Louisa Preston // Profile
The idea of utopia, (literally meaning ‘no place’, and / or ‘place of well being’), the ideals and futuristic plans of artists and architects in the modernist era, are fascinating to me and it is this rather fantastical, science fiction side to the history of architecture that I strive to work with. The architectural scale model as an embodiment of imagined space, holding future potential, but remaining in limbo between fiction and full-scale actuality is something I look to play on in my work and its future development.
I appreciate the aesthetics and structures of certain buildings, in particular modernist designs and by contrast, the ornate domes and attic spaces of some examples of Victorian and Georgian buildings. My appreciation of aspects of architecture, inaccessible parts high up, domed attic spaces, for example, or the purity and accurate geometries of modernist buildings, leads to a translation and abstraction into drawings, sculpture, printmaking and model making.
Artist's CV
EDUCATION
2007-2008
Master of Fine Art, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee.
2000-2004
BA (HONS) Fine Art
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee.
Aug’02-Dec’02
Student Exchange Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada.
1998-2000
HND Product Design Engineering. Glasgow University and Glasgow School of Art, (Joint Course)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2007
MAGAZINE’07, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Edinburgh.
Nostalgia Erotiques, The Out of the Blue Drill Hall
36 Dalmeny Street, Off Leith Walk, Edinburgh.
2006
Platforma, Cooper Gallery, DJCAD, Dundee.
Absent Without Leave (AWOL) Young Artists’ Biennial, 2nd Edition, Bucharest, Romania.
Members Show, Generator 25-26 Mid Wynd, Dundee.
2005
WASPS open studios exhibition, Meadow Mill, Dundee.
Gang Show, Embassy Gallery, Edinburgh.
Celebrating Confusion, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow.
They had 4 Years, Generator, 25-26 Mid Wynd, Dundee
2004
The Royal Scottish Academy’s Annual Student Exhibition, The Mound, Edinburgh.
Members’ Show, Generator, 25-26 Mid Wynd, Dundee.
2003
Land o’ Cakes, Generator, 25-26 Mid Wynd, Dundee
Members’ Show, Generator, 25-26 Mid Wynd, Dundee
2002
Here Here There There, University of West of England, Bristol.
2001
Artist Book Exhibition, VRC, DCA, Perth Road, Dundee.
AWARDS
2007
Shortlisted; Sainsbury Scholarship in Painting and Sculpture, The British School at Rome at The British Academy
2006
Dundee Visual Artists Award
Scottish Arts Council, Individual funding for creative development.
Arts Trust of Scotland Award, (funding for month long research trip to Tokyo)
NAN, Go See bursary. (Research trip to Bucharest, Romania)
2005
Dundee Visual Artists Award.
2004
The Royal Scottish Academy’s John Kinross Scholarship
2001
Bill Cadenhead prize for Drawing.
PUBLICATIONS
2007
Yuck n Yum, Issue 3, (ed,) Andrew Maclean
2006
Absent without leave (AWOL) Young Artists’ Biennial, 2nd Edition, ISBN:973-86344-5-8, pp12-13
Yuck n yum, Issue 2, (ed) Andrew Maclean
Dundee Visual Artists Awards Scheme, Published by Dundee City Council. Supported by Scottish Arts Council.
CAKE, Published by Limousine Bull
Yuck n Yum, issue 1, (ed). Andrew Maclean
RELATED EXPERIENCE
2006 to present
Gallery Assistant (Part time), Dundee Contemporary Arts, 152 Nethergate, Dundee.
March 2006
To May 2007
Project Assistant (Part Time)
University of Dundee Exhibitions Department, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Perth Road, Dundee.
May 2005-Apr 07 Committee member of GENERATORprojects.
2006
Co-project leader
“Installation and Collaboration”. Project with group of Second Year Undergraduates in Fine Art, culminating in an exhibition, ‘The Modern Scot’, University of Dundee Exhibitions Department, DJCAD, Dundee
2005
Research Assistant to Tracy Mackenna and Edwin Janssen.
Guest speaker, ‘Getting lost in Tokyo’, Seminar hosted by Raymond Lucas, VRC in DCA, Dundee