Gérard Mermoz
gerardmermoz@hotmail.com
You and your work
I am writing to express my interest in the ‘artists in industry’ residency.
I am an artist and curator working in the West Midlands.
I am not a ceramicist, but work with figurines; some of them made of pottery or porcelain, and any other material (such as wood, glass, bronze, plastic, etc.), which I pair to create imaginary conversations pieces.
The first series I developed—‘Histoires/(Hi)stories…’—stages figurines from different cultures and periods of human history (& made of different materials) in conversation.
Thus an Etruscan bronze meet a Baroque Jesus; a European farmer meets an African ‘mask’; a Roman meets an Indian offering bearer; Napoleon meets an eager penguin…
Beside being formally satisfying, these fictional encounters wrapped in humour, address the basis of inter-cultural conflicts by presenting cultural differences as the basis of our inability to see others for what they are and framing them through our own values and expectations.
http://darwinsblindspot.blogspot.com/
A second series, 'Bestiaries'—stages encounters between a human figurine and an animal or between two animals:
A recent series made during the first of three residencies in India explores the possibility of dialogue between faiths, as in Histoires (Buddha.Nandi):
More recently, I started a series in which a human figurine is paired with an everyday object to produce surreal situations 'Histoires' (Egyptian.Spray) which have the capacity to enhance the dramatic impact of the exchanges.
In the past, I have photographed these objects and exhibited the photographs as works.
Recently I included a few 3D compositions in two exhibitions: Derby:
and Rugby (Decembre 2008).
The project I am currently working on, at the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford, http://objectsinperformance.blogspot.com will consist essentially of 3D objects; and will involve staging a dialogue between the figurines and the objects in the museum collections and my own compositions.
For this I shall be constructing a modern Cabinet of Curiosities and will infiltrate some of the showcases from the permanent collections with my own work (compositions with figurines & objects) to stimulate viewers to look at and engage with the objects differently, and think about the ways the objects are displayed in the museum collections.
Titled ‘Histoires . Museo-graphies: Objects in Performance’ the project aims to focus on and enhance the ways we look at objects by creating dynamic visual 'tableaux' with figurines and objects.
Project Proposal
Given my research interests across Art, Design and Communication and my professional experience of running creative labs for designers at a high level — at Dyson's; Musée de l'Imprimerie, Lyon; French Society of Typographers,etc. — I anticipate that my contribution during this residency may be wide ranging and involve:
1. Extensive research and discussions with the hosting company about a wide range of issues: from product development to marketing and publicity.
My works and professional experience combined will enable me to cover all these aspects
2. Developing a prototype concept for a new collection of figurines along the theme of intercultural dialogue could be a starting point towards a productive collaboration taking into account the national and international market.
The bi-centenary celebration of Darwin's birth could offer an opportunity to design and edit a limited edition group of figurines emblematically staging an imaginary conversation between Darwin and the primeval Ape, along the lines of the following sketch:
The directness of the approach and the humour will appeal both to fine art audiences (limited edition) as well as to a general public (popular edition).
3. The company archive collection may provide figurines and related material for making new art works, which, in turn, could be considered as the basis for a new product/s.
4. These new works and product prototypes could be exhibited at the Pottery Museum, where I have studied the collections and the stores and discussed with Ian Vines my interest in developing new works, drawing from the museum collection. One could, for instance, instigate a dialogue between the museum collections and new works.
Remarks
I understanding that the residency will be research-based and that, for the industrial partner, it may not lead to actual production, except of prototypes; but anticipate that it will contribute to enrich the research culture of the company and help refine existing design and communication strategies and take effects as a two-way process (the artist acquiring valuable knowledge about the production base of the ceramics industry, useful for fmaking uture work).
I also anticipate that I shall produce new works — 3D and/or photographic — in the process; drawing from the industrial partners archive (including that of the Pottery Museum).
I welcome the opportunity offered by this residency as, in the past, on several occasions, I have wished I had been able to collaborate with a ceramics manufacturer on a professional project leading to production of a new range of figurines which would invite multiple pairings. For I believe that my work could gain if made in porcelain or bone china (material which have a high capacity for details and realism) in addition to existing as one-off pieces (prototypes) made with found objects and as photographs, and would benefit a company already engaged in the production of such figurines, by helping it to extend its range along more contemporary lines.
Working in partnership with industry, this residency would provide me with an ideal opportunity to transfer my skills, knowledge and experience in ways which may result in or lead to positive changes for a company (a figurines Renaissance?), at three levels: design, manufacture and marketing/publicity of a new range of decorative ceramic figurines for contemporary living.
Since contrasts in materials are an integral part of my work:
this project could also explore a variety of ceramic techniques and media (stoneware, earthenware, pottery, porcelain, bone china), glazes, and their interaction with other materials: stone, metal (bronze), resin and glass:
Gérard Mermoz
gerardmermoz@hotmail.com
