Previous AA2A Artist

Céline Siani Djiakoua

Artform:
multidisciplinary visual artist
Year:
2019-20
Location:
Surface Gallery, Nottingham
Email:
celinesd@hotmail.com
Social link:
Project summary:

The project I am undertaking through AA2A comes along and enriches a residency I have been invited to complete in 2019-2020 . It will be the 1stpart in the long-term project of creating an interactive artist book mixing fine art and crafts techniques and new technologies. During the residency, taking place in Nottingham at the Bromley House Library, as well as at the Broadway Near Now studios (art and technology hub), I will be researching an untouched collection of travel and autobiographical books of the 19th century, more specifically looking at illustrations about Africa. Throughout this project, I am interested in experimenting with innovative ways of presenting multi-layered and interwoven narratives that refer to colonisation, exploring the story of my own imaginary relationship to a particular African female water spirit, appearing in my drawings as a winged mermaid.

By giving me access to the printmaking and digital technologies workshops, the AA2A enables me to explore ways of reproducing and reusing 19thcentury illustrations and try to layer them up with my own drawings and ecoprinted paper (natural elements dyed into the paper).

My aims, through this exploration, is to acquire new skills and a better understanding of the possibilities that printmaking techniques have to offer. The hands-on process of layering images will also help me to think about the whole and longer-term project in new ways and open new doors into how I could share my narratives with an audience. By having access to the university facilities, I will also be able to produce about 6 final pieces, which will then be exhibited as part of the end of residency exhibition at Near Now Studio.

The project I am undertaking through AA2A comes along and enriches a residency I have been invited to complete in 2019-2020 . It will be the 1stpart in the long-term project of creating an interactive artist book mixing fine art and crafts techniques and new technologies. During the residency, taking place in Nottingham at the Bromley House Library, as well as at the Broadway Near Now studios (art and technology hub), I will be researching an untouched collection of travel and autobiographical books of the 19th century, more specifically looking at illustrations about Africa. Throughout this project, I am interested in experimenting with innovative ways of presenting multi-layered and interwoven narratives that refer to colonisation, exploring the story of my own imaginary relationship to a particular African female water spirit, appearing in my drawings as a winged mermaid.

By giving me access to the printmaking and digital technologies workshops, the AA2A enables me to explore ways of reproducing and reusing 19thcentury illustrations and try to layer them up with my own drawings and ecoprinted paper (natural elements dyed into the paper).

My aims, through this exploration, is to acquire new skills and a better understanding of the possibilities that printmaking techniques have to offer. The hands-on process of layering images will also help me to think about the whole and longer-term project in new ways and open new doors into how I could share my narratives with an audience. By having access to the university facilities, I will also be able to produce about 6 final pieces, which will then be exhibited as part of the end of residency exhibition at Near Now Studio.

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