Tom Burtonwood
David Constable

March 13th – April 4th, 2010

Opening reception, Sat. March 13th, 7-10pm

Chawn-oiserie chor-nwä-z(a)ré, (Fr) n art made from detritus, – n to construct with purpose, – v bored with it all [N Eng & Scot from chawn to talk, and Fr, from chinoiserie (a decorative or fine art object in) a style or design or decoration that uses or copies Chinese motifs or methods]

For Chawn-oiserie Burtonwood presents two projects. The first is a series of modest size sculptures each paired with a drawing. These combines explore the interplay between two-dimensional space and three-dimensional form. Geometric shapes inspired by the video game Tetris spill out of the drawings and cascade into the gallery. Burtonwood uses a laser cutter to exact these blocks from plywood and acrylic. The same outlines are found in the drawings and so a connection between the two is quite evident. His second project for this exhibition is a digital animation titled “Translations.” Produced in collaboration with Chicago based sound artist Jacob C. Hammes, the animation and audio work begins with a flattened two dimensional pattern that transforms into a simple cube. Burtonwood is fascinated with the “fold” and the act of folding / unfolding. The animation follows several different permutations of the cube unfolding / folding in this manner. Tom Burtonwood received his BA in Fine Art from Loughborough University, Loughborough, England in 1997 and subsequently completed his MFA at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, in 2001. He lives in Oak Park, Illinois and is an Adjunct Instructor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Recent exhibitions and screenings include “Chasing Two Rabbits” at Three Walls and (Con)Temporary Art Space both in Chicago.

Constable will install three large scale paper fold works presented on a ground of standard construction materials utilizing visual material gleaned from magazines and other mass media sources. These works elaborate on Constable’s longstanding fascination with the representation of power in the pages of magazines and displayed on the screen. Additionally Constable will exhibit a series of works titled “Caulfed Paintings.” These works aim to relate the substantial influence that the local extraction of aggregates exerts upon environment. Constable lives in rural Virginia where the mainstay of local commerce has, and continues to be, the extraction and distribution of coal. This industry’s revolution from underground to surface mining continues to fuel manifest industrial purposes. The specific extraction process utilized to service this demand operates as the object of these studies. As a process, Mountain-Top removal requires an overwhelming industrial effort, which results in the natural environments complete subordination and reorganization to those forces. David Constable received his BA in Fine Art from Grays School of Art, in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1989, and subsequently completed his MFA at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, in 2002. He lives in Norton, Virginia, and is an Adjunct instructor at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. Recent exhibitions include ‘Marginal’ at The University of Seville, Department of Architecture, Seville, Spain, and a site-specific installation in the John Cooke Wyllie Library at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise.