Gabriel Mansfield
About
Education
2020-2022 - MA Sculpture, Royal College of Art, London
2012-2015 - BA Fine Art, Goldsmiths, University of London (First Class Honours)
2011-2012 - Foundation Diploma in Art & Design, UCA, Canterbury (Distinction)
Current Exhibition
'The Locuscope' (7-30.06.2022), Battersea Park, London
See Website For Exhibition, Award & Employment History
Degree Details
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Statement
The collection of 64 sculptures I am excited to exhibit in the Royal College of Art 2022 Show is informed by a multitude of influences ranging from environmental concerns to the innate curiosity of childhood.
Prior to joining the RCA, I worked in various roles within the art industry that gave me an insight into how the commodification of artwork can influence its freedom of expression. The sculptures I am exhibiting are an experiment into the antithesis of high production investment. I hope to demonstrate how we might reconsider the role of art as society becomes increasingly environmentally conscious. Rather than continuing to create new artworks by permanently entombing raw materials into forms ready for the market, art could become the temporary arrangement of remnants, a form of ephemeral visual poetry, arguably just as capable of demonstrating thought and feeling.
This project is firmly aligned with the circular economy. My sculptures are constructed entirely from materials found on the wayside whilst commuting from my home in the Kent countryside to the Royal College of Art campus in Kensington, including the display unit - a renovated post office shelf. Litter, junk, treasure - these have been the puzzle pieces that I have intuitively arranged into forms.
My MA dissertation called ‘In Pursuit of Innate Creativity' explored how we are all born with an innate curiosity and a willingness to imaginatively interact with our surroundings. The majority of us lose this characteristic as we conform to a literal perception of the world.
A quote from Carleton Noyes’ The Gate of Appreciation that is particularly important to my practice describes this common constraint:
“Then comes a change… imagination surrenders to intellect; emotion gives place to knowledge. Gradually the material world shuts in about us until it becomes for us a hard, inert thing, and no longer a living, changing presence, instinct with infinite possibilities of experience and feeling. Now custom lies upon us.” - Carleton Noyes
I spent the past two years experimenting with these ‘infinite possibilities’, from daydream-inspired freehand line drawings to short films that attempted to capture imaginary perceptions of environments - eventually leading to this current collection of sculptures. They might resemble toys on a shelf, or characters from my childhood favourite Button Moon, or simply have a sense of structural harmony. I hope these sculptures reignite an innate, playful imagination in their audience and also, by placing them within the context of an art exhibition, inspire a different notion of what art could be.
After graduating, my ambitions are to write a book that encourages preserving and regaining innate creativity, continue producing artwork that embodies this mentality, and provide collaborative, participatory workshops to the public and institutions that share these values.
Graduate Exhibition Works
Presentations
'Hunter, Gatherer, Sculptor' Workshop
A Workshop with Gabriel Mansfield - Saturday 25th 11am - 1pm
In 1963 Battersea Park hosted an exhibition called 'Sculpture in the Open Air'. Fascinating artworks were placed throughout the park, including Barbara Hepworth’s contribution ‘Single Form’, which found a permanent home on the south shore of the lake. This summer ‘Single Form’ has been temporarily relocated to the Rijksmuseum Open Gardens in Amsterdam for a retrospective of Hepworth’s work.
In its place, students from the Royal College of Art’s Sculpture course were invited by Wandsworth Council to display a series of installations. The first installation, 'The Locuscope', invites park visitors to look at their surroundings differently, encouraging a closer consideration of things which we otherwise may have overlooked.
Influenced by this approach to looking and the work I am exhibiting in RCA 2022, I would like to invite you on a circular scavenging hunt starting from the sculpture show at RCA Battersea, through Battersea park via our installation. Along the way, we will gather debris from which we will construct miniature sculptures upon our return.
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/355029953147
Studio Portrait
The Locuscope
This public artwork sits in place of Barbara Hepworth’s ‘Single Form’, while it has been temporarily relocated to the Rijksmuseum.
The sensory dome has been inspired by the circular void that punctuates Hepworth’s sculpture. In contrast, this structure provides many viewpoints to witness the activity of the surrounding area - by peering through to the opposite side or upon the tessellated mirror surface.
The form of the structure echoes prehistoric human round houses or bird nests - where perhaps a sense of security stems from the ability to look out in all directions. It’s name, ‘The Locuscope’, amalgamates the word ‘locus’ with the suffix ‘scope' to describe a device that encourages a contemplative examination of its location.
The dome is entirely constructed from recycled or repurposed materials. From the 3-metre steel frame that once sat in a children’s playground, to the mirror cladding that once lined the hallways of the Royal College of Art.
The top platform is covered in plants that are cultivated from the park itself. Generously donated by @thrivecharity Community garden.
Contributing artists:
Yue Yin, Yuqing Shi, Shirley Renwick
Selected Previous Works
A selection of previous artwork. Please visit my website for further information on these projects.
Raree Man (Duel Self Portrait)
Medium: Ballpoint Pen on Paper
Size: 15 x 20 cm