Sam Stocker
サム ストッカー
Within these gallery walls Sam Stocker has delineated a fictive domestic space, the furniture lined up against invisible walls.
The title is taken from a late 19th century line of Scottish furniture Sine Qua Non, marketed as essential pieces for the home,
and alluding to this Stocker has produced an alternate and alien version of domestic necessities. This range is not based on our utilitarian activities
or aspirational ideals, but rather on the specific movements, desires and psychological impulses of the space’s possible inhabitants.
Using found furniture as central nuclei, projections are added, measured out according to the dimensions of the core piece. Through this method the widths are doubled and tripled, the initial object now raised high on slender columns. The found pieces are bruised and worn, bearing traces of past use: cup stains, broken springs, tiny cobwebs, and chipped, grimy paintwork. In contrast, the additions are anonymous plinths and boxes, their construction method made obvious through rough, visible brush marks and the indentation of screws at the seams. The impulse to alter is rendered visible through these implied actions, the new paint contrasting with the worn patina of the originals. We can see that the objects have been expanded, and yet the reason for the alternations remains illusive. The furniture is transformed into unfolding mathematical expressions of daily routines and unknown desires.
Walking through the space, twinned drawers are flipped and opened up, revealing their internal structures. The potential for storing items inside these spaces has been increased greatly by the additional panels, while the secrecy of the drawers has been removed. There is nowhere for anything to hide. Instead the drawers are down in the base of the structure, sealed away from us and inaccessible. Another work conflates the favourite childhood hiding places of underneath a table and inside a wardrobe to create a structure purpose-built for a furtive escape, dark and inviting. A trolley, normally experiencing free reign throughout the home is now vulnerably perched atop a column, its new destinations obscured and unknown. If the requirements of the core pieces of furniture were to fit into the scale of our homes and around our bodies, by projecting their dimensions, our attention is drawn to how we could fit inside and around the pieces. Normal relationships with furniture involve intermediary objects: tables holding plates, drawers holding clothing, carts carrying precarious liquids from one part of the home to another. With those objects removed, the relationship simplifies to become just about ourselves and the form. New purposes, removed from daily routines can be imagined. New possibilities and uses begin to occupy the voids and hollows.
Written by Katie McGown
Using found furniture as central nuclei, projections are added, measured out according to the dimensions of the core piece. Through this method the widths are doubled and tripled, the initial object now raised high on slender columns. The found pieces are bruised and worn, bearing traces of past use: cup stains, broken springs, tiny cobwebs, and chipped, grimy paintwork. In contrast, the additions are anonymous plinths and boxes, their construction method made obvious through rough, visible brush marks and the indentation of screws at the seams. The impulse to alter is rendered visible through these implied actions, the new paint contrasting with the worn patina of the originals. We can see that the objects have been expanded, and yet the reason for the alternations remains illusive. The furniture is transformed into unfolding mathematical expressions of daily routines and unknown desires.
Walking through the space, twinned drawers are flipped and opened up, revealing their internal structures. The potential for storing items inside these spaces has been increased greatly by the additional panels, while the secrecy of the drawers has been removed. There is nowhere for anything to hide. Instead the drawers are down in the base of the structure, sealed away from us and inaccessible. Another work conflates the favourite childhood hiding places of underneath a table and inside a wardrobe to create a structure purpose-built for a furtive escape, dark and inviting. A trolley, normally experiencing free reign throughout the home is now vulnerably perched atop a column, its new destinations obscured and unknown. If the requirements of the core pieces of furniture were to fit into the scale of our homes and around our bodies, by projecting their dimensions, our attention is drawn to how we could fit inside and around the pieces. Normal relationships with furniture involve intermediary objects: tables holding plates, drawers holding clothing, carts carrying precarious liquids from one part of the home to another. With those objects removed, the relationship simplifies to become just about ourselves and the form. New purposes, removed from daily routines can be imagined. New possibilities and uses begin to occupy the voids and hollows.
