James McLardy and Lindsay Perth

by Alex Hetherington, 22 Oct 2008

James McLardy and Lindsay Perth came by to present work and ideas to the group, which was marvelous as both artists really engaged with the group. These two artists are developing work for the Twins project (with subliminal messages) and we’re really interested in seeing what develops from their discussions. I love James McLardy’s pencil drawings and sculpture work, which are intense, witty and elegantly rendered; while Lindsay Perth’s ideas about liminal (threshold) states are at once touching, intimate and intellectually intricate. Anyway “bloody marvelous” in the words of Ms Nicoll and now, back to the PhotoBooth please…

Also James has a solo show coming up in November at the Glasgow Project Room at the Independent Studios. More work on both artists here: http://re-title.com/artists/james-mclardy.asp
http://www.lippi.org

Lindsay Perth is a Canadian born artist, who has lived in Scotland since 1986. A graduate from Duncan of Jordanstone in BFA Printmaking and PostDip Electronic Imaging, Perth’s arts practice is engaged with ideas of liminal states, such as the politics of identity via cultural and societal framing. Perth’s intention is to work within littoral art spaces, often those which engage in collaborative art processes. Perth’s approach to art making includes a socially inclusive one. Although predominantly but not defined by media based work, it is an approach that is interdisciplinary including screen-based work, installation, photography and performance.

James McLardy’s work encompasses drawing, video and sculpture, which he combines in order to observe and arrange objects to suggest their gesture, narrative and authenticity. Recent sculptures bring together modern materials like MDF and silicon sealant with traditional methods and materials like wood carving, bronze casting and Tufa. Objects are not always what they at first seem, suggesting an underlying narrative or gesture. As with his drawings and video his sculpture defines a unstable relationship between abstraction and representation, the fake and the real. His pencil drawings represent a more subtle involvement with sculpture through intimacy, memory and history. They create landscapes composed of specific materials such as hair, rock, smoke, hay, bone, tree. The work has a personal quality and narratives are evoked but never spelled out – ultimately the interpretation remains open for the viewer to project their own narratives and fantasies.