AMATA BENEDICT
We are always on the lookout for imagery and stories that interests us. This can range anywhere from ancient myths, history or bygone eras of a fantastical past. Once we have an idea we like, we search for personal aspects within the imagery which relate to us that can then be fleshed out into a more detailed concept. We like to play around with the traditional whilst incorporating themes that are often topical and contemporary.
This can be with words, images, places, names etc..when this research has enough purpose to begin, we then turn our attention to gathering the materials and composing the layout of the piece.
In our general practice we use a wide variety of materials. For our textiles we look for interesting fabrics that have had a past life that we can re-use and reimagine into new works. We especially look to gather fabric that can enrich the narrative that we are trying to portray by incorporating into the work buttonholes, zips, stains or anything that speaks of a tangible history. Staple materials we use are often hand-dyed antique linens, inherited materials, cut offs from upholsterers, our occasionally our own worn out clothes.
“Nothing is off limits as far as it serves to honour the life that came before and bring new life to the story we are trying to convey.”
We find inspiration in all sorts of places from car boot sales to grand old houses and everything in-between.
Walking around favourite museums and galleries and seeing unattainable objects we want is often a good starting point for making work. Another source to garner information and ideas is from a few well thumbed books we have in our home. ’The Book of Symbols' is a particularly good treasure trove.
A fundamental part of our practice is to make art or objects that serve a purpose. We like to make contemporary artefacts that speak to both the past and the present, reminding us that all art from the past was made for particular reasons. By this reinterpretation, we allow the works to be part of the everyday, and thus appreciated in a more immersive context.
Amata Benedict is an artistic partnership who create art and interiors based on the principles of the renaissance workshop. A place where disparate disciplines merge to create artworks that integrate the space between the artefact, the functional object and a work of art. They make pieces from pre - existing things, often using fragments of used textiles, deconstructed and reconfigured furniture as well as fabricating metal sculptures and building with clay. They create works inspired by ancient art to everyday contemporary objects.
Their backgrounds stem from sculpture and interior design. Amata studied Interior Design at the Glasgow School of Art, working at World of Interiors before gaining more pragmatic skills at studios, including Lockbund Foundry, Fiorini, and Cox London. Benedict studied sculpture at Central Saint Martins, later completing an apprenticeship in fabrication at Pangolin Editions. He went on to gain a Masters in Fine Art at City and Guild’s Art School. He is the recipient of the National Sculpture Prize (2017) and the Young Contemporary Prize (2018).
