Artist: Christine Mockett, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Interview 3: Christine was Winner of Best in Show for the 2007 Common Thread National Juried Exhibition for "Tree Prosthetic."
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Interviews published by Gareth Bate & Dawne Rudman.
Biography
Christine Mockett is a fibre sculptor, born in England and raised in Southern Ontario. In 1996, Christine completed a BSc at the University of Waterloo. The emphasis on research is an influence on how she approaches her artwork today. In Australia, Christine studied clothing design and operated a business in Sydney for four years. Garments now appear in her artwork as a second form of architecture, closer to the body and portable. When she returned to Canada she developed her professional interest in art and completed a BFA at Concordia University in 2006. Her artwork has since appeared in the Preston Catalogue, Fiberarts, Embroidery Canada and Fibre Quarterly, and has been exhibited and collected in Canada, the USA and Italy. Her current body of work addresses issues of place, and the inter-relationship between architecture and human presence. View Website
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Christine Mockett of Ottawa Ontario was winner of the "Best in Show" for the 2007 festival. |
Tell us about your work?
I am working in fibre sculpture on the theme of connection between people and places. Each sculpture is an abstracted human form combined with the physical appearance of a place. Facial features are missing because the figures’ identities and actions are only possibilities. Groups of sculptures invent, recreate and sometimes poke fun at our interpretations of things. The sculptures are usually life size for a more personal interaction.
I like working with reclaimed materials and often include environmental themes and materials in my work. The sculptures are made of left over construction materials salvaged, clothing donations and purchases from community organizations. The clothing is wound around the building materials, like lives wound around places. It is an intermediary between places and people, a portable architecture.
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Operette 2, 71" x 16" x 12", Media: clothing, aluminum, concrete, paint, wood, medium, |
I'll Paint You If You'll Paint Me, 12.5" x 15" x 10", clothing, wood, concrete, paint, wire, medium, Fibre Technique: additive fibre sculpture, wrapping, shaping |
From where do you get your inspiration?
Inspiration is everywhere, so much so that I need to keep books with drawings and notes of ideas because building things takes longer than thinking of them. Nature is a brilliant designer in colour combinations and construction. I also try to be involved in other fields and activities that may seem completely unrelated. This brings different perspectives together and makes for a larger tool box of ‘how to’s’!
Why did you choose to go into fibre art?
I spent a long time searching for a career path that moved me. I think fibre art chose me, and that was it. I have always built things from whatever material was available, but fibre is the perfect medium for me because it is so flexible. It has so many forms and so much history.
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Winner of Best in Show, for the 2007 Common Thread National Juried Exhibition.
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Winner of Best in Show, for the 2007 Common Thread National Juried Exhibition.
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Which is your favourite fibre medium?
Fibre sculpture and machine embroidery are my favourite media at the moment. I like being able to move around the work, creating hidden areas that can be discovered and visually delved into, this suits the themes I choose.
What other mediums do you work in, and how does this inform your fibre work?
I work with steel, aluminum, concrete, wood, plastics and paint, so far. My work almost always has fibre or a fibre technique in it, but I include other materials as it suits the idea. Different materials require different tools, approaches and methods of working. This leads to transference between media and into the themes. If a material appears to not be suitable for an application, I have to know why and then try to change it.
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Detail: Tree Prosthetic 1, Bark, yarn, thread, acrylic. |
Visitor, 71" x 14" x 14", wood, concrete, clothing, paint, medium, Fibre Technique: additive fibre sculpture, wrapping, shaping, sewing, clothing design |
What specific historic artists have influenced your work?
I’m not sure if there is a date attached to what you consider historic but I like Alexander Calder’s work, particularly his jewelry. He included found materials in his work and did innovative things with simple materials. I’ve read that he always had a roll of wire with him when he traveled and he referred to himself as a maker of things instead of an artist.
Sometimes I find I am putting non-existent barriers up around what I am making, that it has to look this way or that way. When I look through a book of Calder’s work, the freedom in his forms reminds me how to find my own direction.
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Oil Pithoi, in the Common Thread Nationall Juried Exhibition at The Gallery at Sheridan Institute 2007. |
Oil Pithoi, in the Common Thread Nationall Juried Exhibition at The Gallery at Sheridan Institute 2007. |
What role do you think fibre art plays in contemporary art?
Fibre is the surprise mystery ingredient, because it is such a ubiquitous element of our lives and can be used in so many physical and expressive ways. The role it plays depends on whose hands it is in.
What specific contemporary artists have influenced your work?
I like the combination of media in Michael Raedecker’s work. I would like to consider the notion of objects in my theme of people and places. His work leaves the subject material not overly defined. This ambiguity fits with my tendency to keep things flexible.
I like Olga Chagaoutdinova’s photographic images of rooms, places and people in different cultures. Textiles appear in some of her images and they are so expressive of the lives operating around them.
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Detail: Oil Pithoi. |
What other fibre artists are you interested in?
I am interested in Louise Bourgeois’s work. She was a French-American artist and sculptor. I like her use of textiles from her own life, her very expressive fibre forms and the fact that she kept on creating work, with the last pieces finished the week before she passed away.
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Tree Museum, 13" x 9" x 9" (each piece), paper core, reed, paint, yarn, thread, fleece, medium, Fibre Technique: wrapping, sewing, basketry, tying, beading, felting. |
Tell us about your studio and how you work:
I have a home-based studio where I can work alone when I need to and do the noisy dust generating construction work. I also seek short-term studio space in artist collectives and studio buildings so I can interact with other artists. The opportunity to work in a variety of places is ideal for me. Different environments lead to changes in work direction and inspiration. I also get to meet more people. Trading tools, experiences and critique is great. It gets all of us miles ahead of where we would be and the process is so enjoyable. This combination works best for me.
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Christine Mockett working in the studio. Photo: Peter Juranka. |
Where do you imagine your work in 5 years?
I am currently working sculpturally, interpreting building surfaces into sculpture. My next plan is to reverse this process and incorporate sculptures into flat surfaces. I would like to do more with mixing fibre into other media, perhaps suspending it in glass or mixing it with concrete. I don’t have a definite plan because it would change anyway, and it is nice to let the work itself lead sometimes.
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Common Thread Nationall Juried Exhibition at The Gallery at Sheridan Institute 2007. |
Which World of Threads Festival did you exhibit in?
I exhibited in the World of Threads Festival Common Thread National Juried Exhibition, in 2007. (Christine was awarded Best of Show.)
What was your motivation for submitting your work to the World of Threads Festival?
I finished my undergrad work and setup my business in 2006. I submitted my work to the World of Threads Festival because I wanted to connect with other artists and art organizations more. When I was in university those opportunities were all around, but after graduating I knew I had to seek them out myself. I had heard a lot about Sheridan and the art programs there, so I thought I would meet interesting people. I also hadn’t shown my work much in Toronto, and the World of Threads Festival matched the kind of work I was interested in doing.
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Interviews published by Gareth Bate & Dawne Rudman.
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Stone #1, 20" x 16" x 3/4", embroidery and acrylic on canvas, Fibre Technique: Machine embroidery. |