Jamie Cross

Visual Art

1 May — 30 September 2020

Jamie's artistic practice tends to reflect an answer to a question or proposition. When does a space begin? Do you have to experience a space in order to understand it fully?  What is on the inside?  He is motivated by the need to answer such questions and portray the answers through his work.

He is interested in how some types of space are wholly dependent on how they are perceived. His aim is to explore hidden (and sometimes inaccessible) spaces that are not obvious to the human eye and the uninhabitable space of materials, such as the interior of an electrical device or the journey electricity travels to a light bulb.

He is curious as to how a device works or operates, which often encourages him to dismantle objects and from there, an idea for his work stems. Technological devices such as laptops and endoscopic/360° cameras are his preferred medium for realising and showcasing his work.  His main research tool is his Android mobile phone which he uses for photographing, recording footage, capturing sounds, and GPS tracking.  He takes inspiration from everyday things such as mid-point architecture, household objects, or random YouTube videos.

About Jamie's commission

Jamie used this commission to continue exploring themes in his practice and to develop and test new ways of showing these themes in his work. Jamie's present work focuses on uninhabitable and disused spaces, such as the micro internal space of objects in an urban apartment, or the space created by deforested woodland. The idea behind his current practice partly stems from a recent visit to his childhood home in Cavan and the revelation that the forest behind his house had been cut down. Jamie was intrigued by how this intricate maze-like space, which had blocked the view and light throughout his childhood had suddenly become an open otherworld-like space.

Jamie collated digital documentation of open forestry spaces and the interior of disused mines and caves. His aim was to dissect and analyse this content in order to create a digital product which can be shared online via video/3D tours. It will give the viewer the opportunity to visit these unique spaces as though in ‘real-life’ but from the confines of their own home. The digital aspect of his work will be displayed online in the short term with the prospect that the finished work may form a sculpture-type work for future gallery display. Jamie created 3-4 short video clips/3D tours of both macro and micro uninhabitable and disused spaces.

The Dock Summer 2020 Commissions

The Dock team was looking forward to working with a number of visual artists this year. As a result of the Covid 19 restrictions, there was a break in our gallery programme. This meant that the visual artists we were to work with were now without the opportunity to exhibit. The team here think long and hard about what and who we programme in the galleries, so decided to invite the artists who are part of the 2020 programme to submit an idea and approach to developing their work during this Covid-19 lockdown. The Dock framed this as a small commission, to offer the artists encouragement to keep making work and to continue their connection with us and with you the audience.

The commissioned work was mediated via our social media platforms and here on our website.