Derby Quad/format Fellowship Award Residency 2021
Deborah Rogers (AKA MsDmeanar) and I were granted exceptional student awards and a residency at Derby Quad after finishing our Master's degrees at The University of Derby.
I wanted to investigate the idea of grandeur in a domestic setting for my artwork. I was thinking about how landscape and domesticity ( or still life) have been portrayed separately and wanted to combine the two. I have found myself capturing large landscapes and then developing them at home with common household ingredients! The contrasting elements of the two genres in my work sparked my curiosity, and I wanted to delve more into this topic during the residency.
Ansel Adams' famous quote "Today we must realise that nature can be found in simples meadow.... as well as in the remote grandeur of our parks and wilderness" influenced me particularly. The expression "remote grandeur" strikes a chord with me. I believe that if you look at things differently, you can find grandeur indoors, and I feel the lockdown has compelled many of us to do so.
Caffenol analogue photographs by Hazel Hutchison
I began the fellowship by drawing inspiration from landscapes and then translating or imitating perspectives within my house. (See photographs above).
I wanted to investigate scale to connect with grandeur. I projected my caffenol photos onto the walls of QUAD's artist studio to see how they appeared on a larger scale. It was intriguing to observe them magnified.
During my residency, I also wanted to test a new process with beetroot juice to see if I could expose an image (made of glass) with only the light from the window and printing paper. MsDmeanar and I also had a glass firing day to make some little glass photographic pieces for inspiration.
Anthotype print beetroot juice by Hazel Hutchison
Projected images Hazel Hutchison
Collaborative work with MsDmeanar on residency
Collaboration with MsDmeanar (aka Deborah Rogers) 2021
Deborah Rogers (a.k.a. MsDmeanar) and I started a virtual residence and later used the QUAD artist studio. MsDmeanar and I identified parallels in our work during this time and agreed to collaborate on a portion of it. I was experimenting with still life, and she was portraying herself as an object.
MsDmeanar decided to travel to Derby dressed as a gimcrack (an attractive item without use) in the hopes of finding a place to practice flight. This initially led us to Eagles Square Derby's / Speakers Corner. "The site is perfect for expressing your ideas on any topic* that you care about." (as reported by Derby Live). MsDmeanar opted to do a silent ceremony in the centre, which I photographed with my 35mm camera.
We decided to go to another site where my larger 6x9 medium format camera would be great for capturing flight and ritual, which are themes in MsDmenar's work. The "Grey Ladies" stone circle in the Peak District, a location that had featured in my Master's artwork. We walked around the stone circle and the surrounding rock formations. MsDmeanar became part of the stone circle, while I captured her place within the landscape.
Find Deborah at @msdmeanar and www.msdmeanar.wordpress.com
Eagles Square by Hazel Hutchison & MsDmeanar
The Grey Ladies, Robin Hood's Stride- Hazel Hutchison & MsDmeanar
Final thoughts after residency (Allusions of Grandeur 2021)
Finally, following the residency, I had several of my images printed larger on household bedding to test how traditional black and white photography would look upon it. I felt the use of classic film photos with commercially printed bedding was rather striking. I wanted to match the concept of my artwork to the medium as materiality is important to me.
These were my early thoughts and creations during my residency, which may lead to further future work; for the time being, this is a beginning point. I believe I have attempted to portray grandeur in a domestic context.
"Allusions of Grandeur" is a possible title for this artwork! :)
