Exhibition: Laura Youngson Coll

This exhibition was held in Contemporary Applied Art from 25th June to 3th August 2014. The artist won the Perrier-Jouet Arts Salon Prize and is a new member of them.

She was inspired by nature and created all these works, mostly talking about air pollution. I think the reason that she chose moss and lichen is because that they are extreme sensitive to the quality of air. Normally they can only live and thrive in the place that has fresh air.

The main materials she utilised are leather and vellum.

Untitled (Lichens)
2013
Veg-tan Leather, Vellum

Indicator Species 1-5
2014
Veg-tan leather, vellum, fish skin, cherry twig cast in white resin

These works shows some species lichens can survive in extreme environments. The environments that formed by human activity and the lichens gradually adapted to them. This series is a reminder of our impact on the world we live.
1. London, 2. Eutrophication 3. Radionuclides 4. Lead Tetraethyl 5. Lichens of Clean Air

Haeckel 1
2014
Vellum, Supernatural Vellum, Hair Sheep and Goatskin Leather
This piece pays homage to Ernst Haeckel, as his extraordinary achievement in the illustration of biological specimens and micro-organisms.

White Garden 2013
Vellum, Hair Sheep Leather

I especially like the components made of vellum in her work. It feels so light and translucent that I can barely realise what is this material. Those lichens in vellum are amazing. And her ability to work with these little details are astonishing too.

However, I think even her works are not connecting with the environment or air pollution, it doesn't affect the result that I enjoy their looking. Because there is no supporting for me to know that is she really care about these problems or she just did whatever she like from a more visual side and made the concept afterwards. Maybe the relation between her work and the concept is not that close, which makes me have this feeling. From her description, what she wants to express is not what I see.

This also happens to myself. Though there is some reasons related to my nature, I would like to improve myself and make it different.