Benjamin West+
|
Benjamin West STATEMENT Ben is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates work that is inspired by nature, and influenced by environmental and ecological issues. Through the mediums of collage and photography Ben’s artwork examines our ever-changing relationship with nature, and highlights the consequences of human activity upon our surroundings. Influenced by Naturalists such as Joseph Banks, Sir Hans Sloane, and the principles of natural observational science, Ben is a passionate collector. He enjoys compiling a variety of resources for use in the works which are fragmented, lost, or unwanted from his surroundings. The subsequent works become a juxtaposition of various collated discarded printed materials, and natural artefacts. His practice is heavily influenced by the writings of John Ruskin, and the Arts and Craft movement of the early 19th century, where artists tended to oppose machine manufacture in favor of craft production. This philosophy was initiated in part by the writings of Ruskin, in which his social criticism gave rise to a reaction against the styles that were developed by machine-production. Therefore, integral to his practice is this need to create works which are cut and arranged by hand, employing digital techniques only for archiving and reproduction. Maintaining an attachment to the materials used in the process is key to the arrangements, ultimately defining his work. Inspired by an essay by Ruskin entitled “The Storm-Cloud of the Nineteenth-Century” (1884), where he describes the effects of early industrialisation on weather patterns, Ben’s graphic collage archive and website is named Storm-Cloud. His collages are ultimately concerned with how we continue to interact with, and impact, our natural surroundings with technological, economic, and political developments. Whilst the images he creates possess a playfulness, this belies his intention to communicate a serious environmental and political statement. BIO Ben was born in Alton, Hampshire, England in 1974. He gained a BA(hons) in Graphic and Media Design from the London College of Communication (formerly LCP), and later a Post-Graduate Diploma in Photography at Falmouth College of Arts in Cornwall, England. Using montage and collage he openly manipulates the photographic space, where he constructs and deconstructs materials to build new patterns of meaning. He now lives and works in London. ARTIST CONTACT [click to email] IMAGES
|
