The Singh Twins in conversation: Slaves of Fashion, Hidden Histories

Event date: 11 January 2023
Review by Danusia Wurm

 
 

Singh Twins in conversation with Dr Rosy Gray

Theirs is an art that is impossible to pigeonhole.
— Sue Herdman, Editor The Arts Society Magazine
 

The Singh Twins enthralled a packed Norwich University of the Arts Theatre as they explored the creative process behind their latest hard-hitting political artwork, Slaves of Fashion, Hidden Histories.  Cohosted by Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery and Norwich University of the Arts, The Singh Twins were interviewed by Dr Rosy Gray, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Norwich Castle. 

A surprise encounter with the ‘Indienne’ textiles at the Slavery Museum in Nantes, provided the inspirational spark for Slaves of Fashion, Hidden Histories - an exploration of hidden narratives of empire, colonialism, conflict and slavery through the lens of India’s historical textile trade. 

Featuring original digital mixed medium light-box artworks, drawings and paintings by The Singh Twins, as well as objects from the artists’ personal archive and participating museums and galleries, the artwork also explores modern day legacies and debates around ethical consumerism, racism, and the politics of trade. 

In their own words “If you care about the environment and you care about human rights, then you should really care about what you put in your shopping basket too, and that’s partly what the message of Slaves of Fashion is about. But it’s equally about redressing neglected and hidden histories, showing how we are all connected through a shared colonial heritage and how our understanding of global narratives around Empire can help us to view ourselves and the world around us in a new light.” 

Describing their creative practice as ‘Past-Modern’ as opposed to ‘Post Modern’, their highly decorative, narrative and symbolic work, is essentially a modern revival of Indian miniature painting within contemporary art practice. But their distinctive style is much more eclectic. In addition to the Indian miniature tradition of painting, they also draw on the artistic language and conventions of other traditions, east and west, old and new - including ancient Greek and Roman, Persian and Medieval European manuscripts, European Renaissance art, 18th Century British Satirists, the Victorian illustrators, Pre-Raphaelites, Art Nouveau, and pop culture, as well as symbolism, pattern and photography. There is seriousness, wit and mischief in their art. 

 
 

The Singh Twins have always collaborated in their art practice. Often working in tandem on the same image, they use a range of tools, materials and modern digital and traditional techniques to create their artwork. Meticulously researched and exquisitely detailed, their highly decorative and intricate ‘miniatures’ are painted by hand, whereas their large-scale fabric light box pieces are produced digitally incorporating details from digitally scanned hand-painted and historical material. This helps them achieve rich, detailed and multilayered work with precision. Their large-scale digital fabric artworks are then stretched over light-boxes to add intensity and luminosity, further enhancing the bold colours. 

The Arts Society's Magazine Editor, Sue Herdman observes  "Theirs is an art that is impossible to pigeonhole. It is about craftsmanship and beauty, global politics and wider issues, human connections, hidden histories, shared heritage and identity". 

As part of the Slaves of Fashion project, The Singh Twins were commissioned to create a companion work in response to selected objects from the Norfolk Museum Service's collection.

This resulted the mixed-media image Alternative A-Z of Empire using an 18th century jigsaw puzzle, titled Inhabitants of The World Alphabetically Arrang’d, as its starting point. The work was made possible with generous support from Art Fund, The Friends of Norwich Museums and Norfolk Contemporary Arts Society and is now on permanent display in the Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery. 

 

 
 
 

Review by ncas trustee Danusia Wurm

 

Laurence Edwards In Conversation with Derek Morris and Andy Campbell

Event date: 19 November 2022
Review by Derek Morris

 

The Yoxman, Laurence Edwards

 
 

A reflection on the evening by Derek Morris.

On the evening of Saturday 12th November, a sizeable audience of ncas members, students, staff and sixth formers from the Norwich School gathered in the school’s Blake Theatre to watch a film about the making and installation of a new work by Laurence Edwards, the Suffolk based sculptor. After the film, 3D Design and Creative Projects Co-ordinator Andy Campbell and I asked Laurence questions about his practice and his journey to arrive at the point of being one of the most significant figurative artists of our time.

 
 

The film gave us clear insights into the creative development and manufacture of the work, The Yoxman, the eight-meter high bronze figure which is permanently based by the A12 road at Yoxford in Suffolk. The extraordinary vision and intense energy required to achieve such a successful work continued to be evident as Laurence’s answers to the questions asked by Andy and me revealed Laurence’s intellectual and imaginative energy, not to mention his physical energy, in creating such a truly monumental and heroic figure.

The possibilities for Laurence himself in making such a large sculpture in bronze lie in the many years of experience he achieved as a jobbing bronze foundry man, and the accumulation of equipment and appropriate spaces that allow him to be completely in control of the conception and construction of his sculptures. This makes for an element of spontaneity in the working process (which is unusual in bronze casting) and that the special qualities of bronze as primarily a fluid material go a long way towards achieving the unique qualities of his sculptures.

 

Laurence Edwards in his studio

Review by sculptor Derek Morris