Featured Artist: Dougal Haslem

Dougal Haslem first exhibited with Pieces of Eight during the My Pet Rock exhibition earlier this year. He has recently become one of our represented artists, and you can find an impressive collection of his jewellery and object based work in the gallery. Soon we will also have an artist page for him on our website. In the meantime we thought we'd ask him a few questions and publish some images from his sketch-book as well as pictures of his studio and finished works.

1. Does the found object inspire the work you do, or do you have an idea and then look for a suitable object to realise it?

Collecting found materials is a starting point for my pieces. I have a large stockpile of different objects, which are sorted into different categories determined by their shape, colour or what they could be used for. I go about collecting the materials with these different aspects in mind, so they are quite specific to my particular aesthetic. However the trick is to find something that is suitable but will provide a surprise factor.

The very first chook pin was a result of composing different miniature elements to form a zoomorphic form. So the collected object was the starting point for this piece and it was quite a fortuitous methodology. To recreate the chook pins, materials are chosen with that form in mind. Variations in material allow each pin to have an individual personality.

The objects like Tiny Prancer, MillaGodzilla and The Venus Of.. are all based on an initial idea and then the material is sought to best represent the idea. Again the trick is to find the right element to give the piece intrigue and add to the curious nature of the object. These pieces are inspired by the idea and the collected material is specifically chosen to suit.

So to answer the question; I approach the use of material in designing my pieces in two ways. Firstly starting with the material and letting its characteristics determine what the piece could be. Secondly, starting with the idea and then choosing specific materials to best convey the idea. Both rely on an intuitive use of material that can convey my curious aesthetic.




2. Your work is very technically involved. Can you talk a little about this process?

The technical aspects to my pieces are a major consideration, both to the making methodology and the finished ‘mechanised’ aesthetic. It is a little self-indulgent but I do enjoy disappearing into the world of the miniature, handcrafting pieces at my jewellers bench in my studio, for hours on end. I consider what I do as a crafts practice and without trying to make some grand statement about a reaction to mass production I believe that it is a way that I can provide individuality to each piece.

The making is the part where I get to be involved with the piece. The personality of the object is another part and the interpretation of the viewer or wearer is another. This is where my interest in creating jewellery and object began. To be able to create something that someone will relate to or consider precious is a special thing to me.

Practically, the techniques I use are the easiest way for me to cold join fragile elements. Using a tap and die to make screw thread and locking nut in combination with soldering and riveting I can create a structure to support the composition of materials. These techniques are appropriate to create the mechanized or robotic aesthetic of the avian pin series or critters like MillaGodzilla (see image below).

3. What role does narrative play in your work? Do you want to tell a story, or does the story evolve as you are making a piece?

Some of these pieces are intended to express my interpretation of a particular idea, however they do grow and take on unexpected traits as they are created. So I can guide the intention of the piece but a capricious narrative results nearly every time. Because of the use of collected object and what identity this brings to the piece the interpretation from the viewer or wearer is largely individual.

So I can intend for the piece to express one thing and it could be interpreted in a very different way. Which is fine, I don’t want to force the meaning of the piece as if it is re-interpreted then it can continue to grow and the narrative takes on a life of its own. The works for Pieces of Eight are intended as whimsical characters that could play a part in a fantastic narrative, determined by the imagination of the viewer or wearer.

4. Does drawing, sketching or modeling play a significant role in the development of a piece?

Drawing is an aspect of my arts practice that I often use to facilitate the design process. I have a large roll of white paper that I can cover part of my bench in the studio with to create a blank canvas. For each piece a new bit of paper is used for an area to compose the collected materials and draw and design the technical aspects of the fittings etc. I also use photography to assist this part of the design process. The photos are cut-up and stuck to the paper as a reference.

I have collected all of the past sheets to form a visual diary, which helps especially if I need to refer back to past notes if making an edition of a piece. As with any visual diary the sheets are used as a way of collating a large array of influences, it is somewhere I can record inspiration not just for the piece at hand but future directions for works.

My pieces are heavily influenced by contemporary illustration and design (which includes graffiti and the general aesthetic captured by that design sub-culture). What I have done with the works for Pieces of Eight could partly be considered a 3D embodiment of that design philosophy.

Tiny Prancer

5. Do you tend to make sequential bodies of work? If so, why does this way of working appeal to you?

The avian pins, including the original ‘Chook’ pin presented in My Pet Rock, are intended to be a series. Each quite different and individual but the size, choice of material, brooch pin fitting, and the fact that they’re all intended to be birds provide continuity.

The other pieces are sequential as each idea is related to the previous piece. So for example MillaGodzilla came about while designing the hip, knee, and ankle joints for Tiny Prancer. And the idea for Tiny Prancer came about when researching The Venus Of… etc.

I consider continuity between pieces important so there is critical mass in a body of work. As with the choice of collected material to provide intrigue or surprise, each piece needs to be different but implicitly related so to be interesting and not a diluted statement.The relationship between objects could somewhat be considered tenuous, however when dealing with the absurd greater leaps can be made.

The Venus Of...