The drawings and etchings by Ian Chamberlain are the culmination of a response to The Atlantic Wall. The Atlantic wall is a WWII German defence system built along the west coast of Europe. These brutalist forms are being interpreted as architectural metaphors concerning boundaries and borders. (View film)
The exhibition Ian Chamberlain, Shifting Sand, North Atlantic Wall continues in the gallery throughout January 2021. More works are available by this artist
Through drawing and printmaking Ian Chamberlain reinterprets man-made structures as monuments in the landscape. These structures are architectural metaphors of past and current technological achievements. He has had a long-standing fascination with technology and architectural forms especially the structures within industry, agriculture, science and the military. These have included Goonhilly Earth station, The Lovell Telescope, Cheshire Maunsell Sea Forts in the Thames estuary and the Acoustic Sound Mirrors on the South Kent Coast.
Chamberlain uses traditional process and materials including etching and pencil to record structures. He articulates the textures and surface details within the rich surfaces of his images by building complex layers of mark and tone. The structures he draws are often now derelict or partially demolished. The etchings become an extension of his drawing, allowing him to record the location through the interlinking processes. The work is a visual historical document and a record of places that he has visited.
Ian Chamberlain’ s prints and drawings are held in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Tate Modern, London; Bristol Museum; Royal West of England Academy, Bristol; Pallant House Gallery, Chichester; The University of Chichester collection; The Ashmolean, Oxford.
Ian Chamberlain lives and works in Bristol, UK. In addition to his studio practice he is Senior Lecturer in M.A Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking and Drawing and Print, B.A (Hons)The University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.
