Andrew Bird

For our  November residency we are welcoming back Andrew Bird

 Andrew is proposing to look at the contemporary  relationship of sacred art and the artist /viewer .

“In the UK we are living in an increasingly secular society where  the religious and mythical iconography and allegorical meanings of religious art have little meaning  or emotional response in our current lives. Except maybe for example state broadcasts such as the funeral of Elizabeth Windsor or memorial remembrance ceremonies at the cenotaph. When recently  being confronted with a direct physical experience of a religious representation of the descent from the cross I was struck by how the use of the human figure was used in these religious art forms to convey a feeling of connection to the imagery and a visceral response to the subject. Artists have historically wanted to achieve this emotional response to their imagery. I’m drawn to revisiting these artists’ work. And to spend my time producing work in response to historic pieces . I will be using drawing and a combination of sculptural materials. The Caravaggio painting ‘The incredulity of Saint Thomas 1601-2 Shows  where I am in needing to poke the imagery to see why I want to examine this Sacred imagery using the human body to both represent a theological and emotional message.”

Andrew Bird