Danish artist Anne Harild has been chosen to undertake the 2015 Alexandra Reinhardt Memorial Award (ARMA) Artist Residency at the Bluecoat, Liverpool’s centre for the contemporary arts.
The artist will spend ten weeks, that will begin in February 2015, in residence at the Bluecoat, building on the organisation’s ongoing commitment to making art accessible to all, by working with families from some of Liverpool’s disadvantaged communities. The result of Harild’s residency will be a semi-permanent commissioned artwork that will welcome visitors to the historic building from Autumn 2015.
ARMA was established in memory of the artist Alexandra Reinhardt, and with the support of the Max Reinhardt Charitable Trust. The organisation is committed to fund an annual artist residency culminating in a site-specific piece of public art. The Award has been managed by ‘engage’, the National Association for Gallery Education, since 2012; which has resulted in residencies by Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva at mima, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, and Maria Zahle at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester.
Anne Harild was born in Denmark, and studied at University of the Arts, and the Royal College of Art, London. The artist’s work is founded in an exploration of the organised urban environment, the grids and textures that make up the topography of contemporary cities; and the structure and patterns of our lives within these man-made constructs.
Harid explains “I investigate the visual language of place; the material and shape we choose to surround ourselves with, translating the materiality of spaces into a series of collages, sculptural works and animated films. Collecting architectural surfaces, textures and shapes with camera and pencil, I deconstruct them and re-connect them, trying to make sense of the skins of buildings and what meaning they might carry.”
The artist has exhibited her work as part of ‘Atelier a Habiter’ at Z33 House of Contemporary Art in Hasselt, Belgium, ‘Shadow Lines’ at Tin Type Contemporary Art, London, and most recently Paradigm Store at 5 Howick Place, London. This year harid’s projects included ‘Translating Spaces’, where she worked with young people from Drapers City Foyer, Bethnal Green to create an exhibition, as well as a series of workshops in London schools in collaboration with ‘Art on the Underground’.
Harild continued: “I am very much looking forward to beginning my residency at the Bluecoat and taking on this commission. It’s a great opportunity, being able to explore the environment of such a beautiful and historically rich place as the Bluecoat in collaboration with young people and adults. I hope to make work based on our findings that will help people to engage in a process of exploring their immediate environment and the environment of the Bluecoat.”
Bec Fearon, Head of Engagement at the Bluecoat said: “We are delighted to be hosting the award in 2015 and excited about working with Anne Harild. I am sure that, in collaboration with children and families, Anne will create something truly exceptional for our front courtyard space. We are particularly inspired by her idea to use details within the building’s architecture as the starting point for workshops. It’s such a landmark building and this will encourage people to look at it more closely.”
Jane Sillis, Director of engage, and a member of the selection panel for the Award added: “engage is delighted that Anne Harild is undertaking the 2015 ARMA residency and commission with the Bluecoat. Anne brings a wealth of experience of working with a diversity of participants on high quality visual arts projects in a broad range of media.”
The Bluecoat is Liverpool’s centre for the contemporary arts. With four galleries, its artists’ studios support the work of 20 artists, whilst its other spaces provide a home to creative industries and practitioners.