Philippa Lawrence

MA (RCA)
e: info@philippalawrence.com
w: www.philippalawrence.com

Specialist Subject Areas

Textile Art

Installation and site specific work

Professional Practice : Artist

Qualifications

MA Royal College of Art

BA (hons) First class, Norwich School ofArt

Biography

Philippa Lawrence was born in Louth, Lincolnshire in 1968. She studied at Norwich School of Art (1987-1990) and the Royal College of Art, London (1991-1993). She is responsible for the textile art pathway at Cardiff Metropolitan University (UWIC) and Associate Lecturer at Plymouth University.

Lawrence has exhibited widely both in the UK and internationally, including Japan, Canada, Iceland, Czech Republic and Australia. Her work has been selected for numerous group exhibitions, as an invited artist for the recent RWA Celebrating Paper (2010) and Through the Lens exhibition (2008), Sense in Place, Reykjavik, Iceland (2006); her touring solo exhibition Philippa Lawrence, Oriel Davies, Tunbridge Wells and Glynn Vivian Art Gallery (2006): Reiko Aoyagi and Philippa Lawrence, House of Arts, Ceské Budejovice, Czech Republic (2005); Anima, B312, Montreal, Canada (2005); Mostyn Open 2004, Oriel Mostyn, Llandudno (2004); Explorations, National Botanic Gardens of Wales (2003); Like Gold Dust, Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham (2002); Glow, Artspace, Sydney, Australia (2001); and ArtTextiles, Bury St Edmunds Art Gallery (1996).

Recent activities include her first public art commission for the War Memorial Hospital, Llandrindod Wells (2008). Work at the Castle Museum, Nottingham (2009) and for Meadow Art Gallery’s ‘Tell it to the Trees’ at Croft Castle, Herefordshire (2009-10).

Current research

Practice based research that examines the power of contemporary installation and site responsive artwork to connect people to place. I demonstrate the role of temporary site responsive artwork using cloth in rural environments in raising awareness of natural forms, questions of ownership and land use and boundaries. The project examines the project ‘Bound’ and subsequent related works ‘Barcode FB814’ and ‘Bonsai, Bound’ and the ability of these works to connect people and communities. The importance of the use of cloth in these works is discussed; cloth as a universal language, cloth as being environmentally sensitive, and the language of textiles to ‘heal’.

Bound’, the use of cloth as a form of communication and connection. Temporary site responsive interventions utilising cloth in the landscape as a vehicle to draw attention to issues of boundaries and ownership.

1. The potential and power of cloth to communicate, and to connect people to place.

2. The aesthetics, concepts and concerns of working with cloth in the ‘environment’ and the tacit understanding of the role of cloth in the success of the artwork.

3.The politics of cloth.

Keywords: Art, environment, boundaries, ‘concealing – revealing’ connection, communication, healing.

Principal Publications and/or Exhibitions

Click here to view Philippa’s papers and publications on Cardiff Metropolitan University’s DSpace repository.

Amelia’s Magazine -  Article. Issue 9. 2008

Embroidery Magazine -  Article. May/June 2008

Site-ations. Sense in Place - Catalogue 2007

Landscape - April 2007

Gardens Illustrated - April 2007

Ty Cwaith - March 2007

Re-imaging Wales - Seren Publication, 2007

Review -  AN Magazine, November 2006

Philippa Lawrence -  Solo exhibition, Oriel Davies, Newtown, Catalogue 2006

Reiko Aoyagi & Philippa Lawrence -  House of Art,Cseke Budejovice. Catalogue 2006

Anima -  G39, Cardiff, Wales & B312, Montreal, Canada. Catalogue 2005

New commisions are being developed with re:place 2010-11, Derbyshire, the  Rural Commissioning Programme with Meadow Arts, Hereford and Morton Arboretum, Illinois, USA.

Awards/Residencies

Residencies include: Laura Ashley (Artists@Work, 2004); Artspace, Sydney, Australia (2001); and Cité International des Arts, Paris (1993).

Awards made to the artist include Welsh Artist of the Year (2008); Production Grant, Arts Council of Wales (2006); a Creative Wales Award, Arts Council of Wales (2003); an Oppenheim John-Downes Award (1998); and a Henry Moore Foundation Scholarship (1992).

Enterprise Projects and/or Industrial links

IKEA, Melin Tregwynt, Oriel Canfas, Llantarnum Grange