Jony Easterby

Artist statement

Jony Easterby Artists Statement.

Having worked in the public realm for over twenty years and have gathered a broad range of skills that I bring to each new project. I live and work on 3 acres of Welsh hillside which is also my ‘plant laboratory’ and studio, and there my passion for and knowledge of ecology, horticulture and the creation of habitat has developed.

My practice has always engaged with a variety of ‘natural’ spaces, working with rivers, parks, woodlands, commons and quarries. These projects have taken different forms ranging from night-time performance, to the creation of large-scale permanent installations.

In the past few years my work has included landscape, play and natural spaces. This has taken the form of towers, shelters sculpture trails and landscape designs.

I am particularly interested in the development of works relating to the interpretation, understanding and enhancement of the landscape in relation to land use, ecology and biodiversity. As such my arts practice seeks the active creation of spaces for biodiversity, (for instance through habitat creation), creating environments for landscape and people.

Through an understanding of space and place, its perceived function, and the creation of work within it, I hope to communicate a greater understanding and appreciation of the landscape and environmental issues to the people who inhabit it.

The urgency of climate change and the ecological unsustainable exploitation of the environment by human activity has to be redressed. Art can be part of the solution.

At present I am undertaking a major commission ‘Enclosure Rites’ along the Wolds Way in East Yorkshire creating work relating habitat creation, land use, geology and the archaeological features on the site.

I am also developing new linear work along two river corridors in Birmingham and the Cotswolds to create events in 2012 to raise awareness of the importance of rivers to biodiversity and urban culture.

As part of ‘Powerplant’, a touring exhibition of sound and light installations in Botanical gardens which has been staged throughout the U.K , Sydney, Hong Kong and Tasmania.

1n 2009 I completed a Graduate diploma in Landscape design at The Birmingham Institute of Art and Design as part of an ongoing exploration of landscape works.

Birmingham City University G.Dip La Architecture                   2009
University of South Wales @ Newport B.A (Hons) Fine Art       1991
Birmingham City University Arts Foundation Diploma              1985

SELECTED PROJECTS
Enclosure Rites Wolds Way Trail Landscape sculpture. East Yorkshire      2010/11
LARQ. 1 month Residency Landscape Arts Research Tasmania                  2011
Powerplant . Sydney, Hong Kong Hobart Festivals                                  2010/11
River Rea Project .,Research and development with Mac, B’ham             2010
Fevered Sleep. Sound Design for the NTW show The Weather House.     2010
CAT. Bee Hive Installation. Machynlleth                                                2010
Powerplant, Durhan Edinburgh RBG, Liverpool Oxford                           2008-1                              
Dunston Common Tower – Construction of Sculpture trail Norfolk CC.
River Churn Project. Research into river with the Cotswold Water
Park. Creation of Film, installation and consultancy 2007
Montgomery Canal – Sculptures and seats Britsih.Waterways. 2008
Springfield Park – Sculpture and masterplan Cheltenham CC 2007/8
Tiffey Tower – Sculptural lookout tower Wyndonham Norfolk 2007
Fire Ship + Brig - Barmouth. Wales. Creation of permanent sculpture 2006/7
Tredegar Chimes- Sound installation for Sustrans. Tredegar Wales 2007
Fibonaccis Den- Green oak shelter. Stroud Youth Centre % for Art. 2006
Samphire Sounds – Sound installation in tower, Dover. 2006
Sensory garden. Foxhollies School B’ham. Sustainable building project. 2005
Samphire Hoe, Dover. Design and construction of 10m tower for
Sustrans./Eurotunnel. Housing sound installation and paintings 2004
Trossachs Nat Park. Sound Trial on Loch Drunkie 5 works Scotland 2004
Hopebrooke School Sculpture for school grounds. Gloucester. 2003
Music for a New Space .AV installation in Westheath Hospital. B’ham. 2003
Tabernacle. Moma, Machynlleth. Wales. Video Installation 2003
BBC Life of Mammals. Sound and System Design Touring Exhibition 2002/3
Uber Wasser. Sound Installation. Gelsenkirchen Germany 2002
Equilibre. Digital Image Residency in dressage centre. N.Wales 2002
Aural. Assembly Rooms, Ludlow. Interactive sculpture exhibition 2001
Ashbourne Tunnel. Permanent public artwork - sound installation 2001
Irwell Sculpture Trail . Public Arts Comission. Bury Lancashire 2000
Grizedale Forest  x3 Residencies and Commissions, Cumbria 1996/9
Sound Gardens, Tindal, Alum Rock, Shaw Hills Schools. 1996/8
Midlands Arts Centre. Sound Sculpture exhibition 1994
Lickey Hills Park. Sound Sculpture Residency. 1994

