been up to?

For the last few years I have been creating a multitude of compositions. When I was studying Fine Art at Glyndwr university in 2013 I asked myself “how can I compose my work with as much diligence and intricacy as I do with my music?” as back then I was listening to so much music, I could probably express my ideas in my mind as music better than I could with words or even thoughts at times! So I did just that. My artwork took on a whole new reality after I realised that.

When my work became a little more refined the composition of structures became a means of expressing ideas and concepts. At least it was for me anyway.

Rewind about a year from now I flipped the perspective again and applied what Fine Art taught me and I asked myself for the sake of my music “how can I tell a story, express an emotion or idea through the means of sound without the use of words?” it’s a very long question and it isn’t exactly specifically that, but that is essentially what I am trying to achieve these days, months and probably looks like what could be a lifetimes work.

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be an Artist? :

My parents are artists too and they inspired me very deeply seeing the feats they accomplished and witnessing the processes involved. Around about the age of 9 I absolutely wanted to be a professional dancer, just before I was in my teens, I wanted to be a special effects artist, when I moved here to the UK in 2005, after a few years I wanted to be a professional skateboarder (which is the art of making wood dance beneath your feet while maintaining your balance, grace and style).

After an injury to my right knee when I was 16, I was told I would’t be able to return to such an extreme sport so for the several months I couldn’t walk there was a guitar. After a few years I wanted to be a professional musician. Nowadays though, I’m really happy just to be able to compose whether my work gets sold or not.

Long story short, for most of my life I’ve wanted to be an “artist”

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be?
A Transformer action figure or big load of Lego.. Even now, either of those things would not go a miss!

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas?
This is the first christmas I’ve had a decent income (growing up and being a big boy) so the thing I’m looking forward to the most is giving my family and friends some great presents and spending time with them. I don’t get to see them so much these days so it’s really nice that there’s the opportunity.

Have you got any plans for the New Year?

I have such an abundance of plans that I’m almost overwhelmed. But the general idea is that in the new year my mission is pretty much survive, thrive and be alive… And make loads of music that everybody can download or watch me play somewhere or both. Something like that.

If you could get anything for Christmas this year what would it be?
I would somehow get everybody in the world to be able to read and educate themselves to a point of enlightenment in which we would realise that violence and war is not a solution to any long lasting problem but a catalyst for even longer lasting and more threatening problems. Following that realisation the world would disarm and we would pour our resources and intelligence into improving the lives of every living and non living thing. That would be heaven. I’m asking for heaven.. Failing that, Lego will just have to do..

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12 Days of Artists: Hannah Hodge aka H a n n

Kirsty — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 10:21:36 +0000

For the 11th day of our #12daysofartists the focus is on the youngest member of the collection, fashion designer Hannah Hodge aka H a n n.

Joining us here as a studio holder at Undegun in November of this year, Hannah has been a great addition to our wide range of artists and designers at the art space. Here is H a n n to tell us a bit about herself..

Name:
Hannah Hodge: Clothing name H a n n

Current location:
Wrexham

Favourite place and why?
Either the cinema or fabric shops especially the big ones! It’s like a play ground for me.

Favourite reindeer?
Rudolph because he’s the most colourful!

Describe yourself in 5 words:
…? wow minor identity crisis there. That’s five words though!

What is your current practice and what have you been up to?
I design and make unisex outerwear. I usually make a lot of one offs, your limited edition pieces so people can really get something unique. At the moment I’m finishing up a job at Fact in Liverpool and working on creating an online shop on houseofhann.com.

How long have you been practising for?
I started making clothes when I was 14, I was pretty shameless about wearing what I made regardless of how shoddy/handmade it looked. I had always been interested in art and making things so it was a natural progression from other things I was doing.

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a designer?
I wanted to act for a long time and was part of a youth theatre, I really thought that was what I wanted to do (which apparently isn’t uncommon with designers ) I started making clothes when I was about 14 but I was 16 when I knew that’s how I wanted to go on. I really loved the whole process and seeing something go from an idea to solid object. I also went to see a Vivienne Westwood exhibition in Sheffield and thought that it was definitely for me. Every now and then something happens or I see something that confirm it for me and usually that ends up in a design somehow.

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be?
A trip to India. I used to be obsessed with going there!! I read The Little Princess and while I don’t have a princess complex ( maybe a queen complex) I got completely caught up and read everything I could about India and ended up doing a school project on the food etc.

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas?
Watching films and eating. That’s it.

Have you got any plans for the new year?
I want to create a larger collection of clothing and have the online shop finished and looking good! I also want to expand the range to include clothing made solely from fair trade and ethically sourced materials. That’s something I really want to get into.

If you could get anything for Christmas this year what would it be?
A trip to Seoul! They are killing it at the minute with art and fashion! So many talented people coming out of that city and one of the biggest art festivals is held there. Also the food, the food , the food. sigh.

If you would like to see more of Hannah’s work or by updated about her shenanigans then follow her on Twitter: @hann_clothing, Instagram: @hann_wears or her website www.houseofhann.com

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12 Days of Artists: Emmi Manteau from Baby Brave

Kirsty — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 08:36:15 +0000

Eight days in and going strong with the 12 days of artists, today’s feature is singer song writer Emmi Manteau from Baby Brave to add to our diverse range of artists.