Written by Katie McGown
The Architecture of Alliance
Musashi Koganei 2013
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GTS Exhibtion Shitamachi
Old Town 2012
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Trolls in the Park
2008
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Trolls in the Park 2012
Noh 2 - Ghost Project
view project
What it is like without them
2009
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Trolls in the Park 2013
"The colour of sunshine"
view project
January Exhibtion
Geidai 2013
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Undressing
2013
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Untitled Hashimoto
Cave Contemporary 2013
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Geisai Wood Structure
2014
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Familiar Parts
Badger Nadger Gallery 2009
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Article Five
2010
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Untitled Installation
Reading 2002
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Noh Merchant CIty Exhibiton
Glasgow 2011
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Fair 2012
Edinburgh Collage of Art
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Solar System
Tokyo Geidai 2014
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GD
1997-1998
view project
Conversation with a stranger
2013
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Trojka
Edinburgh Collage of Art 2013
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Trolls in the Park
2009
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Self Self Help Part I
Geidai Tokyo 2013
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A Libre Novus
Tana Gallery Bookshelf 2014
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SPVA
Turner gallery 2014
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Study Paintings
2014
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Watercolour sketches
2014
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Community art projects
A selection
view project
Osaka
2014
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RCA Carpet
2011
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A Secret Place
2014
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Nagaya
2015
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Dialogues 3
2015
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Interface
2015
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From Winter To Spring
2016
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Under The Surface
2016
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A Work In Harmony
2017
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Set E
2017
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Figure 48
2017
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Under The Castle
2017
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Anxious Measures
2018
view project
Prototypes
2017
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Standing Posts
2017
view project
Silent Noise
2018
view project
Thursday Geida
2018
view project
Paint Your Teeth
2018
view project
Surrogate Sructures
2018
view project
Writing
執筆作品
Video
ビデオ
The Colour Of The Sunshine
A Liber Novus - Trailer 3 - Emotional Version
A Liber Novus - Trailer 2
A Liber Novus - Trailer 1
Article 5
A22
Noh - Glasgow 2011
Undressing
Himitsu rashi desu
House Beats with Aquiles Hadjis
Audio
オーディオ
CV
プロフィール
Sam Stocker
02. 11. 1977
samstocker@googlemail.com
Visual artist with over eight years of experience planning and delivering digital and visual art workshops. My experience includes working with young people and adults at locations in United Kingdom and Japan.
Teaching and leading on projects that have included painting, video making, animation, sculpture, graffiti and graphic design, culminating in performances, exhibitions and presentations.
Selected Arts Teaching
Fine Art Tutor
Suidobata Fine Arts Academy, Ikebukuro – from June 2013
Planning and teaching art classes in subjects that include painting, drawing, animation and installation art. The course at Suidobata Fine Arts Academy is designed to prepare students to study art related subjects in foreign countries. Through experience of studying in universities in the UK and Japan I am able to give expert advise to students when considering their potential places of study.
My class is run as both individual projects and collaboration projects, aimed at encouraging the students to communicate about their work and present their ideas at the end of every class.
Lead Tutor - Digital Art
Youth Unlimited Glasgow – February 2010 – March 2011
Youth unlimited is a project that helps young people develop employability skills and leads them towards college courses, my role with this project has been to work with the young people to facilitate a short film based upon their lives before youth unlimited, during the project and to speak of their aspirations for the future.
Due to the tight time limit that have been laid out I developed a dynamic and flexible approach to working with the young people setting out the frame work for the film where the young people work together in order to write the script, interview and film each other.
Visual Arts Tutor – Painting
Hope House Impact Arts, Glasgow. August 2010 – January 2011
Hope house is a salvation army service that provides accommodation to homeless men. The main part of the project is focused on producing with the group 3 wall mural that are inspired by Scotland, Glasgow and their owns interest to make for a better living environment.
This has been a temporary position in which I've aim to engage the people that are coming to the workshops in decoration, furniture restoration and producing their own art work.
At Hope House it is always essential in find a way of working that helps to build confidence and technical skills, whilst providing an environment that is relaxed and considerate of the clientele.
Lead Tutor - Digital Art
Create IT - Impact Arts, Glasgow. March – June 2010
Developing from the Create IT Project of 2009, this project was set up to work with specific groups for sessions throughout the week. The focus was to broaden the audience and field of participation, and workshops were run in community halls around Castlemilk.
In the initial workshops, animation was used as a starting point to engage the participants and introduce them to skills and concepts in photography, film-making, and graphic design.
