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January – December 2009
14th March – 12th
April 2009
27th March – 10th
May 2009
3rd September – 16th
October 2009 18@108 'Sculptors on Sculpture' - Paper.
March 2010 |
SUSAN CUTTS
arbs PAPER SCULPTURE |
GALLERY |
'FAIRY TALE'
2006
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Fairy Tales as we know them are safe, respectable and moral. In the original
versions they looked unflinchingly at the darker side of people’s lives,
particularly that of women, the poor and the disenfranchised. |
'HOUR
GLASS'
2008
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'PIN-UP LACE-UP BUTTON-UP'
2008
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Pin-Up |
Button-Up |
Lace-Up |
'DRESSED TO KILL'
2006
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'T ROSE'
2008
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'FOOTSTEPS PAST AND PRESENT'
2008
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Great Britain is no longer a country with an economy
based on manufacture but the legacy of the past, which transformed the
landscape from pastoral to industrial, remains with us. Previous
generations who had worked the land flocked to the newly built cities to
work in factories and mills. I chose a shoe, typical of those worn by small children who worked in the northern mill towns of the 19th century, to represent the industrial landscape of Britain. The circle denotes the constant flow of people throughout this country which has, and continues, to shape this land.
TECHNICAL DATA |
'NURSERY RHYME'
2005
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RING
A RING O’ ROSES
Ring a ring o’
roses It is commonly assumed that ‘ring a ring o’ roses’, dates back to the Great Plague when a rosy rash was the symptom of the plague, posies of herbs carried as protection and sneezing a final fatal symptom. However, there is no written record of this nursery rhyme before 1881. A myth dispelled perhaps but interestingly in 1949 the following was recorded.
Ring a ring o’
geranium |
'LULLABY'
2004
Twenty-one panels displayed as a triptych
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Inspired
by 'ashes of roses' in 'lullaby', I try to capture the everyday
ephemerna of life - the smile, the kiss, the frown, the tear. As in a
lullaby I have used a simple language and melody. LULLABY (1) Golden slumbers kiss your eyes: Smiles awake you when you rise. Sleep pretty wantons, do not cry, And I will sing a lullaby: Rock them, rock them, lullaby. extract 'Lullaby' Thomas Dekker 1570 -1641 LULLABY (2) Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top, When the wind blows the cradle will rock; When the bough breaks the cradle will fall, Down will come baby, cradle, and all. Attributed to a Pilgrim from the Mayflower and said to be the first poem written on American soil.
Each lullaby is: |
'ASHES OF ROSES'
2002
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280 boxes, each containing two pairs of shoes and twenty-three roses.
'ashes of roses'
was inspired by the 1727-1747 church records of St. Mary's Church,
Chichester. Through the records I was able to follow the lives of the
parishioners, revealing happy and sad events, events now forgotten -
other people's memories. |
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'LITTLE BLACK DRESS'
1999
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Ten life-size black dresses The little black dress transforms the wearer and the wearer transforms it. 'little black dress' is a tribute to this stoic item of clothing.
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'STILETTO'
250 boxes each
containing one pair of paper shoes
1996 - 2000
'REVEAL CONCEAL CREATE'
Triptych of dresses in varying degrees of form
2001
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The dress is armour
against the elements, but more importantly it protects from public
gaze and assumption. By conforming to expectations through dress we protect the secrets of our true self. 'reveal conceal create' presents the promise of exposure but self is no longer there. |
'RED SHOES'
Commissioned by the
Faversham Society 2004.
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Commissioned by the Faversham Society to commemorate Faversham's shoemaking history and the Saint Crispin legend. The starting point for the work was a pair of shoes belonging to Pope John Paul II, given to the Vigevano Museum - Saints Crispin and Crispinian Consortium, Italy. These red shoes inspired me to research other 'red shoes' with a history. Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Red Shoes' had Karen the orphan aspiring to transcend her status and, of course, the 1948 film starring Moira Shearer portrays the 'Red Shoes' as the story of a contemporary ballerina. In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Glinda's magic wand moves the shiny red shoes from the Wicked Witch of the East to Dorothy's feet, who then skips along the Yellow Brick Road to Oz.Karen sacrificed her feet, Moira Shearer's character sacrificed love, the Wicked Witch of the East is sacrificed for the red shoes. The papal connection is the Eucharist commemorating Christ's sacrifice and, of course, the Saint Crispin legend is all about sacrifice and shoes. A tenuous link maybe and the 'red shoe' as an icon, maybe not, but shoes symbolise historical changes across time and across cultures and will continue to do so for as long as we have feet and a need to use them. |
'AFTER DEGAS'
2008
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‘After Degas’ corset and skirt Hanji Fashion Parade 2008, South Korea. The ‘stitched’ corset made from own ‘gampi’ paper, coated with kakishbu – traditionally used to dye/strengthen/waterproof paper – giving the appearance and feel of leather. Skirt made from own ‘gampi’ paper, four layers. |
On the catwalk at Hanji Fashion Parade
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The language of clothing – contemporary and historical – intrigues me. I choose through my work to explore the relevance of dress to identity and the interaction between wearer and observer. The work investigates how the orchestration and multiplicity of form makes the individual components lose their original identity – suggesting an alternative image. ‘We shape the clothes we wear, making them as individual as a thumbprint and like a thumbprint they can expose and betray’. I use my own handmade paper working from the raw fibre using traditional European equipment and techniques. The process of papermaking is vitally important to my work. The complex structure of the fibres enables me to create sculptural pieces without the use of glue, stitching or armatures. I use the image of ‘dress’ frequently in my work, its perception both historical and contemporary intrigue me.
