Creators - RE:issues exhibition

The connection to the lyrics and the outpouring of raw emotions on the album Singles by Future Islands, is something that I’ve never felt before with any album. The struggles, hurt and reflection in the lyrics is portrayed in such an honest way by Samuel T. Herring, and it resonates so strongly with me, and reflects so many of the themes of my work that I found myself creating this piece while listening to the album and letting it flow into the work.

The song Lighthouse is a stand out when I listen to the album, the thoughtful journey the song takes from one of despair and hurt to something that is slightly better and brighter, is a constant reminder to me that even the darkest moments can have hope. This is the same feeling I get through the process of stitching, which is slow, considered, repetitive and thoughtful. During this time I am left with my own thoughts and the time to process them in the flow of making.

The piece was constructed using repetitive hand piercing, rhythmic mark marking and stitching to illustrate patterns. Traditionally stitch is used to mend and repair but in this instance the act of mending works towards an emotional repair.

Inspired by the track 'Paranoid Android' and it's reference to gluttonous consumerism – "Gucci Piggy" has been captured in this illustrated work. The visual language has also been inspired by Magnus Carlsson who directed the animated video for the track.

In late 1965, at age 18, Erickson co-founded the 13th Floor Elevators. In 1969, Erickson was arrested for possession of a single marijuana joint in Austin. Facing a potential ten-year incarceration, Erickson pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to avoid prison. He was first sent to the Austin State Hospital. After several escapes, he was sent to the Rusk State Hospital in Rusk, Texas, where he was subjected to more electroconvulsive therapy and Thorazine treatments, ultimately remaining in custody until 1972. In 1974, after having been released from the state hospital, Erickson formed a new band who exchanged the psychedelic sounds of The 13th Floor Elevators for a more hard rock sound that featured lyrics on old horror film and science fiction themes. His songs had titles like Red Temple Prayer, Don't Shake Me Lucifer, Creature With The Atom Brain and Night Of The Vampire. Erickson died in Austin on May 31, 2019

I had the opportunity to catch him live at a regular yearly gig he played at SXSW in Austin, Texas. On this occasion, he was joined onstage by Billy F. Gibbons of ZZ Top. This design, which incorporates elements of his psychedelic and hard rock directions, is an imagined cover for a non-released live recording of that gig. Both the design and photography are mine.

Initially when the idea of exhibition has inspired me into the band NO DOUBT, since the beginning. More specific 'Tragic Kingdom' album. First cassette that would play on repeat when just a teenager. Side A, side B, side A and so on.

BUT 'Rock Steady' was also my first CD of them. The second track has a rough riff that anyone can hangbang at, the title? Hella good ;) And it's first visual queue into the song.

The Quarry Men : A Visual Reworking of Slint’s Spiderland.

From the very first time I heard Spiderland, I was drawn into its eerie musical landscape. The LP’s 6 tracks were full of mystery, complex instrumentation layered with hushed vocals that were at times almost inaudible. I had never heard anything like it before, and by the time I had; the band had split years previously. What they left us with was this enigmatic artefact, a record cover with a stark black and white photograph of four young men who didn’t quite fit the bill. Could these normal-looking guys really have created this otherworldly music? The rest of the packaging revealed little more to the listener, other than a one-time search for a female singer (the floating presence of Polly Jean Harvey). More than 25 years since Slint’s second and final album came into my life, its beautifully foreboding music and imagery still haunt me in the nicest possible way.

For me ABBA represents my awakening into not just classic pop and disco but music itself. My Mam’s side of my family have always been ABBA obsessed and so it was natural for me to share that love from an early age. From watching clips of their Eurovision win to seeing Mamma Mia on the West End to listening to them everyday in the car, I have such a nostalgia for their music.

My piece looks at how ABBA have never really strayed from their true selves, never giving into changes in the evolution of music and yet they have this timeless quality about them.

I decided to imagine what an ABBA album would look like if they did decide to go down another path at one stage. I feel like in an alternate universe, a Glam Rock album would definitely exist so obviously I took inspiration from KISS and David Bowie but also tried to emulate ABBA’s own style.

The result is a ridiculous image consisting of the members of the band that we know so well in a completely new light. Personally I think there’s still time for an ABBA genre change.

I went with Channel Orange by Frank Ocean as you can see, as it was a monumental album for me at the time especially as it was the catalyst for him coming out around the same time I was realising I was bi. The original cover is super minimal so I thought I'd do a maximalist version and show the rich world and stories inside the album. Each thing on the cover represents one of the 17 tracks so it was a lot of fun to make!

This piece is from a series of works entitled 'I ll be your mirror', where i reformatted and collaged old record sleeves to create new narratives from the original cover designs. This work 'In your mind' was made from 3 sleeves, Partly or mostly Brian Ferry, part from Irish rock folk band 'Busy making Progress' and part from a sleeve from a French chanteuse who's name I regretfully can t recall.