Everything Has Changed, Nothing Has Changed

New body of workIn partnership with the Belfast Print Workshop (BPW) and to celebrate their 40th Anniversary in 2017, Craft NI invited works to be presented in a unique exhibition - ‘Images Need Apply’ focusing on contemporary applied craft that makes use of printing processes. The artist was invited to exhibit new works for the exhibition with four other makers. The artist’s images were used for marketing purposes, and became the lead image on the exhibition poster and social media.An interest in narrative drives the work and often manifests itself through the combination of imagery and text on three-dimensional objects. The combination of image and object, the possibilities of exploring surface and form, and the similarities of mark-making in both print and clay lend themselves to the production of objects with many layers of meaning. Historically, the relationship with ceramics and print has been integral, and Dickson continues to exploit these close ties, with objects which combine the artist’s own prints on 'found' ceramic ware and those which are hand-made. Using 'everyday', or domestic ceramic objects can be a subtle vehicle to convey complex, political or emotional issues to the viewer. This new work comprises printed imagery on domestic ware. Patterns represent the repetitive nature of our everyday lives and relationships, to highlight that we take these routines and circumstances for granted. They become unnoticed. Once an event or change in the relationship occurs, this pattern is disrupted or altered, however the routine may seemingly go unchanged. The aim of the work is to make us notice and understand that although everything appears to remain the same, it can also have changed irrevocably. The use of domestic ceramics highlights the everyday and the ordinary. The use of printed transfers explores the narrative in a decorative and conceptual way. Imagery is derived from photographic and hand drawn documentation of unnoticed patterns and repetition found in and around the home. Theories such as Jung’s ‘shadow self’ and Plato’s ‘cave’, are used to inform the research.