Lead Artist - Digital Art
Gallery 37 - Impact Arts, Glasgow. July - August 2009
This was a city wide project working with groups of young people aged 14 to 18 over a 5 week period producing animations, short films, music, sculpture and paintings. The project involved introducing the group to new techniques that could help them to explore their own creativity. They were able to take ownership of their own efforts and create and design a DVD from scratch.
All the work was displayed at a final showcase bringing the young people together from across the city to show their artwork.
Lead Artist and Project Co-ordinator - Digital Art
Create IT - Impact Arts, Glasgow. February – July 2009
I set up, organised groups, and delivered digital art workshops with schools and community centres in Castlemilk, Glasgow. The intention of this project was to engage hard-to-reach young people in realising the positive aspects of their own interests and experience. This project also aimed to involve them in their own community by encouraging them to research their local history.
This research led to the creation of short animations and films. In addition the participants were introduced to digital photography and video editing. Some of the young people we worked with went on to study at higher education.
Visual artist – Graffiti, painting, sculpture and digital arts
Impact Arts, Glasgow. October 2006 - February 2011
I worked with groups of young people and adults in schools and community centres, facilitating art projects to encourage creativity. The project aimed to build the participants' confidence and self esteem.
The participants' own ideas were supported and developed through examples and ice breaking activities. The theme-based activities included a variety of techniques and methods of approaching and developing ideas.
I also led workshops in mural painting, graffiti, video and sculpture.
Selected Exhibitions and Awards
Solo Exhibitions
A Libre Novus
TANA Gallery Bookshelf Tokyo 2014
The Architecture of Alliance
Chateau 2F Musashi Koganei Tokyo 2013
Article Five
Montgomery's, Glasgow 2010
Without Which It Would Not Be
Project Room, Glasgow 2009
Familiar Parts
Badger Badger Gallery, Carlisle 2009
The Foundry
The Foundry, London 04/2005
About the House
Havering College Gallery, Essex 05/2004
Group Exhibitions
Himitsu Rashi desu (Outdoor installation)
Trolls in the park, Tokyo 11/2014
SPVI (Installation)
Turner Art Gallery, Tokyo 09/2014
Assembling (Installation / video)
Tokyo Geidai, Tokyo 06/2014
Solar System (Installation / video)
Tokyo Geidai, Tokyo 06/2014
The Color of Sunshine (Installation / performance)
Trolls in the park, Tokyo 11/2013
Undiscovered Regions (Installation)
Cave Contemporary, Tokyo 10/2013
Mind the Gap (Collaboration)
Tokyo Geidai, Tokyo 10/2013
Undressing (Installation / painting)
Tokyo Geidai, Tokyo 07/2013
Transmissions (Sound piece)
3331 Tokyo/Airplane Gallery New York 05/2013
Conversation with a Stranger (Collaboration)
Tokyo Geidai, Tokyo 01/2013
Noh2 (Collaboration / outdoor installation)
Trolls in the park, Tokyo 11/2012
GTS Project (Installation)
Youkobo Artspace, Tokyo 10/2012
Fair (Installation)
Edinburgh college of Art, Edinburgh 2012
Troica (Collaboration / installation)
Edinburgh college of Art, Edinburgh 2012
Farewell to an idea (Collaboration)
Gss wasteland, Glasgow 11/2010
Wild, Wicked and Wanton (Video)
Askew exhibitions, London 09/2010
12 Acts (Performance)
Project Room, Glasgow 01/2010
Orzel (Audio piece)
85a - Lowsalt, Glasgow 11/2009
Trolls in the park (Outdoor installation)
Youkobo art space, Tokyo 11/2009
Unstable Objects (Installation)
+44 141 gallery, Glasgow 08/2009
Trolls in the Park (Installation)
Youkobo art space, Tokyo 11/2008
Place (Paintings)
Place, Glasgow 11/2007
Awards
MEXT Scholarship Japan
2012
Creative Scotland Funding
2010
Scottish Arts Council Funding
2008
British Council Travel Award
2008
Uni. of Reading Sculpture Prize
2002
Hans Brinker Prize for Painting
2001
Education
Qualification
Master of Fine Art
Tokyo University of the Arts
Post Graduate Diploma (Merit)
Edinburgh College of Art, 2011-2012
BA Fine Art (First Class)
The University of Reading, 1998-2002
BTEC Foundation Art and Design (Distinction)
Havering College, 1995-1998