Laura Lightbody Ceramics - New Work, New Direction

About

‘An exhibition of ceramic forms and large scale drawings’.

Laura Lightbody (born Glasgow, 1975) is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art and has previously exhibited her ceramic work alongside 2D collage work, highlighting her practice of appropriation and montage. Her work challenges the public to take another look at the signs and symbols that are the hallmarks of contemporary consumer culture. Her ceramic practice is born out of her lifelong fascination for the everyday graphics and signage of price tags, labels and barcodes. These symbols, which appear everywhere, are nevertheless ignored or discarded by most. When they are collected, re-worked and re-presented in an exhibition context, however, say so much about our lifestyle, habits and consumption in today’s consumerist, commercial society. For this exhibition at Patriothall Gallery, Lightbody is showcasing her most recent work focusing on the investigation of one particular form; the chevron

She recently completed a residency at Cove Park where she concentrated on bringing together her large-scale compositions using ephemera from the everyday, with her ceramic forms. She was successful in being able to create cast pieces with surface decoration that demonstrated her eye for finding beauty in the mundane. This shift in her work, which the residency allowed her to achieve, was a massive accomplishment in her practice. She was determined to take the functional pieces she was previously producing, almost as a blank canvas and experiment and challenge what she was comfortable with. It was vital for her to bring her 2D work ever closer to her ceramic outcomes.
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On display is a selection of slip-cast ceramic pieces, originating from the recognisable chevron but which have been transformed through manipulation and discarding of various planes. Using familiar motifs and samples of the type of patterns seen in everyday graphics, Lightbody has produced a series of drawings using vinyl and tape which directly link to the surface decoration on the 3D items. Using collage as a favoured medium, particularly in her sketchbook and 2D work, Lightbody is able to commit the temporary to the permanent through her use of ceramics.

Through her use of the process of drawing and ceramics Lightbody has produced an exciting body of work that is visually striking and both celebrates and highlights the unnoticed world around us.

For further information about laura Lightbody:
www.lauralightbodyceramics.com
Instagram @little_laural