Dot Young
'Gastroblasta'- Relief sculpt
About the artist:
Dot Young is a Scottish artist living and working in London, with her studio based in Deptford. She has a BA in Fine Art Sculpture and an MA in Creative Media Arts.
She enjoys historical research and exploring narratives though sculptural interpretation and installation. Her practice explores natural forms, the environment, and traditional sculptural practices. Currently her work responds to the work of the Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmental activist, founder of the Green Belt Movement and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She also celebrates nature and geometry by interpreting the work of 19th century naturalist E.Haeckel. Previous projects explored the work of 19th century French chef Urbain Dubois, considering the resonances his work has with her own interest in architectural form, geometry, materials and formal sculptural practices.
Her research enquiry 'Aurality of Objects' explored objects and materials in terms of their socio-political contexts and production processes, with outcomes taking the form of collaborative sculptural sound installations.
She says, "I believe the processes involved in the production of objects are as important as the final outcomes, and as such, an archive of technical drawings, sketches, samples and moulds are often presented alongside the final product, so as to offer the viewer a more holistic understanding and engagement with the work".
She joined Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, as a lecturer and course leader in BA Theatre Practice in 2007. She has several years of teaching experience at undergraduate level, and in communities in the UK and internationally.
As a freelance practitioner in the arts she has worked extensively both here in the UK and internationally, undertaking projects and running creative workshops in The Caucasus, Russia, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah & Dubai, UAE, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sri Lanka and throughout Europe.
She has also worked with AFRIL, Action for Refugees in Lewisham, The Lightbox Gallery, Woking and the Conservatoire, Blackheath, London engaging in arts workshops and community events.
Research presentations, publications & workshops:
Community engagement workshops
Carers Create at The Lightbox Gallery, Woking Surrey
Workshop to support young carers. Supporting vulnerable young carers to take a break from their often stressful roles at home and explore and share a creative space.
www.thelightbox.org.uk/carers-create
Blackheath Conservatoire Art Classes for Ukrainian refugees
Workshops devised to offer a safe creative space for Ukrainian refugees, to explore art and design, to take a break, and enjoy meeting and sharing in each others company.
Available at:
www.conservatoire.org.uk/latest/news/382-classes-for-ukrainian-refugees-at-the-conservatoire
AFRIL Action for Refugees in Lewisham
Weekly workshops to support the visiting community at the food bank, with art classes, creative cultural sharing experiences and support.
www.afril.org.uk/food-bank/
Research presentations, publications
Deptford X
'Confection Reflection'
A sculptural installation that invites the audience to enter the surreal and flamboyant world of 19th Century French chef and pâtissier Urbain Dubois. Chef-de-cuisine to the Prussian court, Dubois fused his passion for cuisine with that of architecture, to produce the extravagant ‘pièce montées’, replicated in the gallery.
Available at:
https://deptfordx.org/event/dot-young-confection-reflection/2019-10-25/
‘Three reasons to think twice about mapping the brain’
Collaborative article with:
Danai Dima, Lecturer Cognitive Neuroscience, City, University of London
Mike Duggan, Cultural Geographer, Royal Holloway
Available at:
‘The Conversation’
https://theconversation.com/three-reasons-to-think-twice-about-mapping-the-brain-80341
‘City- University of London News’ https://www.city.ac.uk/news/2017/august/brain-maps-danai-dima
Impossible Partnerships: Mapping – (Un)charted Territories
Roundtable discussion, Somerset House, London,
The role of maps in brain imagery, cultural geography, artistic practice, and everyday life, held in collaboration with
Danai Dima, Lecturer Cognitive Neuroscience, City, University of London
Mike Duggan, Cultural Geographer, Royal Holloway
The roundtable was facilitated by The Culture Capital Exchange.
Available at:
https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/2017/04/11/mapping/
The Sensorial Object: - Aurality of Objects
Cross-disciplinary writings curated by Dr Natasha Mayo and Zoe Preece on behalf of the Makers Guild for Wales, Cardiff. The Sensorial Object, was a publication and exhibition, exploring the sense experience through the materiality of things.