In 2008 and 2009 I
made wearable ‘stitched’ paper pieces for the Hanji Fashion Parade,
South Korea. |
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Studied Constructed Textiles at the London College of Furniture Parts I & II City & Guilds. Studied Theatrical Corsetry London College of Fashion, College Diploma.
Am an Associate of
the Royal Society of British Sculptors and a member of the Society of
Designer Craftsmen as well as IAPMA and UK based Paperweight. Have been
exhibiting nationally and internationally since 1991 in solo, group and
touring exhibitions including Sotheby’s New York Gallery (USA) Roche
Court Sculpture Park (UK) and the Holland Paper Biennale. Work in
various Public Collections as well as private collections. My work has
appeared in numerous books, catalogues, magazine and websites. |
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EXHIBITIONS
Awards |
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CANTERBURY– Canterbury Festival, Blackfriars - October 2009 DORSET – PULP FICTION touring Dorset - October/November 2009 POLAND - BLOWING IN THE WIND , Museum Paper, Dusznikach Zdroju, - July/September 2009
FINLAND
SHOES WITHIN ART, Tikanoja Art Museum, Vaasa - SCOTLAND HOW DO I LOOK IN THIS? Park Gallery,Falkirk - June/July 2009 SOUTH KOREA JEONJU PAPER FESTIVAL, Jeonju - May2009
USA
MIRROR OF THE
21ST CENTURY, Beca Gallery, New Orleans - WESTBOURNE FAIRY TALE, The Art House, West Sussex - April 2009 WHITSTABLE PAPERVIEW, Horsebridge Arts Centre, Kent - February 2009 |
| 2009 2009 2008 2008 2005 2005 2001 2001 2001 2000 2000 1998 1998 1998 1996 1996 |
‘New Paper
Old Land’ Burnie Regional Art Gallery, Tasmania '1:100,000 Mapping the Island' The IXL Atrium, Hobart, Tasmania National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago, Chile THE PAPER RUNWAY, Atlanta USA Hanji Fashion Parade, South Korea 'WEARABLE UNWEARABLE', National Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland 'PAPER ART', Museum for Paper, Basle, Switzerland UNEXPECTED, Sotheby’s New York, USA GALERIE MARISKA DIRKX, Holland TEXTILFEST, Carnuntum Austria PAPIER, Groningen, Holland HOLLAND PAPER BIENNALE, Rijswijk Museum, Hague Textil Mail Art, Barcelona, Spain INTERNATIONAL TEXTILEFEST, Austria PAPER Mino Washi Museum, Mino City, Japan ART TO WEAR, Brisbane, Australia |
| WORK ON PERMANENT DISPLAY |
| Chichester District Council ‘Year of
the Artist’ Commission – IMPRINTS at Westgate Sports Centre, Chichester STILETTO' 100 stiletto shoes in the Hove Museum Art Gallery, South East Arts Craft Collection |
| SELECTED UK EXHIBITIONS |
|
2008 |
'Fairy
Tale' The ArtHouse, Westbourne 'Paperview' Horsebridge Arts Centre Whitstable 'Sweet Dreams' Walford Mill, Wimborne, Dorset'Courage ‘07' St Matthews Church, Worthing 'One Year On' Otter Gallery, Chichester 'Journeys' the Art of Making, West Dean Gallery 'Paperworks' Bury Museum 'And Then' Bedales Gallery, Petersfield 'Little Footprints' Ariel Centre, Totnes 'Art in the Park' Chichester 'Inside Annual' RBS, RBS Gallery, London Victoria Fearn Gallery, Cardiff 'Letting Silence Speak' Guildhall, Chichester 'Ashes of Roses' Aberystwyth Arts Centre 'Pulp Fantasy' 20-21 Visual Arts, Scunthorpe 'Paperwork' Rufford Craft Centre, Rufford, Notts 'domestic (f)utility' New Art Centre, Salisbury MATERIAL SPACES Tullie House Gallery, Carlisle Artinheaven, Church of Sacred Heart, Brighton Fringe Artlounge, Lytham St Anns ‘You are here’ Pheonix Gallery, Brighton ‘Swans’ Oriel maker, Cardiff ‘Paperworks’ Bury Art Gallery ‘On Paper’ Craft Council, London ‘Images’ Worthing Museum ‘Contemporary Interiors' Beatrice Royal Gallery, Eastleigh ‘Summer Exhibition’ Beatrice Royal Gallery, Eastleigh ‘New Artists’ Albany Gallery, Cardiff ‘Love in 21st Century’, Oriel