Artist Research Residency – Thorp Stavri x Two Temple Place: Aug 22
Chloë Louise Lawrence, Gabriela Pelczarska, Jack Evans, John Costi, Josephine Chime, Joshua Phillips, Sabrina Shah, Sam Williams, Yambe Tam, Yui Yamamoto
About the Research Residency
Developed in a new collaboration between Two Temple Place and Thorp Stavri. The research residency has been designed to support 10 early-career visual artists over five days in August 2022. It offered time and space in a historically significant heritage building and cultural venue in central London, a bursary and a series of talks underpinned by robust support and mentoring. With a view to developing new creative explorations, the residency will culminated in an exhibition and programme of events at Two Temple Place, and was based on the artists’ findings during the residency.
Day 1
Building tour and talk with Rebecca Hone
Rebecca Hone is the Head of Exhibitions at Two Temple Place, a neo-Gothic mansion in central London which offers year-round cultural and community programmes, with the aims of opening the building and its history to everyone. At the heart of the programme are exhibitions which challenge perceptions of the building, focusing on stories and histories that may be missing from other exhibitions, showcasing public collections from outside of London and offering exciting development opportunity for early career.
Day 2
Workshop and talk by Sarah Davis
Sarah Davis is a multi-media artist using hands on sculptural techniques to explore the cyclical nature of recovery and renewal. Davis’ approach to making is informed by a love for historic crafts such as wood carving and gilding. Her carving is very sculptural and contemporary but rooted in the language of ornament.
Sarah is a tutor in the carving and historic conservation departments at City and Guilds of London Art School. She is also an evening tutor at Imperial College London and has lectured for the Hjerleid school of Woodcarving in Dovre, Norway.
Day 3
Talk: Eileen Cooper and Charlotte Pyatt
Eileen Cooper is a respected artist known for her strong and passionate commitment to figuration. Studying first at Goldsmiths College (1971-74) and then at the Royal College of Art (1974-77) she went on to teach at a wide range of art schools including St Martin’s, the Royal College of Art, City & Guilds in London and latterly at the Royal Academy of Arts. In 2000 she was elected a Royal Academician. From 2010-17 Cooper served as Keeper of the Royal Academy
Charlotte Pyatt is an independent Creative Director working at the intersection of culture and sustainable action. She is also an SDG expert (sustainable development goals) consulting with the British Council to consider the role that culture has to play in our societies
Day 4
Talk: Eric Thorp and Nicholas Stavri
Performance: John Costi and Keep It Mucky
Eric Thorp is a curator, writer and filmmaker specialising in the production of large scale exhibitions, events and opportunities with an emphasis on supporting early career artists and underrepresented identities. His work is focused on presenting contemporary art in an accessible way and highlighting how art feeds into wider culture and society.
Nicholas Stavri is a Creative Consultant and Production Manager with a passion for supporting emerging artists with the practicalities of managing their studios and strategies for career development. Nicholas is an Advisory Group Member for Hypha Studios, a member of the Convelio Fine Art Advisory Board and the Gallery Climate Coalition’s shipping subcommittee
Day 5
Talks: Jade Monserrat and Cedar Lewisohn
Jade Montserrat is an artist and activist working across painting, print, text, performance, film and installation to explore shared stories and personal narratives.Jade was the recipient of the Stuart Hall Foundation Scholarship which supported her PhD (via MPhil) at IBAR, University of Central Lancashire and the development of her work from her black diasporic perspective in the North of England.
Cedar Lewisohn is an artist, writer and curator. He has worked on museum projects for institutions such as Tate Britain, Tate Modern and The British Council. Whilst working at Tate Modern, he curated the landmark Street Art exhibition and has published three books (Street Art, Tate 2008, Abstract Graffiti, Marrell, 2011, The Marduk Prophecy, Slimvolume, 2020)
The Thorp Stavri and Two Temple Place artists residency was held in August 2022. It provided an opportunity for Artists to work outside of their usual environments, providing them with space and time to reflect, research, or produce work to reflect their surroundings. During a residency, artists could explore new spaces and experiment with different materials. During this time, they would benefit from professional support, talks and guidance.
The ideas generated during this week of exploration were the foundations for an exhibition of works within Two Temple Place in February 2023. This was an opportunity for the Artists to showcase their works in a museum setting, supported by a program of talks, workshops, tours and performances
