In Residence Part II: Clare Seviour

About

The Parfitt Gallery is pleased to present In Residence: Part III, an exhibition of work by Ingrid Pollard. Her past work has been steeped in the heritage of Wordsworth and the Romantic poets, examing the romanticism of the English landscape and England?s hidden histories associated with Africa and the Caribbean. Pollard exposes geographical sites and places, the people who occupy the sites, and the stories that can be made from their histories, occupations and cultural identifications.

Pollard looks to provide a human context for issues of transmigration and fleeting identity. In a project that started in the 1980?s she questioned the way in which historic British pubs use the name The Black Boy. In an interview with Michael Keith in 2008 the artist said ??whether they had a connection to commerce or they?re named after a real person. That?s not what?s important to me. It is the fact that it is a legitimized part of English history going back a long way, and it is right there, right in your face.? Michael Keith went on to say ?Over time Ingrid became more interested by the ways in which the sign, the local folklore and rationalizations of the sign?s presence became increasingly plastic as local people generated new stories around the signs?.

Other work in this show includes a sound piece where the artist has recorded the sounds in the colleges etching studio where she created many of her recent images. This is a continuation of Pollard?s interest with alchemy and how through this, the physical world around us can be captured. She has also revisited her interest in the Atlantic Ocean and ceramic origami boats; previously made as ceramics they have now become delicate photo-etchings, evoking weightless elegance. They become a signifier to dreams of travel and romantic notions of sailing away.

Pollard created the prints for this exhibition whilst an Artist in Residence within Croydon Higher Education College?s Fine Art Degree programme. This Artist in Residence position has been set up to enable an ongoing selection of artists to create their work alongside Art and Design undergraduates. The artists selected may be in the early stages of their careers or have established international reputations, in either case they propose a project or set of work that will be produced and exhibited in the Parfitt Gallery and offer formal and informal engagement with students on an ongoing basis. Creating work alongside such a range of artists offers Art and Design students a unique opportunity to gain insight into professional practice within the art world and as such greatly enhances their educational experience at Croydon Higher Education College.