Material Affect

material affect 1 -72
material affect 5 - 72
Object-1
Object-5
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object 9 light
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Shiels, J - Material affect
Material Affect, Julie Shiels (2013)

Material Affect installation views – Image credit: John Brash
The Substation, Newport, 2013

The psychology of consumption is dominated by repeated attempts to create internal meaning, satisfaction and a sense of self through the acquisition of external things.This series of works reproduces the empty spaces left when domestic consumables are removed from their plastic packages to explore the experience of consumption and reflect upon the emotions it evokes. Unlike most artworks using ‘readymades’, this work is derived from discarded space rather than discarded objects. It takes advantage of the already abstracted form of the package that once held a recognisable household item.

This exhibition presents different iterations of this ‘readymade’ space using a range of materials including loose plaster, aluminium and light – used as a ‘material’ to create photographic imprints or photograms.

Objects 1 – 10 Silver gelatin prints on fibre-based paper 120 x 100 cms

Material Affect catalogue