The Art of Creative Research Exhibition and Conference – Singapore Art Week 2023

January 1, 2023 / Gary Clough / Leave a comment

I am pleased to be invited to be part of this exciting project opening as part of the Singapore Art Week 06-15 January 2023 and joining colleagues and collaborators for the open seminar and launch at the National Institute of Education on the 12th of January. I will exhibit three pieces of work alongside fourteen international artists, academics and researchers – Identification l-lX, embroidery on canvas and Ono-Moiré and Moiré-Iè, ink on reused envelopes produced as part of a residency in Onomichi, Japan.

Artist Residency – Onomichi, Japan

July 10, 2022July 10, 2022 / Gary Clough / Leave a comment

I look forward to participating in ‘Re- & De-‘, a research and residency project with colleagues and practitioners Dr Kyung Hwa Shon from the Royal College of Art, London and Yutaka Inagawa and Tamaki Ono from Onomichi City University, Japan. The project is supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and will begin in Japan from 16 July to 13 August 2022.

Online Symposium

February 6, 2022March 27, 2022 / Gary Clough / Leave a comment

I am delighted to be invited by drawingisfree_ org, to join 14 other practitioners as part of the Drawing Projects UK PechaKucha style Symposium discussing the impact of lockdown on practice and drawing.

In the Future …. How will we Create?

November 21, 2021November 21, 2021 / Gary Clough / Leave a comment

‘In the Future …. How will we Create?’ took place from 9 November to 14 November 2021 at the UK Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai. The Royal College of Art is the Heritage Partner of the UK Pavilion, having a 170-year history of shared heritage with world exhibitions, going back to the first Expo, The Great Exhibition of 1851. The RCA’s contribution to the UK Pavilion will bring together a wide range of interdisciplinary projects from staff, current students and recent graduates. I developed and delivered ‘A City in a Day’ project as part of my ongoing research. Four local schools with approximately 20 students participated in an hour’s workshop, each hour a different age of the city’s development.

Memory and Light – conference interview

September 26, 2021 / Gary Clough / Leave a comment

I was recently invited by Emre Altindağ, PhD researcher and editor for an interview in the first edition of Memory and Light and to be the keynote speaker at the accompanying conference in August 2021. Memory and Light is an international artist-led collective and new publication for illustrators, graphic novelists, and storytellers. I discussed with Emre the role of narrative and storytelling as a key tool in my approach to sketchbooks and my practice. Article pdf here.

Fun Drawing: Pre-School Art and Design, curriculum development and delivery

September 3, 2017January 4, 2022 / Gary Clough / Leave a comment

In early August I was invited to Shenzhen, China as the external consultant for the Fun Drawing company. Fun Drawing specialises in pre-school art, design and creative classes for students between the ages of 4-12 years. Fun Drawing have over 20 years experience in the field of creative education and have over 100 schools across the major cites in China.

Fun Drawing-International Education project 2017

I spent a week in Shenzhen working directly with Fun Drawing’s research and development team, reviewing current curriculum and teaching methodologies. It was my role to develop approaches to integrate and adapt UK art, design and creative teaching, learning, theories, strategies and approaches into the curriculum.

Fun Drawing research and DevelopmentTeam

Across the week, we worked together to develop a range of new projects, looking at the learning styles and interests of the different age groups. The focus was on developing a more holistic approach to skills acquisition and competencies and also greater integration of creative thinking and action based learning, directly linked to UK creative education models and practices.

One area of key research was the identification and use of primary research sources, in the form of integrating gallery and site visits into the programme of study. This led to taking 30 students to the the Team Lab Exhibition and Research Project, in Shenzhen. The exhibition led by a group of artists from Japan focused on the application of digital, interactive light based installation and technology. The drawings produced were then used to instigate a class in the teaching studio, where students expanded on their experiences and drawings through collage, drawing and painting.

This was a extremely exciting, simulating and rewarding experience. I was also able to meet with the children’s parents, over 60% of them had studied in the UK and/or the US and high valued their experience and hoped their children would also have such opportunities in the future.

Fun Drawing Project, class and course development

I’m looking forward to the next stage of the project and the implementation of the newly developed curriculum. I will be returning to Shenzhen in October, to speak at Fun Drawing’s Annual Conference and present the current research and development.

Pre-China Drawings

July 28, 2017 / Gary Clough / Leave a comment

Off to Shenzhen China today, for a week visiting with colleagues in Fun Drawing, taking part in a series of development sessions and demonstration classes.

As ever, I will be drawing and developing ideas in sketchbooks, 12 hour flights are always productive. China Blue seems appropriate.

Below is a snap shot of current work developing further approaches to the ‘Penny Dreadful’ object/narrative idea, engaging with shaped narratives and applied structure.

Shenzhen education conference – Fun Drawing

November 5, 2016January 4, 2022 / Gary Clough / Leave a comment

I had the great honour to be invited to speak at the Shenzhen Education Conference on October 26, 2016, as part of their Fun Drawing initiative. Introducing UK Foundation teaching and learning methodologies to over 300 pre-school educationalists from throughout China, alongside other professionals from the industry.

The panel discussions dealt with the challenges of the incredible growth in interest for the creative industries from a new generation of aspirational parents, keyed into the opportunities the Arts can offer their children.