Maker, Cardiff ‘Only Paper’ Stroud House Gallery ‘London Fashion Week’ Chalk, London ‘Fashion Event’ White Gallery, Hove ‘Disembodied’ City Gallery, Worcester ‘Clothe’ Stroud House Gallery ‘Branching Out’ Westbury Museum, Fareham Craft Collection, Hove Museum ‘Reflections’ Hastings Museum ‘Beyond the Quilt’ Maidstone Museum ‘Behind the Beach Hut’ De La Ware Pavillion, Bexhill ‘Inspirit’ Maidstone Musem ‘Hayvend’ ICA & Whitechapel Galleries,London ‘Paper Art’ Up Paper Inc, Kemsley, Kent ‘Winter Wrapping’ Blackfriars Art Centre ‘Abrasion– Vision Fest’ Atkinson Gallery, Southport ‘Burning Bright’ Fire & Iron Gallery, Surrey ‘Life's a Beach’ City Art Gallery, Leicester ‘Make it Paper’ Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead ‘Portable Art Box’ - Issue 2 Storey Institute, Lancaster Pam Schomberg Gallery. Colchester ‘Contemporary Fashion’ Drumcroon Wigan Oxford Gallery ‘Igneous’ The Orangery, London ‘On Paper‘ Lancaster City Museum ‘Procretator‘ Pullit Gallery, London ‘Mixed Paper‘, Marilyn Garrow Gallery, London Diploma Show, London College Furniture Diploma Show, London College Furniture |
| 2004 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 2000 1999 1993 |
RED SHOES, Fleur De Lis Gallery, Faversham, Kent ASHES OF ROSES & LULLABY, Rugby Museum & Art Gallery ASHES OF ROSES, Maidstone County Halll Gallery ASHES OF ROSES, Mid Pennine Gallery, Burnley A DRESS A DRESS, Mission Gallery, Swansea LITTLE LITTLE BLACK DRESS, Artsactive, Havant A DRESS A DRESS, Otter Gallery, Chichester PASSIONATE LIVES Woodlands Gallery, Greenwich WORD PLAY, Wyllyotts Potters Bar |
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2002/3 2002/3 2001/4 2001/2 1999 |
ENTER HERE > a Crafts4Now touring exhibition - Cirencester, Frome,
Wimbourne, Bovey-Tracey and Dumfries. SHOE a Leicester City Gallery touring exhibition - Leicester, Dundee, Mansfield, Falkirk, London and Lincoln. PRINCESS SU SU a Gracefield Arts touring exhibition - Dumfries, Bexley, Worcester, Halifax, Aberdeen, Berwick-on-Tweed, Falkirk, Rugby, Salford, Isle-of-Skye, Leicester, Kilkaldy and Hove. PAPER PAPER a Sassoon Gallery touring exhibition - Folkstone and Maidstone. NOT WHAT IT SEAMS a Hampshire Museum Services touring exhibition - Alton, Eastleigh and Havant. PAPIER ART FASHION an International Handpapermakers touring exhibition - Munich, Karlsruhe and Hamburg, Germany. |
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2007 2006 2003 2002 2002 1999 1999 1997 1997 1994 |
A history from
Sandals to Sneakers (Scarpe Italian edition) pub. 2007 |
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1996 1997 1998 2000 2000 2001 2001 2002 2005 |
Papier-Art-Fashion
– Badishes Landesmuseum Behind The Beach Hut – Sussex University South East Arts Craft Collection – Hove Museum Paper Papier, by Cas Holmes Paper and Water, by Peter Gentenaar On Paper, a Craft Council publication Princess SuSu – Dumfries & Galloway Shoe – Leicester City Gallery Wearable/Unwearable - Craft Council Ireland |
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Private Collections: UK, Europe, Australia and America
COMMISSIONS |
| 2004 2001 2001 2001 |
The Guardian - March 27th Craft Magazine Nov/Dec The Independent - August Art Review - October |
| LONDON COLLEGE OF FASHION 1996
Theatrical Corsetry LONDON COLLEGE OF FURNITURE 1987-1991 Constructed Textiles |
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WORKSHOPS - numerous
including TATE MODERN 2004 & West Dean 2005/06 |
LINKS
www.axisweb.org
www.handpapermaking.org
www.paperweight.org.uk
www.iapma.info
www.rbs.org.uk
www.societyofdesignercraftsmen.org.uk
www.nyartsmagazine.com
www.baph.org.uk
www.opendoorsarttrail.com
www.horsebridge-centre.org.uk
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