In this interview, we speak to Hannah Billett,she creates work within the 3D department of Fine Art.
What is the title of your work?
"Looksee"
Summarise the work in 5 words
Are you looking or seeing?
Talk us through the process of creating your work
For me this piece is about getting people to engage with the environment they are in, by presenting them with a sculpture that also acts as a looking device. I wanted to create a something that allows you to see the park from different angles; I was playing on the idea of actually looking through the sculpture, not just at it.
The park is full of personal memories and history, and is a place to find peace, to take time for yourself or with people you love, and to enjoy the natural beauty that exists in the heart of a busy, industrial city. But I think sometimes we can get so wrapped up in the virtual world, the one that exists primarily in our phones and on our social media, that we are always trying to ‘capture’ moments and freeze the time we are in, rather than just looking and absorbing what’s around us and really focusing on experiencing moments, and making a memory. It has been said that the best memories are the ones we forget, and we only remember fragments and flashes, but the emotional connection to that memory remains strong. I think visually that’s what drew me to create a structure that involves lots of different fragments. I wanted to create a piece that is engaging and hopefully kind of interactive in the way that people could perceive the sculpture, by walking around it and looking into the mirrors and through the different cross-sections.
The title is a nod to the phrase “let’s have a little looksee” and also a play on words in a way - “look, see” invites you to question the difference between looking and seeing.
It was definitely a challenge to work out the angles and dimensions for the different elements of the piece. I think the hardest part was cutting the mirrors accurately - I had to make some very precise measurements! A lot of the structures I tend to visualise and create often end up being quite architectural and/or complex, and really I end up making problems for myself because I’m not the best at complicated maths! But I did really enjoy making this because once I’d worked out all of the angles for the smaller parts, the challenge was in the construction and that’s always the most fun part.
There were decisions to make along the way; obviously the composition changed from my initial computer visualisation, primarily due to time constraints and changes in size. I mostly worked from a maquette that I made from matchsticks, as this sped up the process because I was able to visualise exactly where I wanted things before having to go ahead and cut my materials. I did also think about painting it but I made the decision not to because I liked the juxtaposition of the clean, manufactured wood against the natural surrounding and the trees still in the park.
How is the work “site-specific”?
I had originally envisioned the work to be place near the lower pond by a fence that I felt was sympathetic to the structure and design of the piece. It’s actually what inspired the cube shape I used. However what’s nice about the piece is the fact that it works really well anywhere in the park because of the concept behind it, and actually placing it in front of Lauderdale House also works really well because it sort of bridges a gap between the architecture of the house and the surrounding trees.
You can follow Hannah Billett on instagram @hannahbillett_art