Available at:
The Sensorial Object
https://thesensorialobject.wordpress.com/dot-young/
Re Activating Space Symposium - ‘Aurality of Objects’
Research Presentation and MA workshops at Cardiff School of Art
With Dr Natasha Mayo, Philippa Lawrence and Professor Wendy Keay-Bright
‘REACTIVATING SPACE intended to generate proposals for installation artworks in site specific locations around Cardiff School of Art to heighten sensory awareness, and foster empathic experiences.
Deptford X – ‘Extension’
25-9-15 to 4-19-15
ART HUB Gallery, London.
Installation, collaboration with Lex Kosanke, East German sound designer.
'Extension’ tracks the visual and sonic history of a hair extension back to a Hindu Temple in Chennai, India, previously offered in an act of religious tonsure. It focuses on materiality and the shift in value from a religious to a commercial context.
Electromicroscope imaging by Mahmoud Ardnekani, Department of Materials, Imperial College.
25-9-15 to 4-19-15
Available at:
https://www.dotyoung.com/fine-artresearch.html
Film: https://vimeo.com/182006070
Press: https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/five-things-to-see-at-deptford-x-festival-092515
Photobook Pop-Up
‘Extension’ Presentation
msdm studio [mobile social design matter] Director Paula Roush
http://www.msdm.org.uk/portfolio/photobook-pop-up-programme/
Practice Research presentation of ‘Extension’ self-assemble artists book
Available at:
Website: https://www.dotyoung.com/fine-artresearch.html
‘Extension’ Film: https://vimeo.com/182006070
‘Extension’ Installation and research Presentation
LSBU Digital Gallery, London
‘Extension’ was presented as an installation in the LSBU Digital Gallery, London
The opening, accompanied by an artist’s talk, with collaborator Lex Kosanke, East German sound designer, who devised the soundtrack.
Available at: https://www.dotyoung.com/fine-artresearch.html
CHAIR – A Life Backwards
Free Space Gallery, Kentish Town, London
Interactive sound installation, photography, sound-walk, workshops and artists talk, in collaboration with US composer Gregg Fisher and Russian photographer Pavel Legankov
‘Chair’ focuses on the aural history of one of the most commonplace and symbolic objects of everyday life, and explores the complex political and environmental aspects of production
Available at:
https://thechairproject.org/
‘Rewind’
Group Show, Lewisham Arthouse, London
‘Aurality of Objects’ practice as research archival work “Chair in progress’
RCSSD, Research presentation
‘Aurality of Objects’
Practice as Research Presentation and artists talk
RCSSD, London
‘Aurality of Objects’
The Athens Institute for Education and Research
'Aurality of Objects - Chair - A Life Backwards’. Research paper presentation, in collaboration with Gregg Fisher, US Sound composer/designer.
Theatre Noise – The Sound of Performance
‘Residual Matter’ installation in collaboration with Justin Bennett, The Institute of Sonology, The Hague
Residual Matter tracks of the coming into being, or ‘birth’ of an object. It explores the raw noise produced when making an object, not ordinarily captured or evaluated, and considers how it might inform our understanding of the object
Available at:
https://www.9thplanetwebdesign.co.uk/noise/pages/perform.html#objects
‘Aurality of Objects-Residual matter’
Shunt Vaults, London Bridge, London
Installation work in collaboration with sound artist Justin Bennett, Institute of Sonology, the Hague
Available at:
Residual Matter Film: https://vimeo.com/83540302
Residual Matter Stop Motion Film: https://vimeo.com/191602238
Deptford X, Flux
Art House, London
‘Aurality of Objects- Corridor’.
'Corridor', Deptford X, London, was part of a series of sound/digital/projection installations. The event was collaboratively produced in conjunction with Amanda Frances, freelance artist, UEL, and Paul Jones, London based digital artist.
25-9-09/4-10-09
Aurality of Objects © d.young 2009