Name: Emmi Manteau from Baby Brave

Current Location: Comfy sofa, Wrexham

Favourite place, and why? : An onsen (hot spring) in Japan – got to be THE most relaxing experience … with the most delicious food and beautiful mountains. Would love to play a festival over that side of the world.

Favourite Reindeer?: Rudolph, everyone loves an underdog (underdeer?).

Describe yourself in 5 words: An open-minded, fun-lovin’, self-doubting wordsmith.

What is your current practice and what have you been up to? Writing loads of songs! Baby Brave is a noise-pop band making new music full of guitars, beats and catchy hooks. We’ve just released our 2nd EP called ‘Tacky Birthday’ on the label Drum With Our Hands. It’s on vinyl (!!!), which is a first for us and for DWOH too. And it’s brilliant, if I’m allowed to say that…

How long have you been a practising musician for? I’ve been writing songs for about 10 years now… Time flies! Baby Brave have been playing as the four of us for about 2 years now!

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be an musician? One specific time springs to mind… So we used to post songs up on YouTube when I was in a my first band, an acoustic duet called The Snowball Effect, ending all our videos with us playfully yelling ‘Schnooooballl!’. We got booked to play at a birthday party in Bangor, via our YouTube channel, and to our ultimate surprise, at the end of every song the whole crowd yelled, “SCHNOOOOBAAAALLL!” We had no idea it was a ‘thing’, it was so surreal, but that was it – I was hooked!

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be? Great question. I’d stick with the purple glittery My Little Pony I got, …it was amazing!

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas? Playing a show with Campfire Social on December 19th at Telfords Warehouse! Then going home back to Chesterfield and being with my family. I’ve not been able to be home properly for Christmas for about 5 or 6 years, so this one will be really special!

Have you got any plans for the New Year? We’ll be touring the new EP, including playing at Focus Wales Winter Fayre (30^th January at the Stiwt Theatre in Rhos) doing some music videos and starting work on our next record! We have loads of new material too, so I’m looking forward to getting back into the studio to start jigsawwing it all together. It’s a great collaborative process. Hoping to experiment with some new techniques of creating songs this year.

If you could get anything for Christmas this year what would it be? A new guitar would be nice! A Gibson Firebird, if we’re being specific… Thanks THIS project! Hope you have a truly Tacky Christmas!

If you would like to follow other shenanigans that Emmi and Baby Brave are up to please feel free to follow them on the social media platforms below.

Official Website: www.babybrave.co.uk
BandCamp: http://babybrave.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babybrave
Instagram: http://instagram.com/babybraveyeah
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BabyBraveYeah

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12 Days of Artists: Heather Wilson

Kirsty — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 09:34:10 +0000

Here at THIS Project we like to support a range of artist, musicians and poets so for our 6th day of artists we are proud to feature emerging comic’s artist Heather Wilson! Since completing her degree at Glyndwr University Heather has always shown enthusiasm for exploring complex and often over looked areas of history, science and current political issues through the means of graphic novels, in aims to break down barrows and help make complex information accessible.

Name:
Heather Wilson

Current Location:
Wrexham, Wales, UK, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way, The Universe

Favourite place, and why?:
I found this question too hard because all of my favourite places are actually pretend. The Silver Sea, which is like this shallow water-lilly filled sea from the Chronicles of Narnia, is one of my favourite places to pretend to be, there’s just something about the vivid descriptions of the sunlight and the clear water that I really love. (I actually can’t bring myself to watch that one of the movies because I know I’ll be disappointed.) Blackreach cavern in the game Skyrim comes a close second. Imagine these like ancient underground Dwarven ruins, inside of an expansive dark cave, filled with glowing mushrooms and torchbugs. It’s like a starlit sky, but deep underground. Sometimes I just go back there to walk around and hang out even though I did all the quests ages ago.

Favourite Reindeer?
Rainbowdash. Oh wait no. That’s something else.

Describe your self in 5 words
Your Average Manic Pixie Nightmare.

What is your current practice and what have you been up to?
November was all about getting ready for the Thought Bubble Festival, which is the UK’s biggest comics festival. If you’ve never been, its a huge festival with loads of stalls, guests, events and a super friendly and positive atmosphere. As well as all the usual cosplay and book signings you might see at another big comics conventions, Thought Bubble does loads to showcase independent creators and small press work. You can buy some of what I was selling there via my online shop: http://missheathercomics.bigcartel.com You can find everything else I’ve been up to this year at: www.missheather.co.uk

How long have you been a practising Artist for?
I have been doing freelance illustration and running workshops for a little over two years.

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a Artist?
I can remember other children telling me that I should be an artist when I grew up at about eight or nine. I didn’t think much of the idea though, because so far as I was concerned, I was going to be something “useful”. Now most of my arts practice is geared around education and social causes. Which might be cheating.

