Tess Vaughan

b. 1978, Tipperary, Ireland

2009-2014 BA Sculpture and Environmental Art, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, UK

Artist’s Statement

My work looks at instances where we think directly through our bodies. Rather than focus on a strictly biological point of view, I am interested in situations where the dissociation between physicality and mentality is apparent. The physical body then becomes a frame for repetition, absence and irregularity.

I use processes such as clay and wet plaster modelling, waste mould casting and metal work to allow for quick and direct translation from idea to form. Making comes first, followed by associations with my main research interests in the body and space, individual and cultural legacies (both fictional and real) and the uncanny. Developed work usually takes the form of figurative sculpture, sculptural installation, performance or film.

In my public practice, I continue my interest in the body and space, cultural legacies and the uncanny in everyday environments. I like to work with context: the architecture of a site, historic references and the interrelationships between a site and its occupants.

Artefact, Artifact

Artefact, Artifact is a concrete figure that was cast from a clay model. Inspiration for this piece stems from various sources, perhaps most directly from my interest in figurative sculpture and the portrayal of the animal as ‘other’. The title of this piece is representative of my interest in individual stories and their relation to broader cultural legacies.

Recent Exhibitions

Solo:
2014 along those lines wrapped up in voice, Glasgow School of Art Project Space, Glasgow, UK

Group:
2014 Legacy Platform, Glasgow, UK
2014 Perfect Boyfriends, Barnes, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, UK
2013 Transmission Member’s Show , Transmission Gallery, Glasgow, UK
2012 Art for a House Lover, House for an Art Lover, Glasgow, UK
2011 “See what the mirror sees without you getting in the way”, Studio 41, Glasgow, UK

Awards and Residencies

2012 Student Artist Residency, House for an Art Lover, Glasgow, UK

Return to the BNC 2014 Artist Index

Return to the BNC 2014 exhibition page