FAUN Factory Art Exhibition
Local artist Jo Alexander has taken inspiration from the FAUN factory to create a selection of artwork that is on display in the Beaumaris Canolfan art space until Friday 17th June.
Some of the work in this exhibition formed Jo’s final project for completing and being awarded a First in BA (Hons) Fine Art (2009).
“Factory Space” and five other selected works were subsequently exhibited in 2010 at Gwydyr House, Westminster, London. Jo took time out to tell us why she was inspired by the factory.
“This body of work arose from wanting to explore the large industrial buildings at Lairds that I drive past almost daily on my way to and from home. To me these impressive derelict constructions ooze atmosphere, a distinct sense of history and a melancholy towards something lost. From investigating Lairds I became drawn to looking at its descendent working factory, Faun, in Llangefni. Here I was able to spend time on the factory floor and see some of the fabulous engineering processes in action.
Before painting or making a work I gather a lot of information, images and objects to create a melting pot of material to engage with. I describe much of the work I make in response as chance meetings, where figurative and fabricated spaces intertwine. These spatial compositions evolve through a process of trial and error, intuitive actions and serendipity. Related text, often poetry, sometimes prompts a piece of work and selected words may be embedded within the fabric of a piece, so forming a residue or trace of origin that in one sense can be a metaphor for memory.
Some of my work is centred on the notion of presence in absence. Defining traces, stuff of human presence, has been a particular focus for making combined works with painted canvas connected to worked mirror panels. These pieces allow for interactive engagement with the viewer. Through bodily reflection the viewer becomes a transient part of the work. In this context the mirrors may allude to memory and, compositionally, they are intended to give balance and cool the fractured surface of the painted canvas.
All my work is informed by personal experience, family and friends. By using this I feel I can give some of the integrity that I desire to what I do. However, I also like to embrace fabrication, invention and illusion within my practice and it is the balance between these and what is real that challenges me and hopefully the viewer.
I would like to thank Gwyn Parry and the staff at FAUN for their help.”