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be?
The pivotal things that I was interested in at ten were metallic nail polishes, learning dance routines to S Club 7 songs and reading books about magical children with very poor adult supervision. However, if I could give my past self anything, it would be a reasonable haircut that looked like it actually belonged in the year 2000.

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas?
I will probably really look forward to seeing my two nephews… up until the moment that I’m playing my eighth game of Wii tennis and would really rather like to sit down.

Have you got any plans for the New Year?
A lot of my attention is going to be focused on launching a new art supply subscription box service with my good mate Kirsty Gaughan (of THIS Project fame). Its called Art Block Its really exciting to be doing such a different project from what either of us have ever worked on before. You can check it out at artblock.cratejoy.com

If you could get anything for Christmas this year what would it be?
Time Machine. Obviously guys, obviously.

If you would like to follow Heather and her wonderful adventures please free to follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

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12 Days of Artists: Natasha Borton

Kirsty — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 11:30:07 +0000

For our 5th day of wonderful artists, THIS Project have the pleasure of introducing Natasha Borton, after recently graduating from her Masters course and moving to Cardiff we wanted to know what will be in store for her over Christmas and in the New Year.

Name:
Natasha Borton

Current Location:
Cardiff

Favourite place, and why?
St. Giles in Wrexham is my favourite place. I’ve sung there a few times, I’ve seen friends get married and I played the piano at a few of the All-age services. Other than all of that it is a balanced vision of the macabre and peace.

Favourite Reindeer?
I’m cheating but Donner and Blitzen, they’ve always seems one reindeer to me, they don’t exist wholly without each other.

Describe your self in 5 words.
I’m observer, eternally observed.

What is your current practice and what have you been up to?
At the moment I’m experimenting with performance poetry and music. After completing a large page poetry project (Signed Asbestos published by Erbacce Press) I wanted to get back to grips with words and rhythm. I’ve started this with a lots of performance with Voicebox Collective, Roundhouse and recently BBC 1Xtra – it’s still a very new avenue though.

How long have you been a practising Poet for?
Throughout the last year of university the page started to feel too limiting and I was asked to perform at a few events. I’ve been taking myself more seriously over the last 3 years as a poet and performer. It’s a difficult line in the sand to make.

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a Poet?
I didn’t get much choice, it’s a cliché but I’ve always written and performed. I think I’d lose a part of who I am if I abandoned it.

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be?
I’d buy myself a memory from the future, if I’d have known a little patience I might have savored the moments a little longer.

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas?
This has been a turbulent, exciting, difficult year and I’m ready to look forwards now and put some distance between me and this year. I’m looking forwards to some spiritual and emotional cleansing.

Have you got any plans for the New Year?
I only moved to Cardiff a few weeks ago, so I’m trying not to make plans as such. There is a lot to come from Voicebox Collective as well as me individually, and some exciting plans being laid with another collective Spoken Witness in Manchester who were formed after BBC 1Xtra and Roundhouse WordsFirst project.

If you could get anything for Christmas this year what would it be?
This Christmas I’m just asking for good friends, good food and even better wine.

If you would like to follow Natasha and her work please feel free to visit her on Facebook, Twitter or her website.

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12 Days of Artists: Mikey Jones

Kirsty — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 11:11:10 +0000

Home grown artist Mikey Jones is the forth artist in our 12 days of artists. Over the past two years Mikey has been a great contributor towards the art scene in Wrexham from his joint show in 2013 Paint to Town, with Erica Taylor, at Undegun, to his solo show in March this year, Wales in Colour.

Name:
Mikey Jones

Current Location:
Wrexham

Favourite place, and why?
Bristol – student days were fun with great people and lots of interesting things happening down there in the arts and Music scenes.

Favourite Reindeer?
Dasher

Describe your self in 5 words.
Odd, fun, determined, sensitive and optimistic.

What is your current practice and what have you been up to?
I have been painting and exhibiting my Wales in Colour series and doing some commissions of the local area. Recently I produced the outline for the Reimagine Wrexham boards for Wrexfest which can now be seen in the Old Burtons on the Hight Street. I’ve done a few art give-away’s recently and made some Calendars of the Wales in Colour series and there’s still a few left.

How long have you been a practising Artist for?
4 years

At what point in your life did you know you wanted to be a Artist?
When my University tutor said ‘Mikey I think your more of an artist than a Architect’, this obvious hit me hard at first.

If you could buy your 10 year old self anything for Christmas what would it be?
Oil paints

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to this Christmas?
Lots of mulled wine

Have you got plans new year?
I’m off to Jerusalem in February for 11 days to commence my new series ‘Jerusalem in Colour’ which I can’t wait to get stuck in to as I’ve been planning it for months now. Also got a couple of Wales in Colour exhibitions lined up in Llandudno in April, a special one in the Norwegian Art Centre in Cardiff Bay in July and not to forget I will be exhibiting Wales in Colour in the Botanical Garden of Wales Gallery. I also have plans for another Bristol Exhibition later in the year but it’s all under wraps at the moment

If you would like to contact Mikey Jones or keep updated with the rest of his work please feel free to follow him on, Facebook, Twitter or his website www.mikeyjonesart.com

Currently Mikey is selling a limited number of Wales in Colour calendars!

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