insideKENT Magazine Issue 77 - August 2018 | Page 30

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE:
JASON MULLIGAN
WHAT’S SO INTERESTING ABOUT STONE? YOU MIGHT
ASK THAT QUESTION, AND FOR THE UNINITIATED THERE
MAY BE A STOCK ANSWER: NOTHING MUCH. HOWEVER,
DELVE A LITTLE DEEPER AND ENTER THE WORLD OF STONE
SCULPTURE ARTIST, JASON MULLIGAN AND IT DOESN’T TAKE
LONG TO REALISE THAT STONE HAS A LOT MORE GOING FOR
IT THAN WE MIGHT FIRST THINK! THE WAY IT FEELS, THE WAY
IT LOOKS AND, OF COURSE, WHAT SKILLED HANDS CAN MAKE
FROM IT MEAN THAT STONE IS NOT ONLY FASCINATING TO
WORK WITH, BUT UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL TOO. insideKENT
SPOKE TO JASON ABOUT HIS LOVE OF STONE, OF ART, AND
ABOUT HOW HE CAPTURES HIS VISION SO PERFECTLY.
If you had to define your art, how would
you describe what you do?
I refer to myself as a contemporary
artist/sculptor who specialises in stone.
How did you become an artist?
I completed a degree in fine art sculpture at
the University of Northumbria and then went
on to complete a one-year Bronze Casting
Fellowship at the same university. When the
studying ended, I was in need of work so
applied for several artist assistant roles. In 1994,
I started my first art-related job, working with
the Japanese stone carver and Henry Moore
Fellow, Hideo Furuta. I then went on to
work with British sculptor, Paul Mason, and
in 1996 I made my first trip to the marble
quarries of Italy to assist him on a large public
commission. On my return I knew I had
caught the ‘stone bug’ and that my search
for mastering this new medium to work in
had begun.
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As I knew there was so much to learn, rather
than return to university, I got an
apprenticeship with stone sculptor Hamish
Horsley in London and worked as his assistant
for five years. This involved working in all
aspects of the production of stone sculpture,
including enlargement by triangulation from
maquettes, major exhibitions, international
symposia, and numerous public and private
commissions.
How do you choose your subject matter?
Influences within my work stem from a
passion for stone and a direct interest in
archaeological and anthropological objects.
The motivation for my current work focuses
primarily on research around cultural objects
and a fascination with prehistoric stone
artefacts. This layering of historic and
geological referencing has many influences
from a variety of sculptural forms, such as
mysterious tribal objects to ancient fertility
figures and religious statues. The intention is
to recall some past primeval state while playing
with the ambiguity and form of the artefact
and the work invites the viewer to multiple
readings, where the mystery is in their
elusiveness.
What is it about stone that fascinates you?
How long have you got! It’s a uniquely physical
encounter when you come into contact with
any stone, whether it be one you are carving
or one you come across in the landscape. The
process of carving has such a seductive pull
on you that it can slow you right down,
making looking, seeing and problem solving
a very meditative exercise.
Stone as a material can convey notions of
density and mass as well as fragility and
lightness. I am continually looking around for
new stones to carve and with each new block
come its very own challenges. The stone will
always dictate to you how and what can be
done with it. It is always exciting working with
a natural material like stone, as you’re never
quite sure what the results will be. With