Alan GoulbourneSurviving as an Emerging (Fine) artistAlan Goldbourne is a Cardiff based artist who grew up in the Middle East, postgraduate and under grad MA. He has worked in 3 month residency in Bahrain and Aberystwyth. He showed us a few of his sculptures.

Liminal Series, 2012, 6m x 3m 0.50m. about 1000 unique images, used lots of blocks of wood and Perspex plates from his prints and smashed them up and layered them over the sculptures took as many images as he could, then got 10 sheets of MDF cut them up and projected them off the wall and added another layer of boxes. It comes out about 50 cm relief off the wall From everywhere you look you get a unique perspective

The whole exhibition was called rough-cut, made each piece in about a day, he got lots of timber, cut them up and made as many sculptures as he could. He tries to make robust and harsh looking materials and make them look elegant. His practice is based around using a simple component and massing it together but also using a process of order and chaos to create a piece of work.

‘Ignorant bliss’ is a piece about what was going on at the time in the Middle East, reclaiming land without any foresight for what they were doing to the community or longevity of the country.

Pear roundabout symbol, he doesn’t usually do conceptual work, but he started experimenting with symbols. The whole Bahrain Arab spring is centred on a place called Pearl roundabout which had a ginormous sculpture. Demonstrators used it as their symbol for peace and so the government tore it down, and that symbol now banned, even the coins which have the symbol on it were taken out of use. At first he wanted to make an effigy of the symbol but was encouraged not to.So Alan used an oil drum, as it is circular and symbolises the middle east, especially the Arabian gulf, oil was discovered in Bahrain in 1932. Also before oil the pearl diving industry was

prominent, so he placed a pearl in the middle of drum, symbolising the Pearl roundabout symbol in a more subversive way.

He then told us about an unsuccessful piece he made for Kickworthy Castle called Apoptosis, it’s based around the idea that a cell has a trigger in it which makes it degenerate at some point. So he liked the idea of putting it in an old castle which had a former use,and used slate which also had a former use and was prevalent, and is now dying out in Wales. He built a tree from these materials, unfortunately the adhesive he used didn’t work as it was a rainy summer (even though it was the type of adhesive especially used for underwater) it started degrading very quickly and they weren’t happy and they removed it in a day or two, although this does fit in with the theme of the piece well. This goes to show you should always test things and plan ahead as you can never safely assume that the materials will work the way you want them to.

He got awarded the John Gingal award in G39 in Cardiff which is an 8 month project where the family of John Gingall had raised money to build a one off show in memory of him. He showed us his first successful piece he made for that out of scraps of wood, then a tree he created during the G39 show, its 4x4 metres, made

out of 15000 found pieces of wood which took 6 years to collect. It’s made out of 13 different pieces which slot together.

Totem piece way fairing points between the work to link the tree to ‘sorry Paul’ black cube.

Sorry Paul is entitled so because a mentor on the panel called Paul didn’t want him to make it but he did anyway. It’s 3x3 metres 300 cubes MDF with layers with of black gloss, he got all the MDF for free from a company in Scotland (Find this company) he them cut them down into 1800 panels and made blocks out of them. The concept is again based on Bahrain the idea of taking a symbol and taking it as a solid object which looks ominous and solid, but as you look closer your perspective changes and you realise it is polarised and is a complex structure built up of lots of things and you realise it is hollow and finally you see your reflection in the surface, this is a metaphor for the way people view the middle east. All of his work gets trashed at the end, which he quite enjoys.

He worked for CTS theatrical company and made a tree that was 6x6 metres for a stage production called Vixen. It was a way of making his practice more versatile, working in different areas for different cxompanies, he has also learned crucial skills working there.

Another piece he made in 2013 for the royal opera house London designed by Jean Marc Puissant, it’s made of plywood and a steel frame. Puissant said it was unusable the day before the performance, but then he used it and won an award for it.

He advises that when we leave uni we should join with other students and form a group to motivate and critique each other, this is one of the most useful things you can do as it can be very isolating when you leave uni and have no support system. He and his friends encouraged each other to do shows, which can be anything, it is quite easy these days especially with empty spaces projects going on across the UK. Send an email or call the person who owns the shop asking if you can display your work, you ca use your final show to market self.He gave us some useful links for artists.Research grants too- artquest.org.uk- you can find lots offers for commissions there and search by deadline.Arts council Wales website, this gives grants and supports artistsRe-title.comTransartist

How he got started and what happens when you leave the uni bubble. Looks at rebirth, uses old materials and things found in skip. He wanted to represent the human state without being figurative he makes virus growing rom 8000 8mm sticks, he sometimes work audaciously. He works largely from his experiences and feelings about the Middle East where he was raised. He works wirth thr ideas of fractures, fractures sculpture. He uses wooden cubes and trees as his motif, they feature largely. He has done many shows, g39 shows. He reckons we bind together when we leave is to form a grpio, so we have a support grouip. Work together critique each other, encourage esch other. We will already have a body of work when we leave from our final show, utilise that work, artquest.org.uk -commissions and deadlines, local and world wide

Arts council Wales, very encouraging to artists, they have a series of grants available. A lot of the time you have to have had a year out of education to apply or have a partnership, it’s worth having a look to see which ones you can apply to.Re-title, residencies for world-wide opportunities and UKTransartist- For residencies.Resartist- Another residencies one.

Alan recommends we leave it a year or so after leaving University to work in residencies, as people want to see how well you develop independently as an artist. It’s also good to give your self-time to build up a body of work.

Who insures your work depends on the job and who’s running it, a lot of places will say in a remit whether they offer insurance and what amount.From the WAI (Welsh Artists international) - You can get a grant up to 5 grand. You can find this on the Arts Council Wales website.Appeal to institutions when you approach them, tailor to their needs. Do not bombard a gallery with work, and instead try to network and build friendships with people. It is good to get a tutor or someone to help you write proposals etc. if you’re not great at writing. Usually if your work is good enough they can see through the inept writing, but it depends on who you’re writing to really, it does help make you look more professional.Alan admits he isn’t very good with Social media, but tell us it is very useful for building up your brand which is very important.Riseart is a good online platform for artists, they have a series of curators which review every new work that comes on and offer advice. You can also organise shows and build a community on there.Build communityArtselector is another good site for putting your work online, exposure is the key as there is lots of competition, and you need to make yourself stand out. Keep the public informed about how your work is developing, online presence is a must.Finding a studio or any place to work is important when you leave university. Have something to aim for, even just a little show group with friends, this is a good way to keep yourself motivated to do work.

Don’t overwhelm people with work, only send things that tailor most to what they want, quality over quantity. Institutions like to watch you as you develop, so keep them informed about how your practice is developing. Online presence is a must, have your own website and a blog, link to each other amongst friends.