SELECTED TIME BASED WORK

Machynlleth. Fire show/sculpture pyrotechnic event with Dark Spark 2007
Spirit of Friendship. Installation Commonwealth Festival Birmingham 2002
NVA, Sound Installations/design as part of ‘Fall from Light.’ Scotland 2002
Vivid. Digital Arts Residency at Birmingham Media centre 2002
Big Chill, AV set, Ocean, London. Baskerville Hall, Naxos, Greece 1994-2004
Lulworth Castlle, Enchanted garden, Norfolk and Llantony Abbey .
Fluxgate AV/Fluxgate II. Arc Art 02.,Tromso Norway. 2001/2/3
CMN/ACE Tour. UK tour with Touch/Biosphere 6 venues. 2001
Natural Geographic Performance, @ Kustforeniga gallery. Tromso. 2001
Driv. Performance with Biosphere. Tromso Norway . 2000
Speculum. Stavenger Contemporary Music Festival. Norway. 2000
Revolution. Sound installation B’ham ICC Millennium celebrations. 2000 Beacon. Sculpture and performance Cantaleau. France. 1999
Viva City. Sculpture and Performance. Rouen Festival. France. 1999
Dark Matter.Composition and performance. Brighton Festival. 1999
River Mensa Frozen Waterfall, Lillehammer Vinterspillen. Norway. 1999
Slow Burn. Performance.Bond Gallery. Birmingham. 1996
7/8 of a Second. Barclays New Stages award.B’ham. 1996
Sons of Rest. Ritual performance Royal Court. Sloane Square. London. 1996
Transgressions. Sound Sculpture live performance. The Wire/LMC. 1996
Anima Mundi. Direction of large scale event. Custard Factory.B’ham 1995
Electric Bonfire Party. Performance. Bond Gallery. Birmingham. 1995
Slowly Evolving works of Change. Performance. Bond Gallery.B’ham 1994
Triple X Arts Festival. Performance in gas holder Amsterdam. 1994
In danger of Death If Interfered With. Custard Factory. Birmingham. 1993

RECORDING/MEDIA.

Biosphere, Wireless, Additional Soundscapes. Touch Recordings 2009.
Samphire Tower, with Geir Jenssen, White Cliffs of Dover/installation. 2005
Biosphere , Heights of the Depths. Big Chill Recordings. 2001
DMT/50Htz with Brian. Duffy. CD. 1998
So Bring Me Down. with Stans Cafe. Radio Piece NOW 1998
Music Machine. Radio 3. Live concert/features 1997
Features Ch 4, Central TV/R4 World of Interiors, Craft Magazine,
Art Monthly, Art and Architecture, Blueprint magazine,.Folly

COLLABORATIONS AND GROUP WORK.

RED EARTH; Founder Member of Arts Group from 1988 Musical A/V Director Selected shows Egg.. Bracknel Festival. UK. 2002 Breath, Canterbury Festival..2001
Alam Halus.. Hawthe Theatre Crawley1998. Water Crossing. Brighton Festival.1998
Fire Sounding. Devon 1997 The Seventh Continent. London.1991
Bow Gamelan Ensemble. Participant in 10 shows. 1994/8.

Collaborating artists on previous Projects.
Ansuman Biswas, Brian Duffy, Akram Khan, Charlie Morrisey, Geir Jenssen, Ulf Pedersen, Anne Bean, Paul Burwell, Walter Bailey, Kaffe Matthews, HIA, Nathan Hughes, Giles Thacker, I am The Mighty Jungulator. Stans Cafe

SELECTED WORKSHOPS, COMMUNITY AND TEACHING.

Creative Partnerships. Frankley and Elms Farm Schools 2009
Snowdonia National Park Authority. 2006-8.
Bishops Cleeve School Glos 2006. QE Hospital Birmingham 2005.
Frome College Winner of Artists in Schools national award. 2004,
Hopebrooke School 2004.
Foxhollies School, B’ham 2004/5
Lancashire Girls school. 2001.
Loudwater studios/ West Heath Hospital. 2001.
St George’s, Canterbury Cross, schools 1998.
Shaw Hills, Alum Rock schools 1996.
Tindal St School. 1994.
Midlands Art Center 1993.

University of South Wales. Tutor Sound Recording BA level.
University Sunderland, visiting tutor.
University of Central England, visiting lecturer

SELECTED BURSARIES AND AWARDS
Wales Arts International 2010
Creative Wales Award Arts Council Wales. 2002
Barclays New Stages Commission ACE/WMA. 1995
Capital Grant Studio equipment. Prince of Wales Trust 1990
Live Art Travel Research Fund. Norway/ Africa A.C.E. 2001
Research at STIEM Institute Amsterdam. ACE/ W.M.A 1998
Research at Troika Ranch. New York. Arts Council Wales. 2003