“I find it fascinating how the psychological process of remembering has influenced the way I work.”
Name
Michaela McManus
Profession
Visual Artist
Website
Who are you? What do you do?
I’m a recent Fine Art Graduate from Glasgow School of Art. I have a studio in Glasgow and I am running an exhibition/project space with four other artists.
Where are you from?
I’m from Edinburgh, Scotland.
Your style in 3 words?
Minimal, Cinematic, Uncanny.
Your weakness? Your strength?
A weakness of mine is my tendency to obsess over little details and the organising of my working process. At the same time this is a strength; my work is planned and the process is controlled allowing me translate my ideas into a visual image.
What makes you different?
My process of working is very personal to me and there for makes me different. The material I work with is mostly photographs from my own childhood. But through collaging and mark making, the works become universally relatable in their underlying nostalgia and lack of identity.
When did you decide to become an artist?
The easel in my work was a present for my second birthday. I’ve always had a need to create and make but was unsure of what I wanted to do. It was only in my final year of school that I decided I needed to work creatively and wanted to study Fine Art.
What do you find most fascinating about your work?
My work started by looking at very personal subject matter, specifically surrounding childhood memory, family and loss. However as I have continued to work with family photographs as source material, my memories of specific events in my childhood have been altered. As a result my work has progressed into exploring and representing the subconscious space where memory is situated and consequently imagined. I find it fascinating how the psychological process of remembering has influenced the way I work.
A few words about your favourite creation?
My favourite creation so far (Untitled 2) was one of the first I made for my degree show. The images used are fragmented and the decontextualised home setting has an unsettling familiarity. It was one of the first pieces I made which really captured the uncanny quality I was searching for.
Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…
Jeremy Miranda
A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?
As my practice has progressed it’s clear that the wider themes I am working with which explore the artifice and fragmentation of our post-modern, post-net era are becoming more important. I want to further explore the photographs material relation to time and how the visual image acts as a stimulus for recollection.
Finish the sentence „More important than my career is…“
My dog.
2018: Where are we going?
I’ve currently set up a studio with four other Artist’s and have exciting projects in progress. The studio is doubling up as an exhibition and project space for our art collective so I want to focus more on curating, collaborating and organising events.
When the going gets tough…
There’s always a good night out in Glasgow…
Your city’s favourite spots?
The Botanics, The Modern Institute
Do you have a vision?
As my practice develops my ideas are moving into many different mediums, I have lots of ideas of where I want my work and my career to go but no concrete plan as how I will progress. I like to let my process and opportunities lead the way.
What would you do if you could change the World?
I wouldn’t know where to start.
Tell us about your future plans…
I want to get a new body of work finished, so I can go ahead with more exhibitions. I’m most excited to start collaborating and exhibiting along side other artists and use this year to find my feet in the Glasgow art scene.
Last but not least: what is your favourite Song?
My favourite song at the moment is Watching Trees by Eleven Pond. But I have a habit of playing one song on repeat until I hate it.
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