Andrea Cotton

Artist Statement

My art is about the repetitive, mundane and monotonous. All my work fits within these parameters but the results are widely dissimilar. I have extracted information and data from the technology of Bluetooth and presented it as art in many guises such as nonsense verse, video and sound. I have used coloured pens and paper for other areas of interest such as the process of doodling and the necessity of counting. I have translated the extreme monotony and ennui of prison life (witnessed as a teacher within an institution) into pieces of artwork that raise questions and demand a new look at what exactly goes on in such places. I am always striving to convert everyday data into accessible pieces that, as well as being of immediate appeal, will also raise questions. My work is presented using many different approaches and it is necessarily laborious as I find that paying great attention to detail is an important part of my expression. Everything I create is accurate even when taken out of context and including apparently random doodles. I find that my obsessive nature can be indulged by the minutiae of detail and a controlled approach so I constantly list, order and reconfigure information with an endurance surpassing even my own estimation. I have worked on collaborative pieces with artists from many disciplines as well as working alone but overall my work is about obsession, particularly when born out of boredom or institutionalisation, and the processes in which such circumstances arise.